Organised together with the FEMM committee in the European Parliament, the event takes place ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women this Saturday.
Under the slogan ‘Only the tip of the iceberg’, some 50 women and men built a wall with the image of an iceberg at Place de Luxembourg, to highlight the fact that only a small part of the violence against women is visible.
PES Women president Zita Gurmai said:
“Women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence, harassment and other forms of violence. Unfortunately, we still need to remind society of the scale of gender-based violence and sexual harassment because it is often hidden.
“Therefore we encourage all victims to break the silence and join the fight. We also call for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the EU and all member states, in order to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.”
Maltese Minister for Equality Helena Dalli, who also attended the event, added:
“Earlier this year, the Maltese EU Presidency worked hard to achieve an agreement for the historic signing of the Istanbul Convention during its term. It is now for the EU and the member states to ensure that the momentum is kept, and to adopt a far-reaching strategy and list of actions to tackle violence against women systematically.”
PES Women is the women’s organisation of the Party of European Socialists.
