Analog and Digital — Regional and Global
BY CAROL H .
The various women ’ s clubs in Hamburg joined forces on the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on November 25 with a wide range of activities . The day kicks off the UN System ’ s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Violence , which ends on Human Rights Day on December 10 . “ More than ever , we need to shake up our society and our politicians to make domestic violence visible , to fight it , to prevent it , and to stop it ,” says Christiane Klappert , board member of the Landesfrauenrat . “ For many women , home is not a safe place — and corona-related restrictions are making it impossible for them to leave their own four walls .”
The current figures from the Hamburg prosecutor ’ s office show that from March to July of 2020 more than 2,900 cases of domestic violence were investigated . In comparison , the total number of cases during these months in 2019 was 2,300 . “ This is 600 cases more than last year and an average of more than 19 cases per day ,” says board member Annika Huisinga , who also heads the newly-formed LFR group Violence Against Women .
All over Hamburg , LFR member clubs use both analog and digital approaches to highlight violence against women . In addition to the AWCH ’ s digital talk ( see accompanying article ), the LFR sponsored a digital workshop with practitioners and social workers from counseling centers . The Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund ( DGB ) Hamburg raised the flag “ No to Violence Against Women ” in front of their building , which will be on display at city hall all year . In addition , they collected donations for 24 / 7 , the coordinating office for the six Hamburg women ’ s shelters .
The five Zonta Clubs in Hamburg organized “ Orange your City ” on a UN Women ’ s initiative , in which various buildings in Hamburg were illuminated orange to “ bring light into the darkness of violence .” A well-attended demonstration was also held on Jungfernstieg , which was supported by many women ’ s alliances in Hamburg .
The LFR , representing 60 women ’ s club members in Hamburg , demands an effective political strategy that considers both prevention and victim support for all kinds of sexual and gender-specific violence . Violence against women is a problem for our society as a whole , and everyone must work together toward solving it every day of the year .
Photo by T . Hillermann from LFR on Nov . 25 , 2020 at the „ Orange My City “ demonstration . Graphic from ! STOP ! Häusliche Gewalt campaign from LFR
8 AWCH News & Events
LFR & the International Day of Ending Violence Against Women