International Day Against Violence Against Women: Education Unions as a Lever for Change
by Lies Van Rompaey, Chair of the ETUCE Status of Women Committee
On 25
November, since 1999, we have globally marked the International Day Against
Violence Against Women. More than 25 years after the UN proclaimed this day, it
remains more necessary than ever to keep drawing attention to the issue.
According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 1 in 3
European women aged 15 to 49 has been a victim of physical or sexual violence
by a partner—a staggering figure. Even in the workplace and in education,
transgressive sexist behaviour remains a persistent problem. Violence against
women is not only a violation of human rights; it also has a devastating impact
on wellbeing, health, and professional careers.
Educational
institutions are not only places where victims and perpetrators may be present,
but also key actors in the fight against gender-based violence. As education
unions, we have a special role to play. We must dare to speak out, make
violence visible, and empower our members and activists to take up this role in
their schools. Transgressive gender-related behaviour must be open for
discussion in our educational institutions, in staff rooms, and in classrooms.
According
to the WHO report, European support services are “absolutely inadequate” to
protect women and girls from gender-based violence. [1]
The “Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against
women and domestic violence” is, however, a powerful instrument to address this
issue. Signed in 2019 by 46 countries and the European Union, this treaty—also
known as the Istanbul Convention—only has real impact when it is implemented
and applied nationally. Unfortunately, in some European countries, there is a
tendency to backtrack on the protection of women, or worse, to misuse the issue
for political purposes. Turkey left the convention in 2021, and recently a
majority in the Latvian parliament voted for withdrawal. The decision now lies
with the Latvian president. This is a deeply troubling trend and a step
backwards in the fight against gender-based violence.
The rise of
far-right and ultra-conservative parties and groups complicates our struggle.
These groups, for example, try to convince the public that it is mainly
migrants who commit violence against women. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Most violence is committed by people known to the victim, within the
family or at work, and mainly by men of European nationality. We must not
tolerate far-right groups misusing women’s struggle for their own racist
campaigns, as Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani recently argued.
This fight
is too important. We cannot remain on the sidelines. Solidarity and collective
action are our strongest weapons. Together, we must intensify the fight against
gender-based violence—in the classroom, among colleagues, at colleges and
universities, in academies and other educational institutions. But also
nationally and at the European level, we must continue to make our voices
heard. It is up to us, unions and education professionals, to defend the rights
of women and girls and to keep fighting for effective implementation of the
Istanbul Convention in every country.
[1] World Health Organization. Regional Office for
Europe (2025). Care, courage, change: health-sector leadership in tackling
violence against women and girls. WHO Report
