By: Paulius Yamin* and Lara Geermann*

Despite what we often think, the majority of cases of violence in our country do not happen in the street or in dark alleys. They happen inside the home and between family members or couples. 80% of the victims are women that suffer physical, psychological, economic and sexual abuse from their own “intimate partners”. Last year, more than 41,000 cases of domestic violence were officially reported to the police, but presumably, the actual number of cases is much higher. 

Violence against women is a significant threat to public health around the world and a violation of women’s human rights. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated in 2017 that one out of every three women (35%) worldwide has suffered from physical or sexual violence. As happens in our country, around the world intimate partners are responsible for most violence against women, which has also been linked to negative mental and physical health for the victims and their children, as well as social and economic costs for the society as a whole. In the U.K., for example, the government estimates that each domestic violence victim costs society an average of €40,000 due to lost productivity, trauma and other health problems, as well as other prevention, care and response costs (although depending on the circumstances the most extreme cases can cost up to €2.5 million). 

Domestic violence is a serious problem that is particularly difficult to tackle because it often happens inside the house, and because it requires deep cultural changes in society to be recognised, as the recent campaigns by the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, the Centre for Equality Advancement, the Human Rights Monitoring Institute and the Nomoshiti Agency so vividly remind us. Unfortunately, numbers in Lithuania are not good in this respect. One out of every four women (24%) report having suffered physical or sexual violence from their partners at least once. In a special Eurobarometer survey in 2010, 80% of Lithuanians thought that domestic violence was common in our country, while 86% blamed victims by agreeing that the “provocative behaviour of women” is a reason for violence against them. 

The introduction of the Law on the Protection from Domestic Violence in 2011 and the increase in domestic violence reports since then is a crucial step because it has encouraged many women to speak up against their attackers, but much more efforts are needed (beginning by the embarrassing failure to ratify the Istanbul Convention). As I have argued before, in this and other policy problems the best punishment and control measures will not be effective if people do not change the values and everyday behaviours as well.  

A medium city in Colombia achieved this, and managed to cut in half their domestic violence rate in only two years. The strategy “Because nothing justifies mistreatment” was implemented in the city of Barrancabermeja (population: 100,000 inhabitants) from 2009 to 2011 by the local NGO Corpovisionarios in alliance with local public and private institutions. Identifying that most of the domestic violence cases were linked to jealousy, they implemented a series of innovative pedagogical actions to change the culture and the behaviours of local inhabitants. They created a 24-hour telephone line for people to talk to psychologists when they were feeling jealous and they asked well-known singers to create their next song about how domestic violence is not acceptable. They trained journalists to report domestic violence cases without sensationalism and they sent professional actors to the streets to perform domestic violence scenes without the people knowing they were actors. Finally, they distributed 10,000 red whistles (like the ones used by the referee in sports) for people to use if they saw or suffered a domestic violence situation (for others to help). 

When we present these and other similar examples at international events, people often laugh and say that these games seem fun, but they will not have any effect on people’s actions. And yet, these “games” reduced by half the domestic violence cases in Barrancabermeja, reduced homicides and deaths in traffic accidents in Bogota by almost 70%, and are saving a truck company 10.000 euros a month in fuel costs in our VGTU and London School of Economics research project. Thousands more practical and scientific examples around the world support this as well, and it is not that difficult or expensive. 

Domestic violence and violence against women is a complex problem that requires complex solutions. A problem that will not be solved only by the State’s actions, but that needs the commitment of all of us as well. Excellent initiatives in Lithuania are already tackling this dimension of the problem, producing e-training and help resources, digital forums and social campaigns to create awareness and end victim blaming.  In order to change domestic violence behaviours, it is urgent to expand these initiatives and include them in an integral change strategy directed towards changing the values that make violence against women appear as an “acceptable” or “private” part of sentimental relationships and family life. Values and behaviours that, unfortunately, attackers, victims and the rest of us often share.  

Research has shown that Lithuanian women tend to turn to friends and family first to report psychological and emotional abuse before they experience physical violence. Unfortunately, that same research also shows that friends, family and even the authorities often blame the victim and convince them against speaking up to preserve privacy and stability of the family. This means that if we want to prevent these cases, and not just sanction the ones that already happened, we all need to be vigilant and act when we know about a case of any form of violence.  

In Colombia, one of the most effective mechanisms was the red whistle that would prompt people to help when used. Maybe we all need red whistles around here as well.  
If you are interested in these issues and have ideas to change Lithuania and the world contact me on Twitter @pauliusyamin


* Paulius is a Lithuanian descendant who lives with his Colombian family in Vilnius. He’s an MJJ Fondas Scholar, a Research Fellow at VGTU, a Partner at the Behavioural Lab LT and a PhD Candidate and Researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In the past, he has worked as external consultant for the International Labour Organization (the UN agency in charge of work issues), as Head of the Behavioural and Cultural Team at the Colombian Government, and as research assistant for Antanas Mockus.

* Lara is a German student who took part in the National Students Academy in Lithuania (Nacionalinė moksleivių akademija) and has a deep interest in the field of Behavioural Science. She works as research assistant for Paulius Yamin.



Originally published in www.15min.lt