Evolutions and contradictions in the perception of gender violence

A dramatic reality, encountered in all European countries, gender violence is equally present in Romania. And in recent years, to punish the perpetrators and protect women from the aggressions that are mainly targeting them, a number of measures have been taken, such as restraining orders and electronic tagging for offenders. Maybe this is also a reason why the percentage of violence acts reporting has recently increased. In the first 6 months of 2022, data related to domestic violence recorded by the Romanian Police show that 18,507 women were the victims of acts of violence, including 18 cases of murder, 13 attempted murders and 12,801 acts of bodily injury. Nevertheless, experts believe that the existing data are still irrelevant, since the statistics only refer to physical aggression without taking into account the other types of violence against women as described in the Romanian legislation.

Ionela Băluță, professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Bucharest University and co-author of the 2022 Gender Violence Barometer, explains the need for complete information.: “The subject of this barometer is violence against women. As we showed in the introductory study, we tried to make a study that should respond to the way in which the phenomenon is approached and explained both in the academic and the political space. Besides, we ratified the Istanbul Convention and last year we had the first evaluation. This convention has an international monitoring and evaluation committee, GREVIO, which makes country reports. And in the country report on Romania, one of the recurrent issues highlighted by the GREVIO experts as negative is the data supply. If we read the GREVIO report which is available online, it is public and all our authorities are aware of it, we find that we have no data on violence against women. It's one of the biggest problems, because we cannot come up with adequate political measures if we don't know what we have on the ground. Another thing in the report refers to the fact that the gender perspective is insufficiently or not at all present in the way in which the Romanian authorities have modified the legislation and formulated public policies.”

Coordinated by the FILIA Center (feminist non-governmental association) and financed through a grant provided by the German Embassy in Bucharest, the 2022 gender violence barometer is only the second study on this topic carried out since 2003. At that time, the research was called the Domestic Violence Barometer, using a more restrictive term. However, comparisons can be made between data collected in two periods of time separated by 20 years.

Ionela Băluță has more details: “I do not think that this comparison allows us to say that we have taken a spectacular leap in terms of awareness, sensitization and rejection of violence against women. There is indeed an important change in terms of tolerance for physical aggression. It would be quite malicious not to identify hitting, slapping and even insulting as physical assaults. In these situations, these manifestations appear to be recognized as forms of violence, as our barometer also shows. Compared to 2003, the degree of rejection of these acts has increased a lot. In general, there is over 80% rejection by the population of these forms of violence, which was not the case in 2003. In exchange, as regards the forms of violence that are less known, although they are in the law, namely social violence, economic violence, psychological violence, an increase was reported. It's not big, about 7%. Let me give you an example. Currently, approximately one in four Romanians consider it slightly serious or not serious at all if a woman is not allowed to spend her money as she wishes, if a woman is not allowed to go out of the house unaccompanied by her partner, or if a woman is not allowed to have a group of friends.”

Other data included in the 2022 Gender Violence Barometer are: 19% of respondents consider it not at all or slightly serious that a woman is raped after agreeing to go to a man's house, and 12% think the same if a woman dressed provocatively is raped.

Ionela Baluță continues her explanation: "When we look at the attitude towards rape, the stereotypes prevalent among the population emerge very clearly. And the lower the level of education or the more prevalent patriarchal the values, the more worrying the percentages. For example, even if the respondents believe that rape is not accepted and is considered very serious by the majority, we just wanted to check the rest. But when asked how they feel about the situation in which a woman was raped after agreeing to go to a man's house, this situation is no longer as serious, they answered. As if when, in our social relationships, if we agree to go out with a man, to go to various places, to our house or his house to talk, rape is included in the package. So, women, be careful when you accept this! Unfortunately, an important percentage of Romanian society, people with whom we interact, believe that, in fact, we accept being raped. There is something more worrying. We specifically asked: ‘how serious, in your opinion, is the situation in which an underage girl has sexual relations with a man’. But, in fact, this situation does not exist. A minor ‘is raped’ by a man. At least according to the legal text, if we do not get into other matters related to ethics, morals and so on. The legal definition says that when you do not give your consent, you are forced to do something. But to our respondents, it seems less serious if an underage girl has sexual relations with an adult man than if a woman is raped by a stranger.”

Created to further reduce the lack of official data on the spread of gender-based violence in all its forms, the 2022 barometer was also intended as a working tool for the authorities to formulate appropriate public policies. (LS)