According to the President, violence against women is a grave human rights violation that leaves deep scars on women, families and entire societies. It destroys lives and entails huge health, legal and social costs. For violence against women – everyone pays the price.
According to the UN, domestic and intimate partner violence causes more deaths and incurs much higher economic costs worldwide than homicides or civil wars. It is a massive problem with a cost of around 2 percent of the world’s GDP. In the European Union alone, the cost of violence against women is estimated at 225 billion euros. This is over 1.5 times the size of the EU yearly budget. The economic estimates of the cost of such violence help to better understand the scope of the problem and to address it more efficiently.
Twenty-three thousand reports on domestic violence were filed in Lithuania just in the first six months of this year. One in three women in Lithuania experiences domestic violence.
Stopping domestic violence is a top priority of the nationwide social campaign “For A Safe Lithuania” launched by President Dalia Grybauskaitė. On Monday, November 28, at 13:00 hours, representatives from non-governmental organizations, the law enforcement, municipalities and trained specialists who help victims of domestic violence will come together at the Presidential Palace. Expert proposals will be forwarded to the Government to make the fight against domestic violence more effective and to help relevant information reach those who need it more speedily.
November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
