Protest against femicide in Lithuania demands systemic change to protect women from violence.
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Protesters gathered to commemorate a murdered young woman, with organizers stating they are fighting for the safety of all women. The murder, according to organizers, was not random but committed by the victim’s former partner, who had subjected her to physical and psychological abuse and sexual exploitation since she was 14. Despite her reporting threats and having a protection order, authorities failed to prevent the tragedy, resulting in her death in the hospital and the perpetrator’s subsequent suicide after being caught. Protest organizers, including “Centrul FILIA,” “Teisinių iÅ¡teklių centras,” and “Feminizmas Rumunijoje,” noted this was the 25th femicide in Romania in the last five months. They highlighted that dozens of women are killed annually in the country solely because they are women, and abusers often escape adequate accountability. Organizers called for public solidarity instead of victim-blaming, emphasizing that the violence against women, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, is a consequence of deeply ingrained patriarchal culture. The demonstration included a list of demands, urging state institutions to take responsibility for systemic domestic violence issues, including recognizing femicide as a distinct crime, enforcing laws across all forms of violence, mandating risk assessments in domestic violence cases, ensuring adequate funding for services for victims and abusers, allowing survivors to file criminal complaints against abusers without time limits, and implementing real prevention mechanisms through education on healthy relationships and gender equality in schools. Furthermore, the text provides statistics indicating that one in three women in the EU and globally has experienced physical or sexual violence, and recent surveys show significant rates of physical and sexual violence among women in Lithuania compared to the EU average.
