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A30 world news
Diahuebs 26 November 2020

Global push to end domestic violence, worse amid COVID-19

were hard to come by, or- Ngcuka, executive director needs to be done.
ganizations and countries, of the U.N. Women agency. France’s minister for equal
from the United Nations to “Last year alone, 243 million rights, Elisabeth Moreno,
the European Union, France women and girls experienced said that reports of domestic
and Britain, all said that the sexual or physical violence violence registered with the
pandemic had so far been an from their partner. This year, government rose 42% during
additional source for men to reports of increased domestic France’s first virus lockdown
mistreat women. violence, cyberbullying, child in the spring, and have risen
marriages, sexual harassment 15% since a new lockdown
In Ukraine, the Femen femi- and sexual violence have was imposed nearly a month
nist activist group staged a flooded in,” she said. ago. Given that most people
protest outside the presi- don’t report such abuse, the
dent’s office with a topless Pope Francis marked the real rise is believed to be
protest before being dragged day by tweeting: “Too often higher.
away. women are offended, mis- In Britain, The Office for
treated, raped and forced to National Statistics said police
“We want to illustrate the sit- prostitute themselves ... If we recorded 259,324 domes-
uation with women’s rights want a better world, a home tic abuse offenses between
(AP) — In a global push citing data from national sta- in Ukrainian society — un- of peace and not a courtyard March and June, an increase
to end violence against tistics agency ISTAT, said calls protected from any violence. of war, we all must do much of 18% compared to the same
women, activists held ral- to domestic violence hotlines We think the violence against more for the dignity of each period in 2018. The char-
lies Wednesday and world shot up during the lockdown, women is a human rights vi- woman.” ity Refuge said the number
leaders called for action registering a 75% increase olation, Femen activist Anya France’s government sealed a of people calling its domes-
to stop the abuse, which compared to the same period Alian said. deal with TikTok to encour- tic abuse hotline were 65%
worsened because of the in 2019. Between March and age young people to report higher between April and
coronavirus pandemic June, calls and text messages U.N. agency UNAIDS said abuse through the social net- June than in the first three
this year. to the anti-violence number that “evidence shows that the work. World soccer govern- months of the year, before
more than doubled during COVID-19 pandemic has re- ing body FIFA announced an lockdown.
Protests from France to the same period, to 119.6% sulted in significant increases awareness campaign. “These appalling statistics
Ukraine were held on the In- Together with Spanish Prime in gender-based violence in France’s deal with TikTok is show endemic levels of do-
ternational Day for the Elim- Minister Pedro Sánchez, nearly all countries,” espe- among multiple measures mestic abuse,” Labour Par-
ination of Violence against Conte signed a joint decla- cially for women trapped at it has taken since a national ty crime spokesman Nick
Women to draw attention to ration vowing to accelerate home with their abuser. reckoning over domestic vio- Thomas-Symonds said. “The
domestic violence in what is measures to stamp out vio- “Men’s violence against lence last year prompted by COVID crisis didn’t create
an uphill struggle to protect lence against women, which women is also a pandemic an unusually high number of this scar on our society, but it
millions of women killed or they called “an invisible pan- — one that pre-dates the women killed by their hus- has made the situation even
abused every year by their demic.” virus and will outlive it,” bands, boyfriends or former worse.”
partners and close relatives. Even if detailed statistics said Phumzile Mlambo- partners. Activists say more
In Rome, the office of the Europe largest human rights
prime minister was being lit organization, the 47-nation
in red and red banners tum- Council of Europe, called on
bled from trade union of- legislators throughout Eu-
fices in Florence to demand rope to better protect women
an end to violence against and girls.
women. Italy was a hotbed
for COVID-19 infections “The COVID-19 pandemic
this year, forcing the govern- has shown how fragile the
ment to impose lockdowns to protective safety-net for vic-
keep the virus out. In an un- tims of violence really is, es-
intended consequence, do- pecially when it comes to do-
mestic violence cases began mestic violence,” said Petra
to grow. Bayr (SOC, Austria), Chair
“Because of the restrictions, of the Committee on Equal-
we involuntarily created pro- ity and Non-Discrimination
found distress,” that led to of the Council of Europe
increased episodes of domes- Parliamentary Assembly
tic violence and femicide, (PACE). “The increase in vi-
Prime Minister Giuseppe olence during lockdown has
Conte told a parliamentary been a shocking revelation in
discussion on Italy’s long- almost all our societies; it has
standing problem with vio- put a magnifying glass on the
lence against women. harmful mindsets that still
The Italian Health Ministry, prevail.”

Switzerland sets post-Brexit quota for British migrants

(AP) — The Swiss govern- Britain’s departure from the further quota of up to 1,400 tons (states) and released in the Swiss economy.”
ment says up to 3,500 mi- EU means that it isn’t covered short-term residency permits quarterly batches, meaning It said that the quota of resi-
grants from Britain will be by Switzerland’s freedom of valid for up to one year will that most regions will only be dency permits reserved for
given permits to live and movement agreements with also be made available. The able to issue a few dozen each British migrants may be in-
work in the Alpine nation the 27-nation bloc. plan does not affect Britons month. cluded in the general quota of
next year, when Britain’s The Swiss government said who already have permits to 8,500 for third-country citi-
post-Brexit transition Wednesday up to 2,100 Brit- live in Switzerland. The government said the zens from 2022 unless a bilat-
with the European Union ish citizens will receive long- The permits will be divided measure is necessary to “en- eral agreement with London
expires. term residency permits. A among Switzerland’s 26 can- sure necessary flexibility for is signed by then.