From Outrage to Activism: An Urgent Response to Violence Against Women

A reflection on 2024, a year marked by gender violence: abuses, murders and setbacks in equality. How can we channel indignation into change?

[This article was co-authored by Julia Pedreira (predoctoral researcher at ISGlobal), Paula del Rey Puech (Public Health Specialty Registrar at the UK Health Security Agency), Blanca Paniello Castillo (predoctoral researcher at ISGlobal) and Elena Marbán Castro (Scientific Officer at FIND). They are all members of Women in Global Health Spain].

It's a year to be angry. Throughout 2024, we have seen news of gender violence in all spheres: from wars in which women have been used as weapons, to cases "closer to home", such as the continuous rape for more than nine years perpetrated by Dominique Pelicot and over 100 accomplices against his wife in France; abuses committed by politicians; the rape allegations against Mohamed Al-Fayed in the UK; and the murder of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei in Uganda by her partner, Dickson Ndiema.

The year ended with accusations of sexual abuse and abuse of power made against Íñigo Errejón, a Spanish self-proclaimed feminist politician. As if that weren't enough, the world has witnessed the election of Donald Trump -a man convicted of sexual abuse- as president of one of the most influential countries in the world, threatening women's sexual and reproductive health rights.

Gender-based violence across classes, borders and cultures

Add to this is the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, where they have been stripped of all their rights and dignity and face brutal and systematic oppression that seems never-ending. In Iran, despite the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising, the government continues to punish them for not wearing the obligatory veil.

All this leads us to ask: if we cannot feel safe at work, in bars at night or even during the day, in political spaces, or at home with our own partners, why is the whole of society not taking to the streets, indignant, demanding accountability from all institutions? Why are we not demanding a compulsory subject on "equality", taught from school to university and updated every year? Why are we not demanding radical changes in the oppressive and patriarchal system in which we live?

Gender-based violence is not an isolated phenomenon, but a reality that affects one in three women worldwide, according to data from UN Women and the World Health Organization (WHO). These figures remind us that, despite legislative progress, we are facing an emergency that requires collective and decisive action.

Misogyny among young people: are we going backwards?

According to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of women who were victims of gender violence in Spain increased by 12.1% in 2023, reaching 36,582. Additionally, cases of domestic violence also rose by 12%. The Ministry of Equality reports that since 2003, 1,285 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners. These figures are a painful reminder of the need to strengthen prevention measures and act with determination to eradicate violence.

Despite progress in gender equality, violence is on the rise among younger generations, and many young people hold more conservative views on gender equality than previous generations. More and more young boys are showing an affinity for the misogynistic rethoric of influencers like Andrew Tate, believing that feminism is against them. Our society has not only stagnated in some areas of equality and rights, but has, in fact, regressed in recent years.

Men: a key part of the solution

Today, there are more than 1,583 legislative measures in 193 countries aimed at combating gender-based violence, but prevention remains insufficient. Only one in ten initiatives specifically targets men, leaving a gap in efforts to transform the patterns that perpetuate violence. It is crucial that we focus our efforts on educating and raising awareness among those who have a key role to play in driving change: men and boys. Only then can we imagine a future in which women can live without fear.

Given all this, how is it possible that there are still men who dare to say #NotAllMen? Of course, we know (and hope) that not all of them commit violence against women, but they should reflect on why they seek to excuse themselves rather than be alarmed by violence against their female partners, friends, sisters, mothers, neighbors....

Moving forward

If this year has shown us anything, it is that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve a fair and equal society. We should be outraged by the number of cases of gender-based violence and its normalization in movies and social media.

Despite all of this, we will continue to look for reasons to remain optimistic and raise awareness about gender-based violence, focusing on both the perpetrators and those around them, as part of the problem and part of the solution. As a society, we will continue to seek ways to sensitize and educate children, adolescents and adults about their individual role and the collective responsibility of the system in which they live in perpetuating the normalization of gender-based violence. We will continue to raise awareness and support victims, without losing sight of the aggressors. We will continue to find ways to communicate the values of feminism and equality, even when defensive barriers are erected. We will continue to look for solutions and try to understand the causes of the increase in violence, especially among younger boys.

At a time when social networks and algorithms connect us but polarize and misinform us, we must: educate ourselves, form alliances, channel this anger into activism, build on the struggles of our previous generations, and look to the present and the future.

Today 25N, and always, we stand for equality and the end of violence against women because #Seacabó (It's over to remain silent).

If you want to know more

This has also been a year of reflection and visibility. In 2024, several documentaries focusing on gender violence in Spain have been released:

• Se Acabó: Diario de las campeonas, about the Spanish women's national football team and the #SeAcabó movement.
• You are not alone: The fight against 'La Manada', which highlights the failures of the justice system, the role of the media, and society’s response to such dramatic cases of sexual violence.
• The film Soy Nevenka tells the story of Nevenka Fernández, the first plaintiff to win a sexual harassment case against a politician in Spain, the mayor of Ponferrada Ismael Álvarez.