On Tuesday 26th, the lobby of the NOVA University Lisbon was the venue for the round table “Not another normal day”, an initiative of the Office for Equality and Inclusion in partnership with APAV – Portuguese Association for Victim Support.
Inspired by the exhibition of the same name, the session was moderated by Ana Ribeiro from the Office for Equality and Inclusion, and addressed the ongoing normalisation of violence against women and highlighted the fundamental role of academia in deconstructing it. Highlighting NOVA’s pioneering position as the only Portuguese university to integrate gender studies into its three degrees, guests Dalila Cerejo from the National Observatory of Violence and Gender at NOVA FCSH and Daniel Cotrim from APAV presented studies and reflections on the prevalence of violence in Portugal.
Historical and recent data show that gender-based violence remains a structural problem:
- In 1995, almost half of the women surveyed admitted to having suffered physical, psychological or sexual violence.
- In 2007, one third of women still reported experiencing violence, mostly in the private sphere and perpetrated by intimate partners.
- Eurostat studies (20-22) indicate that the problem has worsened during the pandemic due to social isolation.
Dalila Cerejo also highlighted the impact of new forms of violence, such as control through mobile devices among young people and the misuse of images in pornographic content generated by artificial intelligence. Daniel Cotrim also discussed APAV’s work in the fight against online violence, including the reporting channel developed in partnership with the Internet Segura (Safe Internet) platform and the Judicary Police.
Challenges and progress
Although Portugal was the first country in the European Union to ratify the Istanbul Convention – the first instrument at European Union level to create a legal framework for action to combat violence against women, signed in 2011 – stakeholders highlighted the need to measure the effectiveness of public policies and rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators.
In the words of Daniel Cotrim, “we can no longer normalise violence against women”. Dalila Cerejo added: “It is urgent to deconstruct prejudices and face the new challenges of violence in dating and online”.
The “Not Another Normal Day” exhibition will be on display in the NOVA rectory until 10 December, a programme also linked to the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls, a global campaign promoted by the UN, which culminates on the very day known as International Human Rights Day.