Vilnius Town Hall in Orange

Today EIGE’s host city of Vilnius joins the global campaign to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by lighting up the historic Town Hall and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in orange. Landmarks from the Parliament of Greece, to the EU Institutions in Brussels will also be lit up in orange to raise awareness of the urgent need to end violence against women and girls.

The Orange event marks the start of the EU Commission’s yearlong campaign of focused actions to combat violence against women. Making gender equality a reality is the key to eradication of violence against women. Making gender equality a reality is key to addressing the root causes of violence against women, which harms not only individuals but also families, communities and societies as a whole.

In support of the campaign and to give an overview of violence against women in different national contexts, EIGE is launching a series of fact sheets covering all Member States and the EU as a whole. 

It is estimated that one in three women on average in the EU has experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, since she was 15 years old. However, this figure may only reflect a fraction of the reality.

It is not easy to have an accurate picture of the extent of violence because many women do not report their cases due to a social acceptance of violence, and in some Member States a low level of trust in Police.

“Currently there is no common way to measure violence against women in the EU, making it difficult to compare results and see what preventative measures are actually working or not. EIGE is working hard to develop such a framework for all Member States that will give solid data to help monitor the situation and help all actors plan effective actions to decrease and finally, eradicate this horrible phenomenon”, said Virginija Langbakk, EIGE’s Director.

EIGE will be regularly communicating facts and information about the efforts to eliminate violence against women. From 25 November until 10 December on international human rights day, daily posts will be published. Follow us through #orangetheworld, #16Days and #SayNoStopVAW on EIGE’s Facebook and Twitter.

Vilnius Town Hall will be lit up in orange from 18.00 on 25 November to 27 November. 

Read the fact sheet on violence against women in your country here.

Read more about EIGE’s work on gender-based violence here.

For more information about the event please contact:

Alexandrina Satnoianu, alexandrina.satnoianu@eige.europa.eu

*The EU-wide fact sheet is now online and the entire collection for Member States will soon be available.