Statement of the Equality and Diversity Commission on the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

25th November 2020

In the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations defined violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life". 

Without doubt, violence against women and girls is the most dramatic expression of gender inequality in the world and, since 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, it has been considered one of the main issues of global concern which international, European and state regulations have been incorporating. 

Violence against women and girls is also a threat to global public health and, in emergency conditions such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, is tending to increase. In these circumstances and among other bodies, universities and research institutes must place emphasis on making the persistence of violence visible and alleviating its impact.

For all these reasons, the IFCA's Equality and Diversity Commission, committed to defending equality in the field of research, condemns gender violence and supports all women and girls who suffer it.

Despite progress, there is still a need to combat the cultural context in which gender-based violence is framed and to work towards destroying the stereotypes, values and customs that give rise to certain macho behaviours that are prevalent in all sectors of society and that cause so much suffering.

The Commission joins the Manifesto of Crue Universidades Españolas and CSIC for the elimination of violence against women and girls and its radical rejection of any abusive practice that is an affront to the professional and personal dignity of women workers in these organisations.

From the Commission we continue working to avoid bias, violence, inequality and discrimination in the scientific and research field, as a consequence of the asymmetric power relations between men and women. Bearing in mind that a large number of attacks are not reported, thus contributing to a false perception of the specific or sporadic nature of the problem, we believe that making the persistence of such violence visible and acting in a forceful manner contributes to the eradication of these behaviours.