In the premises of the International Slavic University in Bitola, on November 20th 2023, an important panel discussion was held under the title “The importance of gender equality in the prevention of violence against women and girls”. This important and current topic attracted the attention and participation of many academic and professional experts, as well as representatives from civil society organizations and local institutions.
In the first part, the thematic report “The silent terror that knows no borders” was promoted – Recognition of stalking as a special type of violence against women and girls in RNM and the need for prevention and intervention strategies prepared by our young researcher Milena Spasovska within the project. ,On the way to the EU: Prevention of violence against women in the Republic of North Macedonia financially supported by Kvinna till Kvinna Fondation. During the discussion, the author emphasized the importance of recognizing stalking as a special type of violence against women and girls in our country and beyond. The collaborator of this report was Marija Grozdanovska, who also presented the comparative legal legislation from other countries in the region and beyond. The need to develop strategies for prevention and intervention, as well as to raise public awareness of this new crime, was discussed in particular.
The report is available in Macedonian language at the following link.
The second part was dedicated to a conversation about the importance of gender equality in preventing violence against women and girls. The panelists presented different points of view and experiences, explaining the importance of gender equality in the prevention of violence and the creation of conditions for the protection of victims. The significance of female poverty, the access to rights and services of agricultural women, the gender gap in wages and the model of comprehensive sexual education were discussed. Views are focused on the necessity of bold and decisive action at all levels of society to achieve true gender equality. This activity was within the framework of the Embassy of France in North Macedonia.
In the end we can conclude that gender equality is crucial in the fight against violence against women and girls. By uniting experts and only with joint activities, we can achieve our common goal – a society that respects and protects every person, regardless of gender, race or status, making all real efforts to achieve true gender equality and a society without violence.
