One in three women have suffered physical or sexual violence. With contributions from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, we look at how this shadow pandemic affects every corner of the world.
Gender
Why has the speech delivered by the King of Norway gone viral
Il discorso del re di Norvegia che è riuscito a diventare popolare perché sovverte lo stereotipo del monarca. 5 minuti di elogio alla diversità e alla tolleranza.
A speech in favour of the importance of diversity and tolerance, delivered by an octogenarian monarch who has been reigning over Scandinavia for 25 years, has become one of the most viewed and liked contents of the week on Facebook. It’s not a hoax or the plot of a movie by Wes Anderson, but what has happened to King Herald V of Norway. He held a 5-minute speech before 1,500 people who gathered in the park of the Royal Palace in Oslo in occasion of his 25th anniversary on the throne.
Welcoming people coming from far
King Herald talked about many issues, such as inclusiveness and acceptance towards migrants. “It’s not always easy to say where we are from, what nationality we are. Home is where our heart is,” said Herald V. “That cannot always be placed within country borders”. The king said that his grandparents immigrated to Norway from Sweden and England 100 years ago.
The northern European country has a population of 5 million people and is handling some 30,000 requests for asylum submitted by refugees who entered the country this year. 5,500 of them are Syrians who biked from Russia.
The King of Norway has praised Norwegians because “they work to keep the country clean and free from waste and find new solutions for a sustainable future”.
Tolerance towards LGBT couples and all religions
Harald V has also backed the rights of LGBT couples and the freedom of religion: “Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and boys and girls who love each other. Norwegians believe in God, Allah, everything, and in nothing”.
The video has gone viral (with more than 3 million views on Facebook) probably because it has broken the stereotype of the person who usually delivers a speech of this kind (a monarch), while responding to a social tension. An 80-year-old monarch, which is thought to act as a conservative person who wants to maintain the status quo, has behaved like “Obama” (this is the reason of the featured image) and has opened his kingdom to the word: “My greatest hope for Norway is that we will be able to take care of one another”.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The Istanbul Convention against gender-based and domestic violence marks its tenth anniversary. We look at what it is, who its signatories are, and what the future might hold.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reminded us of the gravity of violence against women around the world, and of the Istanbul Convention’s utmost importance.
President Erdoğan has pulled Turkey out of the Istanbul Convention, key in the fight against gender violence, claiming that it favours the LGBT community rather than family values.
Violence against women in Peru has increased as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns. 14,912 people were reported missing from January to November 2020, more than half of them minors and 64 per cent women. People have been confined to their homes for months, many forced to endure poor physical, economic and social conditions. A situation that
Joys Estefani Qqueccaño Huamani, 24, disappeared from her rural community in Peru on 9 October. Her family began looking for her independently of the authorities and despite the resistance of relatives of Joys Estefani’s ex-partner Arturo Ccana Condori, 32, charged with committing violence against her on 28 September, eleven days before Joys Estefani disappeared. Photos
The Louise Michel is the humanitarian rescue ship saving lives in the Mediterranean. Financed by the artist Banksy, it has found a safe port in Sicily.
Venezuelan refugees are vulnerable to the worsening outbreak in South America: while coronavirus doesn’t discriminate, it does affect some people more than others.
Costa Rica celebrated its first same-sex marriage when two women, Alexandra Quiros and Dunia Araya, celebrated their wedding: an “extraordinary moment”.