WUNRN
EIGE Shows Red card to Violence
The
European Institute for Gender Equality, has presented the Lithuanian
society with its work results this year and invited Lithuanians to join the
institute’s new social initiative regarding violence against women “Show red card to violence”
(Saca Tarjeta Roja al Maltratador). The event took place on 15 December in
EIGE's
Director Virginija
Langbakk presented the guest of the evening with the main
objectives of the new campaign “Show a red card to violence”. With this
initiative the institute, along with famous Lithuanian sports representatives,
will try to draw attention to issues regarding violence against women. This
initiative was started in
A hand holding a red card represents the idea of elimination of violence in our society. Spain was the first to start the educational campaign “Show a red card to violence” and invited sports and art celebrities, such as movie director Pedro Almodovar, actress Emma Thompson and the champion of 3000 meters in steeplechase Marta Dominguez, to pose as the campaigns ambassadors.
Representative of the Lithuanian Parliament and ex chair of the committee for European affairs, Vydas Gedvilas, who was one of the main supporters of the establishment of the EIGE in Vilnius emphasized the great opportunity for the red card campaign to become more significant and noticeable during the European Championship of Basketball 2011 in Lithuania where 24 teams from all over the Europe will be present. The Director of the organising committee of EuroBasket 2011 Mindaugas Špokas was one of the guests who expressed their active support to the initiative.
One of the
guests of the evening, Edvinas
Krungolcas, an Olympic silver medal winner pentathlete, spoke
on behalf of all the Lithuanian sportsmen: “I
am sure, that all the Lithuanian sportsman do not tolerate violence against
women and for those who do, I show the red card. I really hope that the
statistics on the violence against women here in Lithuania will be way smaller
the next year and I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this
worthy and beautiful initiative that the European Institute for Gender Equality
(EIGE) has started”.