The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has started an initiative on violence against women

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), established in Vilnius 6 months ago, has presented Lithuanian society with its working results this year and invited Lithuanians to join the institute’s new social initiative regarding violence against women, its “Show a red card to violence.”

The director of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Virginija Langbakk, presented the guests 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 Spain and showed good results in a fairly short time.

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 the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Marta Dominguez, to pose as the campaign’s 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 European Institute for Gender Equality (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 games in Lithuania, where 24 teams from all over the Europe will be present.

One of the guests of the evening, Edvinas Krungolcas, a 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 violence against women here in Lithuania will be way smaller 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.”