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The Lithuanian Women’s Rights Association, which brings together 16 Specialized Complex Assistance Centers that provide assistance to people who have suffered domestic violence throughout Lithuania, is convinced that both freedom of expression and the freedom to live without violence are fundamental human freedoms. Currently, 58.5 thousand complaints of domestic violence are received in Lithuania per year.
“Up to 60 percent of those who experienced violence did not report it anywhere. Why? Because they fear the usual accusation of the victim in society. Today, victims of domestic violence can say that their freedom, including freedom of expression is restricted if they feel ignored, unaccepted or that they do not respond to their request for help. The document that defends them (the Istanbul Convention) does not and can not contain any opposition to freedoms, “says the report.
The Lithuanian Women’s Rights Enforcement Association regrets that instead of uniting a society of misinterpreted terms and concepts, the president has easily missed another very powerful and completely false argument: the threat to freedom of expression.
“We ask and hope that President Gitan Nauseda explains and corroborates his statement, as well as expresses his support for the organizations that have been active in the fight against violence, supporting the ratification of the Istanbul Convention,” the association writes.
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