International conference’s focus is violence against women

Europeans sometimes address things differently than do Americans. An international conference on women, violence and policy on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5 and 6 will match policy-makers and research on the prevention of violence against women with their European counterparts in the hope of gaining insights on how to form and implement effective policy on these issues, according to organizer Myra Marx Ferree, professor of sociology.

“Sweden thinks of a ‘women’s peace’ policy as encompassing security at home,” says Ferree. “WAVE, Women Against Violence-Europe, has a human-rights approach to protecting women from violence. The United Kingdom uses a ‘gender budget’ to compare the costs of violence and the costs of preventing violence. The United States has done a lot with domestic violence screening in emergency rooms and doctors’ offices, but how well has that worked to stop the violence or help women escape it?”

In addition to Ferree, American speakers will come from several state agencies, the Law School and other universities. European participants will hail from Austria, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and more.

“I find it striking how much more sophisticated questions have become in the 25 years since violence against women became recognized as a serious issue,” Ferree says. “Recognizing that violence occurs is no longer an issue, but figuring out how to stop it is. Finding policies that work is much harder than saying there is a problem.”

The conference, free and open to the public, begins both days at 8:30 a.m. at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. The conference is sponsored by the European Union Center and the Joint Center for Public Policy and the Status of Women. For more information, contact the European Union Center at (608) 265-4766 or e-mail eucenter@intl-institute.wisc.edu.