Violence against women in Latvia | IRREGULAR LATVIAN

Sveiki, draugi!
Latvia is great in many ways, and in some – it is not. It is one of the most violent countries in Europe and this violence especially affects woman and children.

In this video I address, in my opinion, the 4 key themes surrounding violence against women and I call on Latvians to demand the ratification of the Istanbul Convention – the human rights treaty that is aimed at protecting women and families from violence.

[slimlitvak]

Thank you, Anete, for speaking out about this sickness. Power to you and all who work to change this!

[craigfinnegan]

I respect you for being so openly strong against violence towards women in your country.
It's always a tragic irony when men come to believe that violating women is a sign of strength. In truth it's a symptom of deeply-rooted weakness. Real men *protect* women from being violated, not perpetrate it.
What you're describing in Latvia is the same cycle of abuse studied in Donald Dutton's excellent book: 'The Batterer.'

[pauljackson]

Excellent work Anette by using your platform to help bring awareness to this problem. I hope your influence will help bring about change to archaic societal attitudes towards the violence and abuse of Latvian women and girls and ultimately lead to the passage of effective laws to prevent the crimes.

[conklindavison]

Wow. what an eye opener. Thank you for you openness about what the women of Latvia are experiencing. Everyone elso talks about the economy....but not tough issues. Please Please continue!

[googooplayer]

Very well presented, Anete. I believe that by you disclosing this sickness they are in denial of, and that they want to hide, it will help open people's eyes, and hopefully good change will happen and something can be done about making strong laws against the violence. You are a courageous person. Thank you for your journalism.

[TimLongo-tz]

I was reading the news about this, your video made it much more relatable. I am sorry to hear you have your own experiences. Thank you for this and your other videos, they're so very insightful, keep up the good work (even when it is difficult) Paldies!

[sumcoolusername]

Thank you so much for talking about this

[kayinoue]

We have this problem in a different way in America, as well as in my home culture of Japan (where we have an insanely low rate of reporting and prosecution of violence against women and a culture of shame/silence). Thank you for this enlightening take on this.

[TheHermitsTablet]

As an English expatriate residing in Latvia for the past 4 years, I have had the opportunity to appreciate many positive aspects of this country. One notable aspect is the breathtaking nature that encompasses vast expanses of seemingly untouched wilderness. I find it fascinating that Latvians have managed to preserve numerous ancient pagan traditions too. Additionally, the cuisine is generally enjoyable, although, in some cases, it can lean towards being overly salty or sweet for my personal taste. 😁 One notable advantage I have experienced here is a general sense of safety, which differs from what I have observed in Western Europe, the UK, and America. While acknowledging the presence of crime in Latvia, I have noticed a notable distinction when comparing it to my home country. Here, it appears to be more discreet, occurring behind closed doors and relatively infrequently. Furthermore, I have noticed that the older generation, particularly in rural areas, maintains a strong sense of community, something that I believe has diminished in my home country. These positive attributes contribute to the overall appeal of Latvia.

However, (and now onto the bad stuff) it is disheartening and unexpected to witness instances of significant alcoholism and intrafamily violence, which I have unfortunately come across on many occasions. Such dysfunctional behaviour is saddening because I firmly believe that Latvians have the potential to strive for better circumstances. I've observed a prevalent sense of passivity among Latvians regarding the issues you highlighted in this video. There seems to be a prevailing mindset of "someone else will take care of it" or a dismissive attitude of "it's normal, " as you mentioned. It's surprising to me how frequently I encounter such responses for situations that appear highly abnormal from my perspective. If I had a cent for every time I heard that here, I would have amassed quite a fortune! I have personally experienced a situation where my father-in-law used the phrase "būt zem sievas turpeles" towards me. It was not because I am actually submissive, but rather because I value and respect my partner's thoughts, striving to collaborate as a team rather than imposing my own will. Moreover, I have observed instances of a poor work ethic, exemplified by the mistreatment my partner faces in her workplace (from guys) due to her managerial position. This mistreatment appears to stem from a sense of inferiority, rather than any rational basis. Ultimately, as an outsider, I don't feel it is my place to change Latvia. (Maybe you'd disagree?) It also feels a bit hypocritical of me to denigrate Latvia too much when my own home country has its share of issues. For instance, there was the highly distressing child rape and trafficking situation in Rotherham, England, which was tragically ignored by the police for decades, despite existing laws meant to prevent such atrocities (that's one of many examples).

It is my belief that Latvia possesses significant untapped potential, if only more Latvians could recognize it and embrace a real positive change. I have quite a bit of hope for the younger generation of Latvians, but the older generations still need to impart healthier and wiser lessons onto them, instead of the bullshit I've seen first-hand.

Anyway, this was an insightful video, even if I was already aware of most of this. Paldies!

I am stunned by this recent episode. Thanks for this

[owaisahmad]

From Amazing Instructor to Amazing People rights activist. Thank you for Raising the issue.
Appreciate your courage and really feel Sorry and sad for the Situation.

[DanFeldman-Edge]

Thank you for your unequivocal, balanced, and objective exposition of this predicament.

[mrtosajloterulio]

Well done! well said and encouraging to speak up about issues that need to be addressed in all countries! thanks for creating this content

[Kocha]

You definitely deserve WAY more subscribers. I am not learning Latvian, but I am thinking of starting with this journey of learning it. Hence, I was watching your videos. I watched this and yes, you do deserve more views and subscribers. Thanks for this and for telling us more about that beautiful small country which I was lucky enough to visit a few years ago. Hope I can be back there soon. All the best and please keep doing such good content!!

[eudaemonia]

Liels palsies ka runā par šeit. I have been in a relationship with a Latvian man as a Norwegian NB..I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he proved himself to be pretty dreadful, showing his "true colours" after some months. I thought it was just him, and that I just had bad luck. He claimed he had a western mentality(nothing proggressive about him)...now I can see more clearly..this was all happening in Norway, so luckily I am protected by the law. I threw out all his belongings and changed the lock before he got home from work. He has not bothered me since. I really hope the best for all Latvian women, men and others, and that we all will be protected with better laws and regulations <3 Ar cieņu

[inguunamelberga]

Very strong- and we need more - you have a voice!

[SUPER-SVENSKA]

This is truly heartbreaking! Thank you for being so frank about it — bringing the ugly truth into the light is the first step on the road to abolishment of any evil.

[Zeidgenosse]

Important message! Thanks! I hope it gets a lot of attention! 💪♀

[pascalfournier]

I seriously wanna cry, my wife is Latvian and one of her brother is à police officer in Latvia

[dymytryruban]

Apparently "to be under wife's shoe" describes a servile man. It is more like one who acts obediently at his wife's whim. The verb "listen" is confusing here because apparently its Latvian equivalent may also mean "to obey" in addition to "hear out".
More importantly there are things within our control and there are those beyond. In case the victim was repeatedly stalked and harassed and nothing done by law enforcement despite her multiple request, it is definitely not victim's fault.