Rising levels of domestic abuse in Luxembourg are unfolding against a broader shift in public discourse, as misogynistic ideas circulate more widely online and shape how violence against women is discussed.
In the Luxembourgish reporting show De Magazin, RTL explores a rise in misogyny and the impact of social media.
"If we were to hold a minute's silence at the end of each year for every woman murdered by her partner or ex, we would be silent for over two hours." Christina Clemm read from her book Against Misogyny at the beginning of November.
The reading was organised by Luxembourgish organisation CID Fraen a Gender, dedicated to feminism, gender issues, equality between all genders and speaking out against gender stereotypes. Christina Clemm is a German author and attorney and has defended many victims of sexual violence. Her book tells the story of a woman who, after many years of abuse by her partner, ended up murdered by him. She asks herself: why is there so much violence against women?
Chlemm continued to question whether a decline in women's safety and rights is happening because of misogyny, or whether it is happening for other reasons. "Does it happen because a relationship was so terrible, or because of an individual man?" Chlemm argues misogyny is not a sudden emotion; but rather, it is a "deep-seated contempt" for women. Something learnt by both men and women from childhood – trapping everybody in a gender relationship where the continued possibility of violence against women exists.
One in four women becomes a victim of sexualised violence at least once in her life. Last year in Luxembourg, there were three police interventions per day due to domestic violence. Eighty-one percent of the victims were women. Last week, Andrée Birnbaum from Femme en détresse (Women in Distress) was invited for an interview with RTL and gave an initial impression of this year’s numbers, which have already reached last year's total. "At the moment, cases have indeed risen a fair bit," said Birnbaum.
Women's rights take step backwards
Christina Clemm also points to a marked backlash or step backwards when it comes to women’s rights, especially in the way women’s rights are discussed:
"We have incredibly misogynistic narratives. And this has shifted so much that, for example, when I explain that a woman did not report the crime immediately because she was ashamed, a defence lawyer now immediately says, ‘Yes, but why? Nowadays, no one is ashamed just because they have been raped. It’s only natural for every woman to claim at some point in her life that she has been raped.’ That is what I mean by backlash, that such narratives are once again possible, which would have been unthinkable ten years ago."
Progress on women’s rights and women’s well-being is stagnating globally, according to the latest Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index, which was presented in October in New York.
© RTL
The human rights organisation Amnesty International is also observing Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, with concern. He sees feminism as a major problem and, for example, has abolished the Ministry for Women. When US President Donald Trump won the elections last year, the hashtag YourBodyMyChoice trended on social media, which means it was used prolifically. The hashtag was created by American social media influencer Nick Fuentes who is known for his far-right extremist takes.
What role does social media play?
Worrying global social media trends are also raising eyebrows. On X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, there are currently two trends targeting very different audiences but ultimately having the same effect: the celebration of a return to traditional gender roles.
One trend involves influencers like Andrew Tate or Nick Fuentes, who post videos promoting a highly stereotypical image of men and portraying feminism as the source of many problems.
The other trend is the so-called tradwife. The tradwife trend involves young women who embrace traditional gender roles and post about it on social media. They take care of the children, prepare meals for their husbands before he comes home from work, and make sure he is in a good mood. The man brings in the money, while the woman manages the household. It’s a division of roles reminiscent of the 1950s. What may seem harmless at first glance, however, is more problematic behind the scenes.
"If I'm being honest, if a couple chooses this for themselves, that’s fine. But if there is pressure behind it, that’s what we criticise," explains Alex Carneiro from the infoMann service of non-profit association actTogether. They provide support for men in almost all aspects of life, including topics like the division of roles.
"Role formation in a partnership, in teams, is important, but it should be discussed and agreed upon together," he clarifies. Currently, infoMann in Schifflange is hosting an exhibition at Parc Léonie Koullen on the theme "A real man", which questions traditional male stereotypes.
Even though it may appear as though the influencers on social media enjoy playing the role of a submissive housewife, they are ultimately playing a role and may live very differently from what their videos suggest. They are working, creating these videos professionally and in many cases, very successfully.
Misogynistic content favoured by social media algorithm
Karin Weyer from Respect.lu, the centre against radicalisation, explains that young people are particularly exposed to misogynistic social media content, even if they do not actively search for it. According to Weyer: "These videos are watched and are well-known among young people who are sent to us. They know all of them, but we also know from studies or our own experiments that when someone is exposed to misogynistic content… I think there’s an Irish study that says that after 23 minutes on TikTok, a young man will encounter misogynistic content. So yes, they are confronted with it, even if they don’t look for it. It is presented to them."
As these videos tend to be polarising and receive lots of engagement, the algorithm favours them. Many young people are searching for identity and feel a calling by this content. "The videos present an offer that provides an identity. This is how you could live as a man or woman" says Karin Weyer. She continues: "I would also say that these images are hostile to men. They are extremely limiting, confined to a specific place in society, and where man cannot freely open themselves up.”
