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Andrew Tate exploited Romania’s misogynistic culture, say activists [1]
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Date: 2023-02
This is not what Romanian women experience. “His speech is like a distorting mirror,” said Sorescu from the Partnership for Equal Opportunities. “He has a manipulative discourse, with elements that are partially true and upheld by numerous people who agree with him.”
In 2017, the first research conducted in Romania about street harassment found that 95% of women experience it. The Gender Violence Barometer 2022, compiled by the FILIA Centre with support from the German Embassy in Bucharest, showed that Romania remains dominated by traditional stereotypes, with women seen as the second sex. Out of 1,363 respondents, 86% of men and 76% of women said that women need to be protected by men, and the idea that the man is the leader of the household was enforced by more than half of the respondents.
“Violence against women is directly linked to gender values and representations,” said Băluță, who coordinated the research. She stressed that not only is Romanian culture marked by traditional and patriarchal values, but sexism is embedded in how both private and public institutions and political parties function and are organised.
There is no national programme to prevent gender-based violence in schools, but sometimes teachers invite activists to talk to their students about harassment and gender equality. Last autumn, a teacher who was worried about the development of anti-feminist discourse on social media invited Băluță to talk to her class. She discussed Tate with teenagers, both girls and boys, the latter admiring his fame.
“Tate tells them ‘do what you want’, ‘you are the greatest’, ‘women need to lay at your feet’,” Băluță said. “For men, it is evidently a comfortable narrative when someone tells you that if you are a man, you are the greatest in the universe, as opposed to another discourse that tells them to be attentive, don’t talk this way because it’s bullying, it’s harassment.”
Băluță believes it is easier for Tate to find fans and admirers in Romania than in other countries, because neither the media nor the education system provides
information about gender equality or gender-based violence. You can get as far as university without encountering information about gender tolerance, she said.
Feminist advocacy
At the end of 2022, FILIA set up a feminist advocacy group within parliament, which includes 29 MPs from different political parties, in an attempt to diminish gender-based violence and facilitate women’s access to sexual reproductive healthcare in the country.
Another group of feminist NGOs, called the Network for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women, launched a bill to make 16 the minimum age of sexual consent. It’s currently being debated in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament.
“I would like this [Tate brothers] case to become a pressure point for Romania,” said Cristina Praz, communication and gender equality expert at FILIA. Praz hopes that international pressure will push Romania’s leaders “to do their job” and improve the situation of women in the country.
Even if the Tate brothers are brought to justice, their legacy will linger. Their fanbase within Romania (and elsewhere) continues to share their videos and promote Andrew as a model of masculinity. “The information and influence that they leave behind will require a lot of effort and time,” said Praz. "Such efforts are made by feminist organisations, which are often overwhelmed.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/andrew-tate-romania-tiktok-misogyny-womens-rights-human-trafficking/
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