In the previous 30 years, women's issues were not highlighted dramatically, but with the large presence of many violations against women, and use of violence against them widely it has become a need for further discussion and dialogue and develop solution. According to a 2013 WHO global study, 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence. However, some national studies show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime from an intimate[i].
The problem is not just limited to women facing different forms of violence, but the fact that it’s a worldwide yet a hidden problem. Freedom from the threat of harassment, battering, and sexual assault is a concept that most of us have a hard time imagining because violence is such a deep part of our cultures and our lives.
Every form of violence threatens all women and limits their ability to make choices about their lives. Violence against women is woven into the fabric of society to such an extent that many of us who are victimized feel that we are at fault. Many of those who perpetrate violence feel justified by strong societal messages that say that rape, battering, sexual harassment, child abuse, and other forms of violence are acceptable. Every day we see images of male violence against women in the news, on TV shows, in the movies, in advertising, and in our homes and workplaces. It is a fact of life for women of all ages, races, and classes. Most societies always find justifications that are available for those who commit violence against women, in spite of the rising voices calling for preventing violence against women or calling for sanctions on it, There are numbers of reasons that explain why violence against women is still rampant; such as:
1. A man's act of violence against a woman may result from the mentality that they are right in this and that women are to blame and deserve it.
2. Feeling that women are weak or do not have a shelter that is forcing them to endure so much violence against them.
3. Sexual violence is particularly insidious because sexual acts are ordinarily and rightly a source of pleasure and communication. It is often unclear to a woman who has been victimized and to society as a whole whether a sexual violation was done out of sexual desire or violent intent or whether these motivations are even distinguishable, because violence itself has come to be seen as sexual or erotic[ii].
4. May have inherited a large social impact in shaping the domination of men in the house, on the grounds that the man is physically stronger in structure compared to women, particularly in rural communities where women are viewed as mere tools.
Many of these reasons are the most common ones for violence against women, but there are a lot of other oppressive forms which women face such as physical and sexual violence, forced marriages, early marriage, inequality of gender, genital mutilation....etc. The negative effects of these are preventing progress in many areas such as poverty eradication and fight against this phenomena. Therefore recently many of the women organizations pay attention to these issues, especially after the decision of the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations in its resolution 1994/45, but the biggest effort still lies with the people themselves to change their outlook towards women and make them the real power in the next phase.
By
Rasha Shaalan
Egypt
[i] Facts and Figures: Ending Violence against Women –
[ii] VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN- Fiminist.com
The problem is not just limited to women facing different forms of violence, but the fact that it’s a worldwide yet a hidden problem. Freedom from the threat of harassment, battering, and sexual assault is a concept that most of us have a hard time imagining because violence is such a deep part of our cultures and our lives.
Every form of violence threatens all women and limits their ability to make choices about their lives. Violence against women is woven into the fabric of society to such an extent that many of us who are victimized feel that we are at fault. Many of those who perpetrate violence feel justified by strong societal messages that say that rape, battering, sexual harassment, child abuse, and other forms of violence are acceptable. Every day we see images of male violence against women in the news, on TV shows, in the movies, in advertising, and in our homes and workplaces. It is a fact of life for women of all ages, races, and classes. Most societies always find justifications that are available for those who commit violence against women, in spite of the rising voices calling for preventing violence against women or calling for sanctions on it, There are numbers of reasons that explain why violence against women is still rampant; such as:
1. A man's act of violence against a woman may result from the mentality that they are right in this and that women are to blame and deserve it.
2. Feeling that women are weak or do not have a shelter that is forcing them to endure so much violence against them.
3. Sexual violence is particularly insidious because sexual acts are ordinarily and rightly a source of pleasure and communication. It is often unclear to a woman who has been victimized and to society as a whole whether a sexual violation was done out of sexual desire or violent intent or whether these motivations are even distinguishable, because violence itself has come to be seen as sexual or erotic[ii].
4. May have inherited a large social impact in shaping the domination of men in the house, on the grounds that the man is physically stronger in structure compared to women, particularly in rural communities where women are viewed as mere tools.
Many of these reasons are the most common ones for violence against women, but there are a lot of other oppressive forms which women face such as physical and sexual violence, forced marriages, early marriage, inequality of gender, genital mutilation....etc. The negative effects of these are preventing progress in many areas such as poverty eradication and fight against this phenomena. Therefore recently many of the women organizations pay attention to these issues, especially after the decision of the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations in its resolution 1994/45, but the biggest effort still lies with the people themselves to change their outlook towards women and make them the real power in the next phase.
By
Rasha Shaalan
Egypt
[i] Facts and Figures: Ending Violence against Women –
[ii] VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN- Fiminist.com
FIND OUT How You WILL Master Your Habits And Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind To Get Any Result You Want In Your Personal Growth and Success!
ReplyDeleteIntroducing... Procrastinating Your Procrastination!