I found this quote the other day, from a 2003 UNIFEM publication:
"Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. And it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture, or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace." --Kofi Annan
http://www.unifem.org/
My main thoughts on it are:
1. Even though violence against men by women is less prevalent/less publicised, surely when it does happen it has an equally negative effect on gender relations?
2. There will always be individuals who use violence against others; does this really mean we can never achieve gender equality?
What are your thoughts? Is violence the main factor creating gender inequality, or is this too simplistic? My first thought was that whatever Kofi Annan thinks is of no consequence to what goes on in the world.
Well, Annan was addressing women, so it's not surprising that he would say that, and even then he used the weasel-word "perhaps".
Personally, I think that keeping people ignorant, with no way to better their lives, is worse than violence against women.
Violence is not the main factor in creating gender inequality.
Women can wield weapons as well as men can.
Women are not united in what they want, and this is hardly surprising. In many parts of the world, they don't have access to communication with each other and with the rest of the world. This is true even in the US, in certain religious communities. Thank you for the points, xCharx Report It
The research indicates that rates of domestic violence by men against women and women against men is roughly equal. The main difference is that men are generally stronger so can inflict greater harm. However if a weapon is involved the injury level is about 50/50.
I respect Kofi Annan, but the fact that he has got only one side of the story just shows how good a job feminism has done of covering up the other side. You doubt there is a cover up? Read this paper by a Professor of Law from the University of Indianapolis http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawrevie...
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Jo: 90% of the people on G&WS are from Western countries, mainly the US, but you use the old trick - that Annan seems to have fallen for - of talking about violence against women in other parts of the world as if this is happening in the West. Newsflash: Guatamala is not New Hampshire. If there are human rights abuses against women in other parts of the world, really - why not go there and sort this out! Complaining about how terrible things are for Women in the West only promotes an image of feminism as unreasonable and out of touch, and how then do you export feminism to parts of the world where women don't have equal rights? Are you too wrapped up in your own narrow prejudice to ever think this sort of thing through? I would like to see women treated fairly in non-Western countries, but your unreasonable attitude can only be a barrier rather than a faciliator to women's rights. You can't see this though, right? violence against women is a public health epidemic and a human rights abuse.
human beings have the RIGHT to live in security.
1.5 to 3 million women die each year from VAW. In Russia, nearly 20,000 women die each year from Dom. Violence. In many parts of the world, there are NO laws against DV. Only 1/2 the UN nations have laws. Many do not enforce laws. (violence agst men has laws, often enforced.)
In many coutnries, culture and tradition "permit" VAW or at least allow it to continue.
This is an issue that deserves priority. Just b/c ppl say VAW is a priority, does NOT mean that violence agst men is irrelevant. The situation is different. Women are OFTEN the victims of violence by ppl they know - husband, boyfriend, father, etc.....
There's:
Honor killings
stonings
acid attacks
domestic violence
spousal homicide
sexual abuse
rape
atrocity rapes
breast ironing
female genital mutilation
sexual slavery
child brides
bride burning
bride kidnapping
and i'm probably forgetting some others.
VAW does affect women in many ways, including equality, but also in terms of caring for their families, going to work, getting an education, participating in civic life. They may end up permanently disabled (difficult to help your family) or dead.
In Guatemala, for example, more men than women die --but, the rate is increasing faster for women. Men tend to be killed by firearms. WOMEN ARE NOT. They are abducted, on average, for 5 hours-- are tortured (rape, nails ripped off, bitten, beaten) before being killed. BIG DIFFERENCE in how men and women suffer violence there.
We MUST work to end VAW. It is an international disgrace that we have not devoted resources to this issue until fairly recently. Governments tend not to have the commitment --which reflects the value of women. As international pressure mounts, this is changing. I agree with you and plus I think violence against little kids is worse. Kofi-Annan? A political wanker. No credibility, corrupt and self-important.
Your main thoughts are well taken, and I will add to number 2 that removal of violence will not acheive gender equality either. As you say, it is too simplistic and I believe that s because it denies the complexity of gender relations. Mind you, as a former battered man, I am very pleased to see you judge violence ahainst men upon it's nature, not it's media exposure. Thank-you.
I will go with the first answer. 1. Also,is it not cowardly for a man to hit a woman
2. Wage also causes major unequality.
3. Sexuality creates gender unequality.
4. There are a whole lot of facotrs that can't be listed in just one page.
5. Violence against women also causes a select few to become lesbians.
6. Same deal for men, violence against some men causes the men to rather date other men.
And last but not least, there will always be demestic abuse, but with education and informing the public, it can be greatly decreased. With that aside, rednecks will akways be rednecks. Rednecks are like rats, you can't get rid of them. The fact that violence against women is so prevalent suggests an underlying attitude in the world that it's OK to behave this way. It is this mentality that underlies inequality.
You can not have inequality without a mindset or attitude. I think more attention should be given to atrocities and abuse against children. Enough of the feminism, what about the children? "Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation."
I disagree with this statement, violence against children is the MOST shameful. You have to separate specific violence from indiscriminate violence. If a woman kills her husband, for what ever reason, that is not gender violence. It is personal and no different than if she killed a woman.
The quote relates to non-specific violence, and violence against women simply because they are women. Specific or non-specific, if the main cause of the violence is due to misogyny, and not a specific problem with a specific person, then that is part of the 10,000 year holocaust against women.
I don't know why stranger rape isn't considered a hate crime? The woman is raped, and often killed simply because she is a woman. How is that different from being beaten and killed simply because you are a minority or a homosexual? The fact that rape is not considered a hate crime bespeaks of the inherent acculturated misogyny of all cultures. Hate crimes are not even recognized as hate crimes because they are so prevalent. I think we have too much time on our hands to fight each other. To me it looks pretty even. Can we call it a draw and live together as equals. We've heard the same rhetoric ad-nauseam.
We save the whale, the bears, the seals and the children. Your work is done in the west. Go overseas and fight the fight. Spread the message. Be Missionaries to Equality. Build safe houses, like we do orphanages and teach them skills.
My UN friend in the Ukraine tells us Women's Day is a public Holiday there. A very big event.
GO, live long and prosper. (Mr Spock) That's hogwash. Violence against any human being by another human being violates human rights. Violence is a human issue, not a gender issue.
This shows us how little feminists care for people other than women. Violence against children (2/3 of which is perpetrated by the MOTHER) is a very pressing problem. THIS is the most shameful violation of human rights as children are more or less defenceless against adults. At least an adult can somehow defend himself/herself from another one. |
