WE CAN NO LONGER IGNORE VIOLENCE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
DO you come from a unified, loving family? Or is violence a reality of your family life?
As a bystander to any kind of violence, it is difficult to know whether or not we should get involved and what to do. If it’s an incident between a couple, or close friends, we feel awkward and that it is not our place to intervene because it’s a “private” issue. Which means, many domestic violence cases go unreported.
Family-based violence tops the list of violent crimes in most countries. Family violence against adults or children, experts say, is the number one drain on national economies because it functions as the bedrock for almost all social problems – violent crime, homelessness and the next generation of alcoholics and drug addicts. It is a global and pernicious problem that must be addressed by the entire community.
The family is the heart or nucleus of human socialisation and as such, behaviours learned in the home are replicated in the wider society. There are also numerous psychological effects for the children who witness this abuse.
Multiple scientific studies have proven that sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape are typically committed by men taking out their anger at women, motivated by a desire to dominate and control just as much as by a desire for sexual gratification. When men have more power – not just physical strength but political and social power – that power is often used against women to “keep them in their place”.
Because we’ve moved past the era in human history when physical strength ruled, and into a new era where intellectual, moral and spiritual strength prevails, we now have the ability to treat both genders equally – and to stop sexual assault, and other forms of violence be it physical, emotional, verbal or financial.
However, it requires more than new laws and increased enforcement – it requires the development of unity and peace in the world.
Small moves in the right direction are being made to support those affected by domestic violence including the removal of barriers in reporting such incidents. However, so much more needs to be done at a grassroots level and supported strongly at a government level.
At the heart of prevention is education in the family unit.
The importance of universal education promoting equal, safe and respectful relationships is imperative and needs to be encouraged.
The recommendation to implement primary prevention programs through the national curriculum is a vital step in the right direction.
Respect between the genders starts from an early age. Dispelling gender stereotypes and addressing gender equality, respect and diversity will prevent attitudes becoming entrenched before children reach the teenage years.
Therefore, as we ask ourselves, what can we do to best prevent violence of any form against women? We can change the underlying power equation, and in that process do everything we possibly can to make sure men and women are “equal in strength”.
For the world of humanity consists of two parts: one is woman; the other is man. Until these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot be established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a reality.