ONE IN 3 WOMEN OR GIRLS EXPERIENCES PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE

In the United States this year there have been hundreds of cases where husbands have killed their wives for various reasons. The Cable News Network (CNN) - the world’s first 24/7 cable television channel started by the legendary Ted Turner who is known as captain planet for his work in saving the world from an environmental catastrophe— reported on Sunday that in the latest case of violence against women a man had murdered his wife, packed her body in a suitcase and dumped it into a river.

Violence against women and various forms of discrimination have lead to the formation of the international ‘Me too’ movement which is backed by world superstars or super-billionaires and is making much progress in bringing about gender equality and a more gender friendly society so that the world could reach its noblest goal of becoming a just and fair society.

In Sri Lanka also this issue has reached crisis proportions. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) now known as the United Nations Population Fund, reported recently that about ninety per cent of Sri Lankan women and girls have endured sexual harassment while using public transport. The Unfpa-commissioned study has offered a stark view into the vulnerability of women and girls to violence and discrimination, issues that are poorly understood – both in Sri Lanka and globally – because of under-reporting and lack of data.

Despite the absence of formal data, these issues are all too familiar to women and girls.

“I have witnessed, on multiple occasions, male passengers inappropriately touching and leaning on small girls,” said Varuni Manel*, a 23-year-old study participant. “Bus conductors also unnecessarily touch small children when getting into the bus.” The study also underlines the far-reaching effects this harassment has on the lives of women and girls, from their education and livelihoods to their place of residence and personal relationships. Initiated in 2015, the study included 2,500 individuals between the ages of 15 and 35. Information was gathered through interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Every administrative district in all of Sri Lanka’s nine provinces was represented.

While the government needs to take more effective steps to curb violence or discrimination against women and girls the victims too must come out strongly against this, holding regular protest rallies, taking legal action and other courageous steps against male chauvinists. Yesterday the UN marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with the Secretary-general António Guterres saying “sexual violence against women and girls is rooted in centuries of male domination. Let us not forget that the gender inequalities that fuel rape culture are essentially a question of power imbalances.”

Why must we eliminate violence against women and girls?

This calamity is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today and it remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.

In general terms, it manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms, encompassing:

intimate partner violence-battering, psychological abuse, marital rape and femicide

sexual violence and harassment-rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment

human trafficking, slavery, sexual exploitation female genital mutilation child marriage.

The figures are alarming and there is an urgent need for even the major religions to act effectively against this crisis because it not only affects society but also does serious damage to our spirituality. Males and females are created equal but we have played havoc with that reality.

One in three women or girls experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently by an intimate partner. Only 52% of women married or in a union freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care. Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday; while 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation.

One in two women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family in 2017; while only one out of 20 men were killed under similar circumstances. Some 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women and girls are sexually exploited.

Those who are not sensitive and do not act against this crisis need to realise that without the feminine wisdom and intuition, worldwide decision-making could be seriously or dangerously flawed.