Violence Against Women Is a Global Pandemic

[theHandpuppet]

Last edited Thu May 29, 2014, 01:41 PM - Edit history (4)

This article was from 2011 but is worth revisiting for the statistics alone. However, there are two specific paragraphs that I want to feature because they are especially apropos to DU. So the next time someone gets in my face about "women's issues" being a distraction from more important issues like the environment or income inequality or homelessness or an hundred other issues that are always more important, that person can kiss my ass. Because you see, being an environmentalist doesn't give you a free pass to be a bigot. Fighting the injustice of income inequality doesn't give you the right to be against women's equality. Championing the homeless doesn't mean you can turn a blind eye to the oppression of and violence against women. If it's not important to you RIGHT NOW, when?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/violence-against-women-is_1_b_1121001.html?
Soraya Chemaly.
Violence Against Women Is a Global Pandemic
Posted: 12/01/11 01:30 PM ET

Violence against women is a global pandemic? Like H1N1? Like in Contagion? No way. Think of your instinctive response to the idea of a worldwide bio-terror -- that's what your response should be to the normalized level of violence against women around the world. Because, here's the thing: women are not a special interest group and fighting for the ability to live without violence is not a pet project...

... This is the subject of this post: Exactly how many people have to be beaten, sold, raped or die just for being born female? How many will it take for the issue not to be marginalized or considered an inconvenient side show to what is "really important" in the vein of "gender issues have to take a back seat to other priorities...There is no way we can be successful if we maintain every special interest and pet project."

[seabeyond]

1. of course it is. and please. quit being so hostile.... i say in snark. as i was walking away.

i read another post of yours...

in a pinned thread

right on.

things to do. and again

right on

[TBF]

2. This is an issue I've discussed

with many leftist men and have been left shaking my head. I agree that capitalism must go, but that doesn't mean every other issue around it must be put on the back burner. They tell me "getting rid of capitalism will solve those secondary problems". I don't think that is necessarily true so I fight on against capitalism AND all other means of oppression.

[theHandpuppet]

4. Me too, TBF

I've had the same experience. Not only do I disagree with their premise (in fact, equality for women is essential to solving problems related to poverty and income inequity), dismissing the basic human rights of women as a side issue is an insulting load of bull hockey. What are we -- the cheerleaders to offer a good old rah-rah for the team? Good luck with that. If they really want world change, even the most dull of doorknobs would realize you're not going to get there unless the other half of the world's people -- i.e., WOMEN -- are there in the trenches with you. And they can't be as long as they're held down with a jackboot on their necks.

[sheshe2]

3. Thank you theHandpuppet. It needs to be said over and over.

Consider femicide, which is the murder of women because they are women:

In the United States, one-third of women murdered each year are killed by an intimate partner.
In South Africa, a woman is killed every six hours by an intimate partner.
In India in 2007, 22 women were killed each day in dowry-related murders.
In Guatemala, two women are murdered, on average, each day.
Honor killings, the murder of women for bringing shame to their families, happen all over the world, including the US.

[theHandpuppet]

7. I'll repeat that what we need is a "Women's Death Clock" on Times Square

Last edited Thu May 29, 2014, 06:56 PM - Edit history (1)

Niceties be damned. If seeing the ever-growing number of victims lit ten feet tall scrolling by every hour of every day offends someone's sensibilities, tough. It should. It should not only offend but outrage us all.

[sheshe2]

11. Actually, that is a powerful idea.

They need to see it and stop denying the cold hard facts.

[redqueen]

5. And it has been for years.

It is so hard to see this issue ignored or minimized here, over and over.

[theHandpuppet]

6. Or outright denial that it even exists

Shameful to see on a "progressive" forum.

[redqueen]

8. I've sometimes heard it explained that the problem is just too big

and that's why people ignore it.

That just doesn't make sense to me.

[theHandpuppet]

9. And of course we both know that's a load of horse manure

e.g., is the problem of climate change "just too big"? Poverty? Racism? Income inequity? Well hell, why do we even have a forum at all, considering these problems are just so big.

Oh, I forgot... that only applies to issues involving women's rights. We know the score.

[redqueen]

10. So very depressingly well said.