I believe the first and one of the most important steps in stopping assaults against women is spreading awareness for the prevalence of violence against women.Too many times you hear of women who didn't leave because "he didn't mean to hit me" or "hes a good guy, he just got angry". I believe if domestic violence victims are more aware of how common their situation is, if they hear stories that are similar to theirs and they can learn how badly the situation turned out for others, they just may be able to make a better decision for themselves. The more awareness we bring to the topic of violence against women and the more we spread the word that them hurting you, even just once, is too much, the more likely we are to save women.
Another important step in stopping assaults against women is making more people aware of the warning signs of abuse. The more people that are aware of the signs to look for in a loved one, coworker or friend, the more help victims of assault will receive. More than just knowing the signs it is also important to educate people on the steps to take if they do notice signs of abuse in someone they know. One of the most important steps being to make sure the abused individual is aware that they can trust you and that they have your support. Leaving an abusive relationship often takes time and can be very daunting, knowing they have people who support and care about them can go along way in ensuring they make the decision to leave.
It is also important to ensure that we teach boys from a young age that women are their equals and that they are to be respected as they wish to be respected in turn. Too many times abuse comes from men who were never taught how to properly manage their anger, saw abuse against women themselves or who were taught to see women as lesser than them. Parents take on a very important role when they decide to raise children and ensuring that from a young age they are given appropriate anger management techniques can go along way in the prevention of violence about women.
Violence against women, and men, is a very real and scary thing. I don't believe there is a one way fixes all solution for ending violence against women but I do strongly believe that the above mentioned methods would be really beneficial places to start. We are all accountable for ensuring there is an end to violence against women, and people in general, and educating ourselves is a crucial way to enact this change.
I agree with you in your comments that first and foremost we need to spread awareness about violence. It surprises me at the fact that there are so many people out in the world that feel that it is normal to live in an environment of abuse. But, if that is all they know, then that is normal to them. So, yes, spreading the knowledge that living in violence is not normal, should take precedence.
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