Violence against women affects you and me. It’s against you & me. It knows no national borders, ethnicities, or economic status. It is a global issue that should outrage anyone who feels compassion for people in pain, female or male. After being brutally beaten, raped & thrown (with her male friend) from a moving bus, the death of a 23 year-old Indian medical student (Braveheart) today hit me in an unexpected way. I realized that I too have experienced violence against my womanhood, and have also witnessed violence against women in ways that I still cannot share.
When archaic laws fail to prevent violence against the vulnerable, minorities, or the marginalized of our society, modern society can no longer claim superiority to any prior cultures. Prevention of violence against women is something we need to focus on. Of course punishment for these crimes must be pursued, but prevention must also be immediately addressed. One such law is still not reauthorized in the US, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It is said that uneducated people tend to be the perpetrators and/or the victims of sexual violence. What does this say about our US Representatives and Senators? What kind of culture do we live in that hesitates to condemn such violent acts of evil as in Delhi? What a culture, indeed, that hoses down and violently attacks protestors demanding higher ethics, and higher standards of respect for women and for all humanity?
Citizens of the USA, of India, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and now Italy, stand up for human dignity! Do what you can to help educate each other, our youth, and our government officials about decency, respect, and reverence for all life. Our world is so much more connected; it just amazes me how the more we become technologically advanced, the more we become insensitive to the humanity of others.
Violence against women is not just a woman’s issue. It affects us all, and it should outrage us all. I wholeheartedly agree with Akanksha Mehta in her post “We Are All Responsible; We Are All Guilty”. It follows the same truth that evil is allowed to exist as long as good people do nothing.
Grant Us Peace 