Women's History - the dark side

March is Women’s History Month, and the saddest part of that history is the violence against women committed by men; the focus of this essay, however, is not on the past but on the present. Violence against women by men – in
all its ugly manifestations – is always wrong and inexcusable. There is never any justification for it and there are no mitigating circumstances. Present statistics indicate that from 25-31% of women in America report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. That’s 1 in every 3 or 4 women! The age group most at risk for abuse is 18-24 year-old women. Estimates of children who witness that abuse range from 3-10 million. These statistics are alarming, especially for a country whose Constitution promises “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  

Sometimes a single case has greater impact, so I will cite one involving
well-known people. Singer Chris Brown was invited to perform on this year’s
Grammy Awards show and received an award, despite his assault on former
girlfriend Rihanna, to which he pleaded guilty. It doesn’t matter that the
incident took place three years ago because Brown is clearly the same person,
as evidenced by the hateful message he tweeted after the program. If the public
wants to send a message that men like Chris Brown are wrong, they should not
buy his music or support his career in any way. Hollywood is obviously ignorant
of this option or those who make these decisions just don’t care. The same types
of actions can be taken by people who support the careers of abusive men in
sports, politics, business, government, etc. The only way most of us have to
hurt them is to hurt them financially.

Before going any further, I want to make it clear that I have had no personal
experience with violence against women. I am not writing because one or more
women I know have been victims of violence, based on something I have been
told. I admit this in the hope that my essay will have greater, not less
impact. I have no personal axe to grind. My purpose is to change the mindset of
people, mostly men, who really don’t care about this ugly reality. In order for
anything to change, both sexes must work together to reduce the number of
crimes against women and children. Anyone who thinks he/she is not affected by
the problem of domestic violence is wrong. There are monetary costs, if nothing
else, which affect the entire community, from 911 calls to court cases and
beyond.

There is no end to the damage done to the victims, who suffer to some extent (studies have shown) for the rest of their lives. Violence is a vicious circle, which
knows no boundaries. Women and children of all races, economic, and educational backgrounds - in all countries - are victims. Violence is innate in all animals, including the human animal. Thus, violence against women cannot be
eradicated, but it can be limited, and societies can choose to make this issue their
top priority. What can be more important than protecting half of the human race?