“Violence against women in all its forms is a violation of human rights. It is not something that any culture, religion, or tradition promotes.
– Michelle Bachelet – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. [1]
Perhaps the abundance of violence against women will turn it into an entrenched societal trait and make us to ignore its consequent damage. A lot of women have been subdued by society and were subjected to various forms of violence, to the point where they are used to it and would favor one form over another.
Has it become normal to adapt to forms of violence against women? Or are we still able to build a lifeline to save us from this violence?
Violence, as described by the World Health Organization (who), is: “A public health challenge defined by the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in, or has a high likelihood of, resulting in injury, death, psychological harm.” [2]
We find that every physical, sexual or mental assault directed against women embodies violence and must be confronted. What most people cannot accept is that violence against women is not just beating, rape, physical abuse, or fleecing them out of their money. Violence is consistent with the violation of women’s decisions and privacy under outdated social labels.
Taking away women’s freedom to make their own decisions represents violence against their humanity and being a part of this society, such as their decision to pursue education and build their professional and academic careers.
In addition, immoral and violent practices such as child marriage, destroy childhood and buries it with a bloody white cloth on a coffin-like bed, leaving behind innocence in the prison of a stolen childhood. Apart from the consequences of this marriage, a painful scene that is being ignored; to see a child breastfeed from another child who was forced to mature before her time and play the role of a mother that does not fit her, so you would not know who is taking the strength of the other.
The decision of every woman to marry and choose her partner is a legitimate right, and its violation is not normal. Also, violence against women is represented by preventing them from doing the work she desires and strives for, and forcing them to do the work imposed on them by society merely because she is a woman.
Moreover, denying women their right to choose the names of their children, by virtue of customs and norms, is violence. It is important to know that this is not a normal thing, this is violence committed against her motherhood. Many daily practices embody violence directed against women in society, such as electronic harassment and verbal abuse to which they are subjected, whether from a partner or others, which is not ordinary.
According to the UN, violence manifests itself in physical, sexual, and psychological forms, encompassing:
The biggest role in confronting violence is to recognize it and not accept it under its various forms and labels. A woman’s familiarity of being verbally abused by her husband is an assault against her human dignity. Her justification for the harassment she is subjected to on a daily basis, whether at home, school or the workplace, is also not ordinary. In addition, it is her right to refuse everything that she deems threatening to her stability, health, and mental well-being, like refusing any employment contract that defines her salary as a woman and not as a worthy and competent employee.
International organizations, institutions, and NGOs seek to eliminate violence against women by strengthening the role of women in society. Empowering women with their rights and supporting their decisions in life, education, and work is also an important factor in confronting violence against women. Violence against women will not be eliminated by habit, but by confronting and acknowledging it and not tolerating any behavior that threatens women’s entity and freedom.
Your voice is your choice, and your silence is no longer acceptable. Some women may find it challenging to disclose the violence they experience in a country governed by customs and traditions, that is why most ongoing cases of violence against women are caused by the silence of the woman herself about her right.
Women are afraid that society will tear them down and face them with stigma and rejection. But with constant exposure to these practices, this silence will turn into a ticking time bomb, ready to explode and take matters to the extreme. And because every woman is looking for security and stability, each of us has to stand up for every word, behavior, or violation of her dignity or freedom.
Raise your voice today, your silence is no longer acceptable.
♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.
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References:
[1] Glasprotivnasils
[2] WHO
[3] UN