Today the 25th day of November, marks a
milestone in the lives of all women and girls over the world, as we
recognize the International Day to End Violence Against Women. I have
held from the very earliest period of my life, still hold and appreciate
the importance of women (as Mothers, Wives and Sister) in our society –
reproduction, production and community roles. However, the abuse of
women’s right and personal boundaries, which instead of being weakened
or modified, has constantly been growing stronger by the progress of
reflection and the experience of life.
Violence is on the rise . Violence
against women is hurting all women and girls all over the world,
hitting the poor, women in war torn communities, at home , on the
street- it’s global pandemic and takes place in the public and private
spaces. It’s against this back drop that I write , joining forces with
other Women groups, Human Right Activist and others, to reveal some fast
facts , re-echo and emphasize the need to strive and end this canker,
Violence Against Women.
Violence against women is defined as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.
It is human rights violation and a serious impediment to women’s
progress in any area of life. It impairs women’s health, prospects for
education and productive work, and ability to participate as full
members of their societies, among other consequences.
According to UN Women report, serious numbers show how common violence is — and the many forms it takes. Around the world, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. About 120 million girls
have been forced into intercourse or other sexual acts at some point in
their lives. In 29 countries alone, 133 million women and girls have
undergone female genital mutilation. More than 700 million women alive
today were married as children. Almost all of the estimated 4.5 million victims of forced sexual exploitation are women and girls.
Women who are exposed to these forms of violence (physical, sexual, or psychological),
suffer physical, mental, emotional well-being consequences and these
lead to impacting any children she might have, as well as social and
economic costs. Some of the health consequences are;
- Sexually transmitted diseases and infections (including but not limited to HIV/AIDS)
- Limited mobility and poor overall health (sometimes, these can have fatal results)
- Intimate partner and sexual violence can lead to unintended pregnancies and other gynecological problems
- Violence against a pregnant woman increases the chances of miscarriage, stillbirth and pre-term delivery
- Headaches, back pain, abdominal pain.
- clinical depression and emotional distress leading to suicide attempt.
With regard to the
impacts on children, they suffer from a range of behavioral and
emotional disturbances which can lead to perpetrating or being victims
of violence later in life. Intimate partner violence can also be
associated with increased rate of infants and child mortality and
morbidity.
Violence against women is not an answer.
It’s the puzzle that needs to be solved. The way forward is to help
young girls and boys learn to recognize abuse and say no to sexual
harassment in their communities, encourage positive notions of
masculinity and femininity and cultural norms that that addresses gender
equality in our communities, reinforce laws on the books to stop
domestic violence, advocate campaigns around the world, heighten
awareness and galvanize actions to stop violence.
Let’s mobilize and raise awareness and
trigger action to end the global scourge of violence against women and
girls. It’s may not happen to you now but remember its happening to
someone else – and she is somebody’s mother, somebody’s sister,
somebody’s daughter, somebody’s wife, somebody’s girlfriend, somebody’s
friend. It’s my responsibility, yours and ours. So let’s spread the word and do something about it.
Women and Girls have their Rights and Personal Boundaries; No one should Invade and Abuse them; It’s our sole responsibility to strive, hunger and thirst to #EndViolenceAgainstWomen
Women and Girls have their Rights and Personal Boundaries; No one should Invade and Abuse them; It’s our sole responsibility to strive, hunger and thirst to #EndViolenceAgainstWomen
