How would you know if the lady that lives next door was being abused? Would you know what to do if your friend/daughter/mother was being abused? What options are available to you if you are being abused?
These are all questions that we hope we will never need to think about. But, alarmingly, the statistics show that violence against women is a larger issue than some might think or choose to acknowledge.
As many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some other way – most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member. It can leave lasting psychological and physical trauma, and have negative flow on effects in so many ways.
We know violence doesn’t just happen against women. Violence happens against all genders. But gender-based violence (GBV) disproportionately affects girls and women and is a major obstacle in achieving gender equality.
GBV is a fundamental violation of human rights and is one of the worst manifestations of gender-based discrimination. It touches people from all walks of life, in all corners of the globe, and has no social, economic or cultural boundaries.
Each week, we hear and read in the media about another case of violence against a woman. How many more women and children have to suffer as a result of violence? Violence against women is a problem everyone needs to take notice of. Men and women from all walks of life, including regular people like you or I, as well as celebrities and politicians, are joining forces to try to move our society forward and end these cruel and often deadly acts.
If you want to help in the campaign to end violence against women, please consider joining 100 Women. Join today as a full member or a part of one of our mini-circles.
If you would like more information about the campaign to end violence towards women, check out the links below.
http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/
http://www.whiteribbon.org.au/about
http://www.amnesty.org.au/svaw/comments/2239/
Author – Rachel Boros
www.facebook.com/simplysbcreations
Rachel works as a freelance writer and proof reader. She is also full-time Mum to a very energetic toddler! With a BA in Journalism, Rachel previously worked in Marketing and Administration roles. Her “free time” is spent with the family of course, but also hiking, running, cooking, drinking good wine, and more recently, volunteering with the “100 Women Project”.
