Global Terrorism And The World Conference Of Women In Washington, D.C.

ForbesWoman 2/26/2012
Susan Murphy-Milano, Contributor


It’s already Monday in other places like Hong Kong and Sidney, Australia. Wherever you live, you can bet someone is weeping and saying prayers over their recently buried loved one, kneeling on cold, hard ground over one who was murdered and silenced by intimate partner violence.


One out of every three women around the globe has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, and the person who is controlling and violent toward her is either a former, current or newly severed relationship. Yet, when we read about a bride being burned or a woman stoned to death in a third-world country, we gloss over the information provided in the news story, often dismissing those killings as uncivilized, excusing the inhumane murders as if to say, “That’s halfway across the globe.”

“Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of epidemic proportions,” says Sue Else, national director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. She’s an expert in the field working at the forefront for more than two decades. Sue goes on to proudly talk about those who have worked behind the scenes who successfully put together the second World Conference of Women’s Shelters, an initiative of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters. The NNEDV is hosting the conference, February 27 to March 1, in Washington, DC.

Included in this year’s conference topics is human trafficking aimed at illuminating different perspectives on this issue, as well as providing relevant resources to help guide more informed and critical advocacy, research and thought.

The conference brings together grassroots activists and advocates working to end violence against women. Corporations, including Verizon and the All State Foundation, are among the major supporters for this year’s gathering. Global delegates from the poorest of countries will receive tangible tools and knowledge from other activists as well as collaborate with women from all over the world. Fifty-plus countries are represented at this second annual global conference, which began four years ago in Canada.

Susan B. Carbon, director of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women says, “(Intimate partner violence) is the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today. It devastates lives, fractures communities, and stalls development. Violence against women is intimate terrorism, and it’s universal.”

But what happens in our country when a woman suddenly vanishes or is found murdered under suspicious circumstances? Why aren’t we enraged when eight to ten women a day are murdered in the United States? Think of what it must be like to be a 100-pound woman held prisoner in her own home trying to run away from the anger of her 200-pound boyfriend or husband. Or, how about a 60-pound child living in terror of being punished and terrorized by an adult three times his height and weight? Or a disabled senior, unable to move quickly, being threatened by a spouse or grown child or caregiver?

The fear in a victim’s life is unimaginable and paralyzing. It’s terrorism, happening 365 days a year behind a white picket fence, likely on the street where you live with your family. Lurking behind the perfect portrait of marital bliss can be a license for marital torture and rape. For so many domestic violence victims worldwide, a marriage license can result in a death warrant when the victim plans to end the violence. Around the globe, news about domestic violence is neatly reported by the media, usually packaged in terms of a single incident or a one-time only act of violence.

What about the economic cost to every business in America, some that have recently been affected by bloodshed during business hours, including Pizza Hut, Home Depot, Walmart, or a community house of worship? The cost of domestic violence is considerable. A 2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the costs of intimate partner violence in the U.S. alone exceed $5.8 billion per year; $4.1 billion is for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion.

In the U.S., we’ve created a national campaign about the dangers of cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke. We now have strict laws in place that if you drink and drive you will be arrested. We educate the public about the behaviors that lead to HIV and AIDS and ways to prevent the spread of these diseases. While these problems still exist, we have made significant progress fighting them.

So, how difficult can it be to devote the same time and education on the issue of domestic violence? If we are such a civilized country, why are we in violation of our own country’s human rights policies?

This isn’t just a women’s issue. Women, children and men have the human right to be safe, especially in their own homes. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.”

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/crime/2012/02/26/global-terrorism-and-the-world-conference-of-women-in-washington-d-c/