The Prime Minister’s recent pledge to strengthen laws to combat
violence against women, in commemoration of International Women’s Day,
is a well-intentioned yet lacklustre plan. Public policy can only go so
far when there exists a crisis in our national mindset, and this
announcement comes as simply another attempt to bandage a wound without
actually getting to the root of the issue.
There is in fact a fundamental problem with the way in which men
view women in our society, and the measures proposed to address the
national scourge of domestic violence merely scratch the surface. While
it is undeniable women have visibly made their mark in fields such as
education, media and commerce, touting their commendable achievements
does not erase this underlying concern.
The tragic case of Marcia Henville, a prominent and successful
public figure whose life was allegedly cut short by her estranged
husband, highlights the fact domestic abuse knows no limits. This is
compounded by the results of a 2013 UNAIDS survey which revealed while
most respondents considered domestic violence to be a problem in
Trinidad and Tobago, one in seven men claimed it acceptable to beat
their wife if she were unfaithful. Even more shocking is half of those
surveyed believe a woman dressing provocatively could encourage a man to
rape her. A man literally leading a woman along by a piece of rope is a
clear reflection of what lies deep within part of our population’s
psyche—that it is acceptable to dehumanise and objectify women. These
examples are symptoms of a grim epidemic which demands an urgent and
comprehensive response.
Although the plan to implement “women city centres” is a positive
initiative, it intends to undertake the matter from the wrong end. After
all, prevention is better than cure, hence why these announcements
appear to be nothing more than a half-hearted effort to better the lives
of our nation’s women.
If the Prime Minister and her Government were truly committed to supporting policies which would
benefit women, this plan would instead be directed towards tackling
domestic abuse at its source, by introducing an educational scheme
through which both males and females learn about gender equality from
the youngest possible age.
Providing information for females alone is pointless; these centres
should also prioritise educating men on a national scale to ensure the
universal understanding and appreciation for the rights of women. The
solution must therefore be two-pronged, not only incorporating both
sexes but also addressing the causes and consequences of violence
against women.
When all is said and done, the significant strides taken by our
many female leaders in their respective industries are negated as long
as women continue to be victims of abuse in public and in their own
homes. The only way to see that this ends is to confront this problem
from the ground up, rather than repeatedly suggesting the same
misdirected approach.
Shannon Miller
Leicester, England
No comments:
Post a Comment