THE SKYLINE VIEW A Special Section
U.N Report states that deadliest place for women is their home The U.N. report also disclosed that women are extremely more likely to die from domestic violence than men are, citing that 82 percent of intimate relationship homicide victims are women and 18 percent are men. “In the past year we have seen growing attention to one manifestation of this violence,” Guterres wrote. “Sexual harassment is experienced by most women at some point in their lives. Increasing public disclosure by women from all regions and all walks of life is bringing the magnitude of the problem to light...” The study suggested that violence against women has increased in the last five years. The study draws on data from 2012 in which 48,000, or 47 percent, of female homicides were perpetrated by intimate partners or family members. So what do we do about this? By Lauren Gozon TSV Digital Editor
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), released the “Global Study on Homicide: Gender-related Killing of Women and Girls.” The report revealed that 87,000 women were murdered by someone in their home in 2017 and analyzed the violence perpetrated against women, particularly intimate-partner violence and family-related killings. Over a third of those intentionally killed in 2017 were slain by a former or current intimate partner.
To put it into perspective, this means that, on a global scale, six women are killed every hour by someone familiar. In a statement from António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, the violence against women and girls is described as a “global pandemic.” “At its core, violence against women and girls is the manifestation of a profound lack of respect — a failure by men to recognize the inherent equality and dignity of women. It is an issue of fundamental human rights,” Guterres said.
“The incredible double standard that we [women] face on a daily basis, in the industry and just in the world, it’s shocking. I would be so amused, and pardon me if this comes across as sexist, but I don’t think a male artist would be in this position right now. Sorry. If I’m speaking about something that I’m passionate about, I’m willing to take the brunt for fighting in what I believe in and my fellow women are definitely something that I will always be one of the first to speak up about.” - Ariana Grande, Billboard’s Women of the Year 2018
The study is a call for governments to help us shed further light on violence against women by collecting necessary data and reporting on it. Many of these homicides could have been prevented. Jean-Luc Lemahieu, director of policy analysis and public information at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, told The Washington Post that more than 30,000 of those homicides were the direct result of domestic abuse and violence. “When a female loses her life, it is not without predictions,”
Lemahieu said. “You see incidences of verbal and other forms of violence. The pattern is established long before the homicide.” Steven “Steve” Aurilio, retired police sergeant for the Daly City Police Department and coordinator of the Administration of Justice Program at Skyline College, stated that during his 33-year career in law enforcement, violence perpetrated against women was common. “Domestic violence, violence perpetrated against women in general, and sexual assaults, has increasingly been at the forefront of headlines in recent years,” Aurilio said. “What used to be on the ‘back burner’ of attention, these and similar offenses are now gaining national attention. Because of this I believe that we are now on a pathway that will go beyond simply becoming more aware and sensitive to these troubling issues.” Leslie Herrera, who has an AA degree in criminal justice, said that, “A lot of people don’t acknowledge that it’s (abuse) is not only physical, it can be verbal and mental abuse” as well. Universally, violence against women is underreported to authorities, according to the U.N. study. Is there a solution to stopping the violence? Some may say, “well, just don’t be violent.” However, the problem is too complex to just have one solid solution. Violence against
“When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, ‘When there are nine,’ people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.”
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
women is rooted in several cultures around the world and the point in time to start unlearning all of the oppressive and backward values and qualities are long overdue. “So, how do we fix this?” Aurilio asked. “Well, educating the public is a good start. It should begin early. Perhaps teaching children in the grade schools that harming women, or anyone, is not right.” This is a huge call for law enforcement to protect its victims and empower them while holding their abusers accountable for their actions. Ariana Hernandez, a business marketing major and blog writer, said that our community needs to, “respond differently to abusers and voice this issue as much as we enforce voting.” Hernandez also believes that therapy should be more easily accessible to those who have suffered from abuse. “Not all of us have the will and strength to overcome such on our own,” Hernandez said. “Men need to be involved in efforts to combat intimate partner violence/family-related homicide and in changing cultural norms that move away from violent masculinity and gender stereotypes,” the U.N report stated. The report was released to coincide with its International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which was prompted to raise awareness of gender-based violence around the world.
“We teach girls shame. Close your legs; cover yourself. We make them feel as though being born female, they’re already guilty of something. And so, girls grow up to be women who silence themselves. They grow up to be women who cannot say what they truly think. And they grow up--and this is the worst thing we do to girls--they grow up to be women who have turned pretense into an art form.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian Novelist