Lost Tears
In the United States, every 9 seconds a woman is battered. This most often happens at the hands of her husband or boyfriend. There are many contributing factors, not the least of which is a lagging economy in which a wife or girlfriend becomes the target of the abuser’s frustration. Another factor is kindred to Pavlov’s dog theory of classical conditioning. If a person was abused as a child, they are more likely to become abusive as adults. As sons watch fathers commit these heinous acts, it becomes a learned behavior, a cultural phenomenon which must be addressed. Perhaps it is worthy to note that there are nearly three times as many animal shelters here as there are shelters for battered women. This violence, however, is not limited to the United States.
The United Nations Population Fund reports that so-called “honor killings” take the lives of thousands of young women every year, mainly in North Africa, Western Asia and parts of South Asia. Often it happens within Islamic families, though “honor-killings” are not a tenant of that faith. The woman may have committed adultery, may have been raped or dressed inappropriately, thereby bringing shame to her family. The result is her murder at the hands of her husband or family. From this, a yet another phenomenon has evolved.
A startling number of “honor suicides” has emerged in Turkey. This is a process whereby a woman who ostensibly shamed her family, chooses to commit suicide under pressure from her family so they may avoid penalties for murdering her. The New York Times reported that some suicides appeared in Kurdish-inhabited regions of Turkey. A special envoy for the United Nations was sent to Turkey to investigate suspicious suicides among Kurdish girls. The Times stated that these suicides were “honor killings disguised as suicide or accident.” The true numbers of these occurrences may never be known.
In yet another country, over 80 women in the Iraqi province of Diyala committed suicide to escape the shame of being raped. What is even more horrific is that a 51 year old Iraqi woman named Samira Jassim confessed to Iraqi police that she had organized these rapes. She then persuaded each of the women that to become a suicide bomber was the only way to escape their shame.
While global terror is on the international stage for consideration, we must raise awareness that terror, unfortunately, often begins in the home and it is women who suffer dire consequences with no stage, no shelter and too little attention. Women are not objects. Women are human beings who deserve rights accorded to them through international human rights laws and within the courts of our global conscience.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
See how you can help. This cause is being sponsored for 16 days beginning Nov. 25th through Bloggers Unite.
—cher
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Tags: Add new tag, adultery, animal shelters, battered women, classical conditioning, Domestic Violence, heinous acts, honor killings, honor suicides, learned behavior, nations population fund, New York Times, north africa, occurrences, pavlov, south asia, startling number, suicides, target, true numbers, united nations population fund, western asia, young women
Tiff,
Your information about the Allegheny County Prothonotary’s Office is quite correct. It is appalling that this information is public and so readily available, especially to perpetrators. And people wonder how so many women end up dead when they have a PFA.
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I’ve heard of these types of killings. It’s so, so sad.
The majority of abuse and violence does happen between people who know each other.
That’s a fact that most people don’t realize. I don’t have the answers, but certainly more awareness is a good first step.
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ONE of THE GUYS,
It is heart-wrenching, isn’t it? Too often we get caught up in frivolous issues, but this one is a silent scream for warranted attention.
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Ug…this topic sets my bad side awry…in a quick.
I will never understand where these messed up human traditions began…all of these countries are basically religious extremists and they totally contradict anything the bible depicts about the respect for the female.
I am thankful every day that I was not born in any of these countries…it is bad enough in our own civilized country that we have so much abuse and killings of the female gender.
This leads to why it is vital that woman stop advertising themselves as sex objects as a false sense of acceptance and/or profits. It is doing nothing but putting all of womankind at a risk of being disrespected which is where and when abuse begins.
If one respects themselves…others will follow suit.
Thanks so much Cher for this much needed post of awareness of abuse on women.
~D~
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DorothyL,
What happens in other cultures is indeed frightening. The fact that horrid abuse, battering and violence occurs in this country is a pox on our nation. Let’s hope that through awareness and raising of conscience, we can help to have a positive impact for those who suffer. Thanks for sharing your insights, D.
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You all check the amazing art work about domestic violence and violence against woman at artwedeliver.com.
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Maria,
I like your art, particularly the paintings on domestic violence. I like your use of birds in the depiction.
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These honour killings happen everywhere and are not restricted to the country of origin.
In the early seventies, I worked in a bank branch in a community with one predominant ethnic group. A father and mother had their son kill their daughter, her husband, and their infant child because the young woman had married someone other than her parents’ choice for her. After a long separation, the older generation asked for a reconciliation and to see the baby and the young woman’s brother planted a bomb which went off several hours after they left.
I know so much about this because everyone in the community knew all about it. Bank customers told the manager and staff that this was a good thing. The ethnic community closed ranks on this, and I think charges were laid many years later, but I’m not entirely sure.
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Chris J,
What you have done in your comment was to indeed raise awareness. This may go on in many countries, including the States, but so little is heard of it; consequently it continues. Thank you for sharing this heart-breaking story.
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A note for Maria….
Thank you for sharing this link with us. What very inspiring and emotional artwork.
It is amazing how true talent can display such emotion through a birds eye view…so to speak!
Very nicely done!
~D~
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Thank you for sharing this with us here though it is awful. You gave a good decoration of the story although naughty.
This happens everywhere though in different contexts.
It has been a cycle that some men have made ti a rule worldwide to beat women. Why do they misbehave this way? Up to now we have no appropriate response but some of them claim to correct women and others do it by nature or following their background. Women do not get married to lose their freedom and rights. Batterers should let women enough room to breathe and to express their feelings. We do condemn these repellent attitudes and behaviors.
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