Violence Against Women
Source: allAfrica.com
When a baby is born, everyone is in awe of how cute, tiny and innocent the baby is. But what turns these little sweet angels into monsters who will beat their wives (or husbands) and children within an inch of their life? What are the influences that will eventually make a man feel no remorse as he plucks off patches of hair from his wife's head in anger or burn their little child out of spite?
Is it the 'small' phrases from their parents like 'you good for nothing child', ' you ugly animal' which erode away a child's confidence and eventually turns them into an insecure control freak who will use force and violence to make sure their partner never leaves them?
Maybe it's the lax attitude of society toward such a grave concern. Is it not common for women to be chastised by their own relatives or friends for abandoning their marriages over such a 'petty' issue? Is it the twisted upbringing of women which will lead them to believe that it's only a man who really loves you who will beat you up?
Is it society which exalts the male ego over common sense, sensitivity and kindness? And what makes women stay in abusive relationships ?
A child will learn to accept violence from their partner if they grew up seeing their mother accept the same. If you are a woman who is battered in front of your children, please do not coil away in a corner , whimper and tell your children that that's the way life is. You tell your children that it is wrong to accept anything that lowers human dignity. Maybe it is also because of the cruel abuse that children are subjected to in the name of discipline.
Many child psychologists believe that the cruelty of Adolf Hitler, the German despot responsible for the death of millions of Jews in the Second World War, had strong roots in his violent upbringing. According to the book, For Your Own Good: Hidden cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence by Dr Alice Miller, "Hitler once told his secretary that during one of the regular beatings given him by his father he was able to stop crying, to feel nothing, and even to count the thirty-two blows he received.
In this way, by totally denying his pain, his feelings of powerlessness, and his despair- in other words, by denying the truth - Hitler made himself into a master of violence and of contempt for human beings. The result was a very primitive person, incapable of any empathy for other people. He was mercilessly and constantly driven to new destructive acts by his latent feelings of hatred and revenge. After millions had been forced to die for this reason, those feelings still haunted him in his sleep."
If you are in a position of responsibility where children are concerned, parent, older sibling, teacher, caretaker, exercise your authority with lots of caution. The 16 days of activism against violence is on. This year's global theme is "Who Can? You Can! Stop. Domestic Violence."
And the national theme is "Every One Every Day Every Way; Prevent Violence against Women, Your Way!" My way is preventing it from the root. What is your way?