Report
to the People
2nd
December 2002
No Excuses
It’s part of being human, I suppose, that we seek to avoid things which disturb or upset us. Our natural instinct when we see an item on the news about famine, or a graphic newspaper advert from the RSPCA, is to change the channel or turn the page.
Sometimes, though, we need to face up to the cruel and unpleasant aspects of life, no matter how difficult it is.
Take the example of violence against women. We have all seen or read reports of Balkan crime gangs selling women into prostitution and mass rape being committed in war zones. You can’t sweep these truly horrific crimes under the carpet. It would almost be a second act of abuse.
If we are to stamp out the idea that abusing women is somehow acceptable, we need to shine a light into the darkest corners of this sort of behaviour and expose the terror and damage it inflicts.
This, I am glad to say, is exactly the aim of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which was marked last Monday. Also known as "White Ribbon Day", it heralds the launch of two weeks of international events in the run up to International Human Rights Day.
Violence against women, however, doesn’t just happen in far flung places we only read about in newspapers. As a debate in Parliament on domestic abuse last Thursday heard, it’s happening right under our own noses.
In 1998 the British Medical Association stated that one in four women experience domestic abuse at some point during their lives. Police figures for 2001 show they receive a complaint of domestic abuse almost 100 times a day. And the vast majority of this abuse – about 93% – is perpetrated by men against women.
But, as we also heard, action is being taken. £23 million is being spent on building new refuges, developing services and implementing the National Strategy on Domestic Abuse. Women are also now more likely to report abuse to the Police.
While support for victims of abuse is, of course, important, it will only be driven from our society if it is tackled at source.
That means getting rid of the idea that beating your wife is "only a domestic." It means outing abusers, making them the social pariahs they deserve to be. And it means making it clear that, no matter how you justify it to yourself, there’s never an excuse for abuse.
If you live in Inverclyde and you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, you can call Inverclyde Women’s Aid Helpline on (01475) 888 505.
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