Violence... The story so far

Updated 19 Mar 2007

From time immemorial, women have been discriminated against, for no reason other than the fact that they are usually smaller than men. When exploding populations run head on into the nuclear genie as they surely will, it seems from here that the genes for mothering are better prepared and well-suited to meet that crisis than than any other genes on our genome.

Every man has a mother, but nature prepared neither man nor woman for the demands of civilization and democracy; both inherit genes for violence. Being generally smaller in stature, women generally come out on the short end of the stick in conflicts with men; conflict is nature's way. But so is love, especially and critically the motherly or nurturing type.

But where is the instinct for democratic harmony? Social evolution still has a long way to go for such genes to evolve through any natural series of mutations and selection. Hundreds, even thousands of millennia perhaps will be needed. That won't happen as long as imperialistic bullies write history. That having been said, it is time women got more involved, to tone down the rhetoric if nothing else.

In any event, humanity is too intelligent not to address its own future, not as an end in itself, but to realize what is possible in social development, in easing the lot of humanity, and protecting the biosphere for future generations. Already, biogenetics is gathering the tools to modify the human genetic code in just that direction -- or any other direction, for better or worse. If something can happen, it will. Does humanity have the necessary wisdom? In all quarters? Where is the world governance to direct this engineering for the common good of all humankind? That question will demand an answer this century. We cannot just put our heads in the sand. Here again women should have some things to say. ?



Meanwhile, this site provides links for researchers and women activists interested in this vital problem.

See next:

• 700 Women: -- "While the United States has made considerable strides toward combating abuse in the last decade, four women still die at the hands of their partners and 700 are raped or sexually assaulted each day. This renewed legislation now emphasizes early intervention, a critical component of saving lives."
• Africa And Middle East - women's rights: "Our main concern is to change the attitude and mentality of society concerning women's and children's rights declared Irene Assih-Assirah, Minister of Social Affairs and promotion of Women of Toga. She stated: 'to support the rights of women and children we have to go beyond declaration and assume our clear responsibilities.' We must act on our commitments beyond declarations, stated Rima Salah, the regional director of UNICEF West Africa. It is urgent that we adopt new and positive attitudes, she said."
• Amnesty International -- "Women can be seen, and finally heard, all over the world: protesting discrimination, speaking out for their economic rights, and demanding legal protection. Amnesty International USA's Women's Human Rights Action Network works closely with women around the world and in the United States. Please join us in the struggle to end discrimination and violence against women."
• Asian Social Issues Program -- "There Are No Human Rights Without Women's Rights. A presentation by Ivy Josiah, Executive Director."
• Association for Women's Rights -- "An international membership organization committed to gender equality and just sustainable development. In English, French, and Spanish."
• A woman's Courage, a Woman's Voice. Shahla Sherkat (Iran) and Sumi Khan (Bangladesh), Anja Niedringhaus (Germany), IWMF Courage in Journalism award recipients in 2005. “This year’s Courage award winners have faced death threats, braved war zones and reported on events and people with integrity and insight while at the same time putting their livelihoods at risk,” said Judy Woodruff, chair of the Courage in Journalism Awards. “Their commitment to fair, honest reporting has put them at odds with governments and with extremists. Their work makes them champions of a free press. Molly Ivins of the USA, a nationally syndicated political columnist and satirist who is an outspoken critic of George W. Bush and his administration, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award." Reported by Sasha Elliot
• Feminism -- "Feminism and Activism - Information, articles and links on activism, famous women, feminism, anti-feminism, ecofeminism, feminism theory and more."
• Gender Equality -- "Socially constructed roles too often thwart the potential of girls and women. Discrimination denies them health care and education. It hides information that they can use to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Discrimination robs girls and women of the the power to make decisions, to earn a living and to be free from violence, abuse and exploitation. Often it deprives them of any legal protection."
• Global Women -- Links and suggested readings. Activisim, Discussion Networking, Questions, Resources, Statistics.
• Human Rights Watch -- "Millions of women throughout the world live in conditions of abject deprivation of, and attacks against, their fundamental human rights for no other reason than that they are women"
• Human Trafficking -- "The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Dominican women and children are trafficked to destinations in Latin America and Europe, including Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, the Netherlands Antilles, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Brazil. There are indications that Peruvian women have been trafficked through the Dominican Republic to Italy."
• Living the Legacy -- "When I entered the police academy in 1973, it was still perhaps the biggest boys' club in America," said interim D.C. Police Chief Sonya T. Proctor during a March 3 keynote address to celebrate Women's History Month at the Library. "The passage of the Equal Employment Opportunities Act in 1972 had gotten rid of blatant forms of discrimination, but these were soon replaced by more subtle means. The theme of this year's Women's History Month celebration is 'Living the Legacy of Women's Rights,'" said Library Police Capt. Rosiland Parker, who introduced Ms. Proctor. She said this legacy includes women elected and appointed at all levels of government. "With her appointment as acting chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on Nov. 26, Ms. Proctor has reached the zenith of her profession on merit," said Capt. Parker."
• No Excuse For Violences Against Women -- 'The recent media reports and public debate on family violence in BIH are a positive step towards breaking the silence around this sensitive issue,' said UNICEF Representative in BIH, June Kunugi. 'It is vital that this momentum be supported by concrete action and a comprehensive and well-coordinated system ensuring that children and women who are at-risk or victims of violence have access to the services, care, and support that they need and have a right to. We are very pleased to be entering this new partnership with UNFPA and Medica Zenica to support this. '"
• Reproduction Issue -- "There are multiple levels of reductionism and distortion involved in these categories. "Pro-choice" language reduces the larger issue of well-being of women to reproduction, and then it reduces reproduction to abortion. This reductionism has emerged from the peculiar history of reproductive politics of the US."
• Spotlight On Curbing Gender-Based Violence -- "“Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message, calling on Governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to work for a transformation in relations between women and men, at all levels of society."
• "The International Women's Rights Action Watch -- "(IWRAW) was organized in 1985 at the World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya, to promote recognition of womens human rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the CEDAW Convention), a basic international human rights treaty. IWRAW now is the primary international nongovernmental organization that facilitates use of international human rights treaties to promote womens human rights and rights within families."
• Trafficking Women -- "Human Rights Watch has exposed consistent patterns in the trafficking of women. In all cases, coercive tactics, including deception, fraud, intimidation, isolation, threat and use of physical force, or debt bondage, are used to control women. In many cases, such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, corrupt officials facilitate the trafficking, accepting bribes to falsify documents and provide protection. Without such corruption and complicity on the part of state officials, trafficking could not thrive. Many governments treat trafficked persons as illegal aliens, criminals, or both, exposing them to further abuse. For example, Thai trafficking victims in Japan are regularly detained as illegal aliens and deported with a five-year ban on reentering the country. By targeting the victims instead of the perpetrators, states allow the abuses to continue. "
• United Arab Emirates -- "The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is a destination country for women trafficked primarily from South, Southeast, and East Asia, the former Soviet Union, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, and East Africa, for the purpose of sexual exploitation. A far smaller number of men, women, and teenage children were trafficked to the U.A.E. to work as forced laborers. Some South Asian and East African boys were trafficked into the country and forced to work as camel jockeys. Some were sold by their parents to traffickers, and others were brought into the U.A.E. by their parents. A large number of foreign women were lured into the U.A.E. under false pretenses and subsequently forced into sexual servitude, primarily by criminals of their own countries."
• Violence Against Women Act -- "Landlords often react to domestic violence by evicting the victim. Survivors of domestic violence or stalking who live in public or subsidized housing gained important new protections from this kind of discrimination when VAWA became law on January 5, 2006." The world's greates domocracy is running very late with this. But at least it finally happened.
• "Violence Against Women - UNFPA Fact Sheet -- "Violence against women and girls is a major human rights and public health concern. It encompasses, a wide range of abuses, from “physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family and in the general community, including battering, sexual abuse of children, dowry-related violence, rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, forced prostitution, and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state."
• Willie Grace Campbell - Tribute to a Global Activist - Washington Post. [Willie was inspiration personified.]
• Women in Islam -- "The issue of women in Islam is highly controversial. Any materials on this subject, whether in print or online, should be used with caution because of the lack of objectivity. While it is generally agreed that the rights granted to women in the Qur'an and by the prophet Muhammad were a vast improvement in comparison to the situation of women in Arabia prior to the advent of Islam, after the Prophet's death the condition of women in Islam began to decline and revert back to pre-Islamic norms. Yet just as the women's movement in the West began to pick up steam in the twentieth century, the same thing occurred, although to a lesser extent, in the Muslim world during that time."
• Women's Aid Organisation -- "(WAO) at the SUHAKAM Forum entitled Human Rights for the Disadvantaged on Human Rights Day in Malaysia, 9 September 2001 Asia Society thanks WAO for permission to reprint this article."
• Women's eNews -- ""Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said and called on diplomats, international advocates and private sector organizations to work for gender equity at all levels of society."
• Women's Human Rights Resource -- "Site for researchers looking for authoritative information."
• Women's Rights -- Global Issues. "Women's rights around the world is an important indicator of understanding global well-being. Many may think that women's rights is only an issue in countries where religion is law, such as many Muslim countries. Or even worse, some people may not think this is no longer an issue at all. [sic] But reading [the] report about the United Nation's Women's Treaty and how an increasing number of countries are lodging reservations, will show otherwise."
• Women's Rights and Gender Issues Links to a myriad of issues. -- A MUST VISIT for the serious minded.
• Women's Rights Project -- "Ruth Bader Ginsburg founded the Women's Rights Project (WRP) in 1972. WRP focuses on assisting and empowering poor women, women of color, and immigrant women, who historically have been deeply victimized by gender bias and continue to face pervasive barriers to equality today. Through litigation, community outreach, advocacy, and public education, WRP pushes for change and systemic reform of those institutions that perpetuate discrimination against women."
• Women's Rights Treaty -- "With the scheduled departure of Jesse Helms from the Senate and President Bush supporting women's rights in Afghanistan, a U.N. treaty encouraging equal rights for women may finally receive U.S. approval." Peggy Simpson, Women's eNews.