COMMENT By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
WEDNESDAY, 25 November saw the 12th White Ribbon Day in Australia.
It’s a day where men’s violence against women comes to the forefront, and we as a nation discuss our problem with respect for women.
Terms such as ‘domestic violence’ and ‘family violence’ detract from the fact that this is a national crisis that overwhelmingly begins with men.
VicHealth stats show in the 2013-’14 year, men committed 83.9 per cent of domestic violence offences against women.
In the same period, Victoria Police attended 1,373 domestic violence incidents in the Yarra Ranges alone. Children were present at 479 of them.
Charges were laid in only 589 of those incidents.
The violence that men perpetrate against women in our society is due to an entrenched and unchecked insidious attitude towards gender.
It is shown through “harmless” jokes and dismissal of issues affecting women as “just women’s business.”
Through these “jokes” and dismissals we continue to reinforce women as second-class citizens and reinforce men as entitled to control women.
When we fail to properly include women in society we turn a blind eye to the fact that approximately one woman a week is killed by her current or former partner.
Once we recognise and accept that this is problem in our society perpetrated by men, it’s time to address how we can counteract these toxic attitudes.
It’s time to teach both young men and women what is acceptable in a relationship.
It’s time we teach young men that expressing emotions through outlets other than violence is not a sign of weakness and allowing themselves to be vulnerable is not a cop-out.
It’s time we impressed on young men they are not entitled to ownership over a woman.
It’s time we teach young women that they do not owe men their love or subservience regardless of their relationship.
It’s time we made some serious changes to the way we all approach gender equality so power balances within relationships do not lead to violence – but until we accept the root of the problem, we cannot make those changes.
