Understanding and Stopping Violence Against Women

I came across this while searching for ant-domestic violence campaigns and couldn't resist posting it... This is an article on a Danish anti domestic violence PSA, which apparently asks you to virtually beat a woman and then calls you an idiot and presents facts about domestic violence at the end. I personally do not think that this is an effective way to prevent domestic violence, as it would seem to desensitize people to it, but not all commentators agreed, and some that I read felt that this was a good strategy because it was edgy and attention grabbing, and would make people notice this issue. Other peoples thoughts?

I think this game is just as sick as the other game that we saw in the CNN article. I would love to know who came up with the game's design to see why they chose to use "pussy" and "gansta" to describe the type of man you could be, and why they thought this would stop violence rather than increase it. I think the creators are making these actions seem normal by putting the female character in a situation that could happen so frequently and by making the male respond to it with violence. Like we've been talking about in class, it seems like the game is only going to increase the amount of violence against women rather than stopping it.

What this anti-violence campaign is doing is making light of violence against women. Although the reason why it was created was to make people aware of violence against women, in fact I believe it is doing the opposite of what they intended. The campaign was created to shock people and to catch their attention in order to bring a focus on violence against women. I'm curious to hear about what others think and whether they believe this example of activism works in certain contexts. My question is, did this campaign work in Denmark? Was it effective???

This might seem an odd choice but I decided to post this because I found it to be incredibly moving and emotional. Although it does not explicitly deal with violence against women, it is about war in the Ukraine and violence against all people (men, women, and children). Women do play a key role in the sand art though: mothers being abandoned by their soldier husbands, left to fend for themselves and their children, women growing old without knowledge of family and lovers who died, etc. This violence towards women seems to be more symbolic and emotional, rather than strictly physical. Relates to past readings like Bourdieu, Das, and perhaps Enloe.

I am really glad that you chose to bookmark this video. I remembered you showing it to me a while ago and liking it, but watching again just now from a different angle, I feel as though I can see much more. This woman is obviously harboring some intense grief, whether it be just hers or that of her country as well. I love the way she used this form of artistic expression, coupled with emotion provoking music, because it told her history from a couple sitting comfortably on a street bench to a mother and child alienated from perhaps the same male figure on the other side of a window. This production obviously made a impact on the audience who most likely share her history of war, destruction, tears, violence, alienation, hopelessness, etc. Thank you for finding this.

The Global fund for women is part of a global women's movement that is rooted in a commitment to justice and an appreciation of the value of women's experience. As well as, the challenges women face vary widely across communities, cultures, religions, traditions and countries. They believe that women should have a full range of choices, and that women themselves know best how to determine their needs and propose solutions for lasting change. This organization is involved in grant making so that it can seed, strengthen and link women's rights groups based outside the United States working to address human rights issues, which focus on issues such as girls\education, violence against women and economic independence.

This organization is very important because they recognize the many forms of violence against women, not only personal but also social. They are working toward creating peaceful communities while raising awareness to violence persisted against women. I like how they reach out to women around the world because I feel this strengthens the ties between women on a global sense. What women need to create change is money and the Global Fund is doing exactly this.

Knowing how to respond to violence is as important as preventing it. This is webpage is an important resource to respond to violence against women by empowering individuals through education and training. RAINN ( Rape Abuse and Incest National Network) has an option on its website where trainings online for individuals are offered on a broad range of topics. For instance education on how to respond to cases of rape, date rape and drug-facilitated sexual assault is available. I believe that this is an outstanding source because as it is important to know about statistics and facts, it is also equally important to know how to respond to cases of violence against women or men.

Although this is not an "official" site per se, it still offers an interesting take on Art Therapy for Sexually abused adults. This is a program offered at a California YWCA for adults who have been sexually abused to express their experiences and trauma through the medium of art. In this particular piece the various pro's regarding art therapy are listed. The page also includes a list of references for those interested.

I think that this is a really great idea. I remember reading (maybe I misunderstood) in the Myer reading that catharsis does not actually help many, or have the effect many believe it to have. I find this to be completely false and somehow offending. Personally, a way I deal with the difficult topics that come up in our class is through making a connection between this class and my 3D Design course. I found/find it to be very cathartic in dealing with issues that arise in this course, as it seems many survivors do in creating their own art. I find it especially valuable in that it often seems to allow others to relate and connect their own emotions with their fellow survivor peers. Hopefully more shelters, etc. begin to institute this idea.

I love this idea and think that people need to engage in creative activities more frequently not just as a way to heal, but as a way to stay happy, which in turn makes one healthy as well. Emilie- I think that Myer focused on catharsis in a different way. He made the case that watching/reading/looking/playing instead of doing cannot satisfy one's desire for violence among sexual activities. But I could be wrong; I do not know what he would say in response to art therapy. I feel that all art production is a catharsis of some kind and must be helpful for many otherwise the practice might not have perpetuated itself. I am also not an artist in the conventional sense of a person who produces pieces of art on a regular schedule, so my opinion might be far from reality.

This site does a great job at educating in hopes to eliminate the existence and growth of sex trafficking around the world but specifically in the United States. The short clip emphasizes that this is a growing problem and that if it doesn't stop expanding that it will eventually hit home.

Powerful clip, a sure slap of reality. This does an amazing job of eliciting the desire to change society, in particular human trafficking but on a broader scale violence against women. I wish this clip could be more broad casted in every day life as it hits all the "high points" of the issue in a very effective way.

Sex trafficking is one of the other issues that should be spoken about more often, like the website informs "if it is not stopped you will be effected". I feel like this is effective because of the films that this organization has created. They have documented these stories so that people can get upset and do something about it. I agree with them because we don't get uncomfortable enough which leads us to look the other way and pay little attention to problems like sex trafficking.

I have bookmarked a specific event that takes place every year under The United Nations Population Fund. As an international development agency, UNFPA works across countries to spread awareness and to work towards equal rights and opportunities for all people. Working with the government of a specific country, the agency works on sustainable development taking into account the needs of the population now and for the future. This event specifically, the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women is done every year and speaks out across the world on issues of gender violence. Apart from the set aside 16 days, this page lays out 16 ways the UNFPA is working to end this violence. As well, the website lists various other events they are hosting as well as sites to visit that show social and multi-media space on a variety of issues that one can use to network and learn more on such issues.

This is a great website, and I love that it happens every year. By not only providing websites and other resources for people to look at, just their presentation, as a worldwide event, makes it very effective in getting the idea of how bad violence against women really is. One thing that I thought was most effective about it is that it is not just the US, and not just a country that we hear about often with regards to their violence against women, but global. This globalness is very important because if someone who knew little about violence against women were to see this, then they could possibly become aware that violence against women is not just in the US, and not just in the rest of the world, something that is very important to ending violence against women.

I'm glad that you came across this website because people want to get involved and sometimes do not k now were to start. I feel like I can send some of my friends to this website to get started. I like that the ideas also involve men; it's something that everyone can do and feel good about. One of the 16 ways that jumped out at me was "Publicizing the issue of acid burning and other unusual forms of gender violence" because it is something that it is not spoken about and given a lot of attention to.

This journal highlights colleges and universities roles in sexual assault cases on campus--it illustrates what they are doing to stay active and reduce sexual assault, but more importantly it tells us what they're not doing and why things haven't changed as much as they should have by now. As college students, I think it is important to be educated about the laws and policies of sexual assault on campus and why things happen the way they do.

I think sexual violence on college campuses is import for everyone to be aware and knowledgeable about. No matter if you go to a huge state university or a small liberal arts college like Wheaton, these acts of sexual assault do and can happen anywhere. One of the most important parts of this article is when it talks about what is not being done and what has not changed. Sometimes this is a good starting off point for people to see the reality of the situation and what is not being done in order to do something.

The page preceding this states that one in three women in the military will be sexually assaulted during their tour of duty. This number is amazing to me and it makes me wonder what life is really like for women in the military. In such a male dominated institution, the women of the military have been silenced. NOW president Kim Gandy is calling for president Barack Obama to address this issue and see that it stops.

This is a great example of our society being male dominated. How are we supposed to make change when the majority of government, law, and policy makers are men? Those involved with public service are typically those in control of delegating positions and reforming laws. It is important for the few women who are involved to raise their voices and for us, the citizens, to elect more women into office.

Before joining this class, I had knowledge of such happenings within our military, but I never had any idea the numbers were so high. I am able to acknowledge that yes these things happen, but it is hard to accept how often they occur. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an issue that is raised all the time, of men coming back from war and being so traumatized that they cannot continue on with their daily lives. In a number of movies and TV shows I have watched, soldiers coming back from war have been depicted as abusing their wives, but what about their fellow female soldiers? This is an issue that surely needs to be address now not only by the media to the public but within the government. Morgan brings up a good, but scary point of how are we suppose to change anything when those in power are men and men supporting the actions in the military by not speaking out. I do not know what the answer to this problem is, but I know that acknowledging and addressing the issue is the first step.

This article informs us on the level of involvement that women are taking part in the demonstrations and activism in Honduras. The biggest issue that is spoken about in this article is the militarization of the National Institute of Women (INAM). This is a threat to all women in Honduras because their resources are being blocked and controlled by the government. Another issue that is discussed is the sexualized aggression against women when they are protesting for their rights.

This is an analysis of the issue of Femicide from the point of view of three Central American activists who are from Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. These three activists analyze Femicide and the impact that it has had on women from a political, economic and social. It is interesting to see the similarities that the three countries have and how clear we can see the patterns within three different viewpoints.

This article/campaign is really interesting and actually quite funny. I have mixed perspectives on the effectiveness of having a man walk a mile in women's high heels. The point of the campaign is to end domestic violence and raise awareness of the issue. It accurately demonstrates how ridiculous it is that women are expected to wear heals but at the same time, I don't know how much it can rally change a man's behavior. I think this campaign is more effective in the gender roles women and men face and in addressing verbal/social abuse, but not so much in physical abuse.

I found this campaign to be hilarious! What a great fun way for men to get involved. We've talked so much about how crucial it is for men to recognize violence against women as an issue for it to ever cease and here is an opportunity. The pictures were of firemen and business men who seemed to be having fun with the event which would most likely encourage other men to get involved. The pain of wearing high heels is only a fraction of the pain that women face as a result of domestic violence, but maybe it starts to get the point across to men!

I thought this was a really great idea. It is definitely important to get men involved, and this offers a fun and creative way to do it. I wasn't quite sure that wearing heels will offer that much awareness to violence, but more towards the oppression that women face, which can lead to domestic violence. It definitely demonstrates gender roles, ideals, and possibly will help men to realize the pain that it takes to be the 'ideal woman'. But I don't know how effective it would be in actually making men take action outside of the walk.

This article is a great example of the articles we read in Transforming a Rape Culture. It evidences author Nan Stein's argument that "schools may in fact be the training grounds for domestic violence: Girls learn that they are on their own, that the adults and others around them will not believe or help them when they report sexual harassment or assault. The harassers find that their conduct is treated with impunity, sometimes even glorified." (Transforming a Rape Culture) I think this article is important because it shows a real life example that can not be swept under the rug. Because bullying and sexual harassment were taken to such an extreme level and resulted in suicide, the issue has to be dealt with outside of the school's gates. In fact, this may act as a jump start for reform in Massachusetts school systems.

This story is terribly sickening. I remember the first time I heard it on the news, I was appalled. While I am sad to say I wasn't completely shocked that kids can be so mean, I am surprised that no one intervened before it got so out of control. Also, it is interesting that the incident of statutory rape is just briefly mentioned. To agree with Morgan, this goes to show how their conduct was indeed treated with impunity, while her death has been overly sensationalized.

I chose to bookmark this page to supplement my other bookmarked page from deviantART. It is my understanding that the anti-violence against women poster was created in support of this new law. I found it interesting and important to note because of the date in which this law was had passed and is hopefully now being implemented. This law establishes that women and children are to be given the same human rights as men. It also claims to ensure that women and children receive appropriate aid from the state when necessary. I do not know if this new law, which should have been created many more years ago, is currently being upheld to its fullest description.