Violence Against Women

Last Wednesday, September 22, 2010 marks the 16th year in existence of the United States 1994 Violence Against Women Act drafted by then-Senator Joseph Biden (Delaware). In celebration, Vice President Biden along with his wife Dr. Jill Biden hosted a reception at their official residence in Washington, DC.

In the same week, the United Nations (UN) held a press conference to announce the formation of UN Women. UN Women will be headed by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet who now holds the office of Under-Secretary-General of Gender Equity and Empowerment of Women. UN Women will function as the UN's arm in protecting female rights all over the world especially where women and girls are put through physical harm that are camouflaging as tradition.

Girls and women have always had been traditionally viewed as being mothers and homemakers. Boys are given more priority when it comes to health and education because males are typically the breadwinners of the family. But as we progress into the 21st Century, we are seeing that giving girls and women the same opportunity as their male counterparts is good for the economy and the general betterment of the world as a whole.

From common crimes as rape to the strangest procedure (to most people of the world) of female genital mutilation, a lot of girls and women are physically harmed and psychologically wounded. Something about the masochism of the global male population that makes them vulnerable to violent behavior especially toward females.

If it cannot be totally stopped, we as citizens of the world must do all we can to reduce the incidents that occur everyday. Education is key. Both men and women need to know the dark secret of domestic violence, rape and even honor killings. It has big societal impacts because the impaired psychological state of these women prevent them from positively contributing. Hospital and clinics are over-capacity from the injuries and complications of what has been done to their bodies.