“So let us honor their courage to fight for the equality that we deserve and by doing so our children’s future will become better and different from ours.” Jacqui Joseph
Did You Know??
The WHO classified intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women as a public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights.1 It is estimated that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lives.1 Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner. At times, governments fail to protect their vulnerable populations.1 On February, 2017, President Putin along with the overwhelming support of the Russian parliament voted to partially de-criminalize domestic violence in order to promote conservative social values.2 The motive was to prevent the state from interfering with family matters to enable the formation of strong families. However, this law has now made it even harder for victims of domestic violence to seek legal recourse. It also validates men who violate the basic human rights of a woman.
In May 2017, Romania was criticized and fined by the European Court of Human Rights over its lack of commitment in tackling domestic violence. Romanian officials failed to protect the rights of the victim, Angelica Balsan but rather accused her of provoking the assault.3 It is surprising to see such attitudes where women still have to fear for their lives because of the persistent laws that favour patriarchy and male dominance. It is estimated that two-thirds of women in PNG have experience domestic violence. Human Rights Watch says PNG “is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman.”4 I had the privilege of discussing about this pertinent issue, on eradicating domestic violence with Jacqui Joseph.
A conversation with Jacqui on how to combat gender based violence and the root causes of this problem.
