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Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!
It's beginning of a new month, a very busy and festive one. A dangerous one too, as many people consume more alcoholic beverages and become more reckless.
On the 27th of November, it was International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A day created to highlight and bring awareness and change against violence towards women.
Violence is when physical force is used, it can end in trauma, injury and death. Violence is something typically used against women, it's been that way for centuries and it's about time that we do something, as individuals and as a global community.
As citizens, people who have sisters, daughters, mothers and as females, we should empower each other, in whatever we can.
Whether that is, be it donating to women and children's shelter or not turning a blind eye when you know someone who is being abused. I feel that's the basis of it, not acting like it does not exist. Public rallies are amazing but the real work happens in homes and in communities. When you hear a woman screaming or running naked in the street.
Stepping in when a violent act is about to take place or is in action or already has happened, does not always mean that you have to get yourself caught in the crossfire. Sometimes all it means is calling the police, serving as a truthful witness and helping to make sure that the charges laid are not dropped. Sometimes, it means checking up on her after the incident, being a shoulder to cry on, trying to help her see the light and know that leaving is an option, not an easy one but a way out of her hell hole. It can be leaving food, if you know that they are being starved. It can be not telling anyone any T.M.I. information that you have being told a.k.a not gossiping.
I believe that women should know that someone else has their back, for real. This is why so many women go back, back to their to graves usually. They need something from the abuser, be it money or some other resource that no one wants to replace. Let's face it everybody has needs. I feel like this is the biggest stigma, when it comes to abuse. If the woman goes back. she is ridiculed and not taken seriously but where else must she gets she needs, if she is not independent?! Many people act like needing money or resources is selfish and worldly but in all honesty it is how most women survive. Which is why independence and knowledge is so important. Knowing your rights is crucial because you will know when you are being taken advantage of, being it by a lover or police officer.
I believe it's the little things because abuse is such a complex issue especially when there are many people involved in the ripple effect. I honestly don't think that it's something we can conquer overnight because it's a choice that abusers make, choosing to not get help and to inflict pain onto others. Today you can make a choice to help combat that, little by little we can join hands and make abuse's dark power diminish.
I hope that if you are being abused or know someone, especially in light of the 16 days of activism, don't sit still. Go check on that neighbour, invite her over for tea. If you are a victim of violence, know that staying will only cause you more pain and grieve in the long run. Leaving is daunting, I'm not going to lie, chances are your abuser is someone you know and possibly love. It's in your best interest to find ways to be independent. Most abusers are narcissistic, meaning that having compassion for them, is detrimental for you.
I think that gender-based violence is an important topic to have in this day and age as it is a huge problem in our society. Please going forward into the last month of 2020 and rest of the decade as a whole, let's make this a more important conversation to have.
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