"How can we stop assaults from being committed against women?"
Ways that I believe we can help stop assaults from being committed on women is by teaching our daughters at a young age to recognize when abuse is happening and to not be afraid to speak up. Also, I believe we must teach our daughters how to protect themselves as well as encourage them to not rush into a relationship at a young age and to focus on being independent first and the importance of education.
I have a 9-year-old daughter and every chance I get; I will have a heart to heart talk with her about how she feels, her grades, and her behavior at school. I’ll stress to her the importance of speaking up if someone is doing something to hurt her and that she is to let a teacher know as soon as possible. She is also to inform me when she gets home so that I can make sure everything gets resolved. I also stress to her how important it is to focus on school in order to do bigger and better things in life. My daughter is the only girl out of five kids, so she tends to act like an entitled brat sometimes. Which gives me the opportunity to remind her every time that she acts up that if she wants nice things that she has to earn them, especially when she is older. By working hard and making sure she gets as much education as she possibly can.
Another way I believe we can stop assaults from being committed on women is by encouraging each other to speak up and stand up for ourselves. Giving each other information on how to report abuse and letting each other know that there are programs out there that will help people get back on their feet will help put most of their worries at ease. Though, if hesitation/ fear is clearly visible, I believe you should take matters into your own hands even if your friendship gets put at risk. The way I see it is, I would rather lose a friendship then see them in a grave.
Retrieved Photo of Stop Violence Against Women from
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=SYQWhDr+&id=55CE614F0480C06FDA68A1FC84EF7FECC4082BD7&thid=OIP.SYQWhDr-Mmlr32TPgp1r2QHaEK&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDblqyc6e6yg%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&exph=720&expw=1280&q=assault+on+women&simid=607994217092284749&selectedindex=0&adlt=demote&shtp=GetUrl&shid=44342dc4-324e-4b2b-be5c-bd188e890e28&shtk=U3RvcCBWaW9sZW5jZSBBZ2FpbnN0IFdvbWVuIC0gWW91VHViZQ%3D%3D&shdk=Rm91bmQgb24gQmluZyBmcm9tIHd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbQ%3D%3D&shhk=fjeM9Dvt5OvkNZ9nG8RjgnFo%2FJLnW2tbp6SAXCMTgLg%3D&form=EX0023&shth=OSH.2%252FLVgynnJCAC7a0pgz5vmA
Mary, I enjoyed reading your blog and absolutely agree that we need to be teaching our daughters about abuse and to recognize the signs of abuse as well as how to defend themselves. Most importantly is saying STOP and speaking up if some one is abusing or being violent towards you or someone you love. I also mention in my blog the importance of being an example to our children, just as you mentioned the importance of getting an education and stressing to that it is not ok or it is not LOVE, when someone is physically and/or mentally hurting you. I believe as women, it is our duty to stick together and support each other at all times, so when one of us may happen to encounter abuse, we can get them out of it with each other’s love and support.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI am also the mother of a daughter.She has an older brother and sometimes feels like the misunderstood younger sibling. My family has also made a point to make her feel validated and important ( Sometimes too important). I'm very aware of the pitfalls young women experience when they leave their protective home enviornment. My goal, as a mother, is to make sure they see a healthy relationship modeled between myself and my husband. I also decided to be frank about the sometimes stark realities of relationships. Hopefully, my husband and i will give both of our children the tools they need to have healthy relationships when they grow up.
Hi Mary! I too have a young daughter! We are both involved in the MMA world and my hopes is to show her that defense is extremely crucial. One thing martial arts has shown us is not only is self defense and speaking up for ourselves important its about looking out for each other. Men and boys have just as much responsibility in understanding what is acceptable behavior to treating the opposite gender with respect. There is a balance. We teach our daughters to know what is okay and what is not okay but I feel as though the same energy needs to be educated to boys to create a balance for both genders. Ending violence against women is showing the world what is acceptable behavior and looking out for one another. This is what is taught as a foundation in martial arts how to respect each other and ourselves.
ReplyDelete