Violence problems transcend gender
Posted on April 29, 2012 in Child & Family Debates
Source: Victoria Times Colonist — Authors: Doreen Stobbe
TimesColonist.com – opinion
April 29, 2012. By Doreen Stobbe
Transition houses are full of women whose health and well-being are threatened due to violence, addictions, poverty, compromised life skills and a host of other issues. The focus, though, of them and us, men vs. women, is a disturbing trend.
Can we not agree that “hurt people hurt people”? The ones who do damage are the ones who are damaged themselves. If energies and money focused on this, rather on alienating and criminalizing an entire gender, we may come closer to dealing with the real issue – hurt people hurt people.
I work in the field and have learned that the men who have offended have their horrific stories to tell, too. We either explode with our mismanaged feelings or we implode. All of society suffers, regardless of gender.
I want B.C. to be a safe place, not just for women, but for men, too. When a man is abusive to a woman, he is also harming himself because he carries what he has done within him. I want schools to teach ethical behaviour and the value of humanity in kindergarten. I want parents to teach the innate value and worth of human life in their homes. I want men to stop being violent toward women and I want women to find their power to live their lives without it, but I believe that will only happen when men and women alike feel safe and valued.
Doreen Stobbe, Campbell River
< http://www.timescolonist.com/Violence+problems+transcend+gender/6537423/story.html#ixzz1tRjad2ub >
Tags: disabilities, featured, Health, mental Health, poverty, women
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2012 at 12:16 pm and is filed under Child & Family Debates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Recent Comments