Feminism :: Violence
Women and children experience and cope with violence against them in different ways. The more informed and educated females and children are to the cruelty of the world, the more able they are able to protect themselves and get help. By speaking out against violence, by calling attention to the perpetrators and holding them accountable for their actions, survivors point to the dire need for intervention. Don't be afraid to break the silence surrounding abuse. There is help.
Gang Forces Pre-Teen To Have Sex With His Mom
Avian Lawson, a 14-year-old, confessed to gang raping a neighbor at gun point with 9 of other teenagers and forcing the woman's pre-teen son to have sex with her. They poured cleaning fluid into the child's eyes afterwards. People in the community are shocked but are afraid to talk, fearing retribution. When something this horrific happens, it reminds us that we are not safe, even in our own home.
Compassion for Sex Offenders
Convicted sex offenders have to live somewhere when they get out of prison, if they ever make it there. They are the predators next door. Often people just know but when they find out, life becomes difficult for sex offenders. One convicted sex offender who paid his due in prison for four years talks about the difficulty he faces in locating a job. One woman thinks that people should give sex offenders a second chance because if they are having trouble they are more likely to offend. Others think they shouldn't have committed their crime in the first place. Who wants to live with or next to a sex offender? Do you?
Dr. Alan Lipman: LaFave Female Teacher Sex Offending
Psychologist, Alan Lipman, talks about the possible causes of female sexual offenses. He specifies discusses Debra La Fave's sexual relationship with her 14-year-old student. La Fave shares her violent rape when she was a teenager. Lipman talks about how female sexual offenders usually have a history of rape. Lipman points out it's her bipolar disorder that contribute greatly to her wild, sexual behavior.
Domestic Violence 20/20 News
One woman's domestic violence - the rants, verbal abuse - was caught on tape. Then the verbal abuse turned physical. She talks about what she was thinking at the time. The more she tries to please him, to keep her family together, the worse it gets. Looking back, she reflects on why she didn't leave. She is not alone. It's an important documentary to watch.
Rape of Nanking
Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D., in this documentary, "Rape of Nanking (Nightmare of Nanking)" talks about this history of China, its philosophy, and political climate in the 20th Century. He portrays the beauty of Nanking with a population of 1.3 million. The Japanese bombing destroyed the peace and beauty of Nanking. The atrocities committed by the Japanese still haunt the Chinese today. The Japanese soldiers tortured and murdered 280,000 civilians. They raped, beheaded, and burnt people alive. Their crimes cannot be forgotten. This film is very educational.
On Being Black and a Woman (Part 1 of 2)
On being black and being a woman - whichever is worse. This is the issue that one black woman wants to explore, as she crafts her arguments intelligently. She criticizes hip-hop for its portrayal of a "bunch of hood-rats running around, no good for anything but booty-shaking." She wants people to stop accepting that depiction.
"Is it a black problem or woman problem," she wonders. She advocates getting to know the experience of females. She relates her personal experience of sexual abuse that shaped her life. She felt lost, sad, abandoned. Yet she is not alone. She knows she is not alone. Thanks for sharing. It was touching and moving.
To Every Man Who Never Called Himself a Feminist
Kendra Urdang, from New Jersey, talks about feminism as a male issue. She demystifies rape, who the rapist is, that rape is a female problem. Expresssing her anger, she blames men who hate, who don't speak up, who degrade and humiliate women. She reminds men that their body is a lethal weapon if used incorrectly. And that statistically, two females will be raped during the duration of her poem. Rape is both a male and female issue because rape happens because rape choose to commit violence.
"Because I don't wish rape on your loved ones through the final action that wakes you up and makes you man."
Two Girls Strong
Bitch's "Two Girls Strong" talks about female bonding on a trip out of Canada. Three hours from saying good-bye, one girl tells the other about her rape. The singer talks about the strength of the female bond and experience. This is a home-made video collaboration with Daniela Sea and Tom Gilbert.
Don't hate all asians because of Cho Seung Hui.
One white woman noticed a lot hate videos towards Asians on youtube after the recent Virginia Tech shootings by Cho Seung Hui. She urges us to stop blaming one race for one school shooting. She thinks that's why the minority groups lash out and commit violence. It's because society shows hate for them. We are all immigrants. She thinks we should not blame a whole race for one man's actions. It's wrong to be racist. We are all the same. She shares her perspective regarding the hate and blame for one race over one person's actions. She cites different incidents of shootings around the country, all by white males, yet we don't persecute all white people. She advocates love for all people, regardless of race.
Comfort Women - Reclaiming Their Dignity
Karen Yoo edited this video to commemorate and honor the comfort women in WWII. The black and white photographs with captions in both English and Korean, depict a tragic and moving story of their ordeal. In her dedication, "For Justice and Honor ... For our Sisters, Mothers, Grandmothers and our Friends."
We celebrate the heroism of the fallen soldiers in war, but often we neglect to acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of women who were forced into sexual slavery to serve the men at war. It hasn't been that long ago. Women who were stripped of their dignity and used as sex slaves are still alive and still suffer the pain of the atrocity. We need to fight for their honor and bring the parties involved to justice. We cannot forget.
Violence Against Women Is Against the Law
This video explores the violence against Indian women and the unique challenges they face because of Indian sovereignty with the United States. Statistics from the Department of Justice show that rape in Native American and Alaskan native communities is 3.5 times higher than among other racial groups. The female narrator talks about the history of tribal women as targets for physical annihilation and rape. They were seen as a threat based on their biological ability to bear children, assuring the survival of their people. Indian women were isolated, put into boarding schools and sterilized.
Today, the sexual violence continues. This video highlights the need for more intervention and help for survivors of violence. Rape and sexual assault could be mitigated through the implementation of a standardized emergency room sexual assault policy. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) need to be a requirement in order to offer the necessary support to survivors of rape. Indian women should have access to the same support and intervention of other women in the United States. Violence against women is violence against humanity. To raise awareness is to cause change. Let's strive for equality for all women.