Shocking Tourist Assault in Vancouver Sparks Urgent Debate on Hidden Epidemic of Gender-Based Violence
“I feel rage at the incident and sadness both for the victim and the perpetrator,” she shared, before sadly adding that it wasn’t a surprising attack as the public has become “numb” to these “tragic” stories.
Image credits: Ashley Judd
This week I spoke on gender-based violence and how it impacts women and girls around the world. The rise of gender-based violence from the covert, small humiliations to grave bodily damage impacts not just the individual but an entire family, a community, a country, our world — it impacts all of us. Sexual violence pervasiveness constrains human development, and economic and geopolitical progress. We must end male entitlement to female bodies, it is that simple and it is that complex.
Posted by Ashley Judd on Wednesday, September 20, 2023
While we currently lack the reliable comparable historical and cross-cultural data needed to define and identify gender-based attacks happening worldwide, Leonora mentioned that many countries are starting to get better at documenting these incidents.
And when it comes to these attacks on women, misogyny is a huge part of a suspect’s motivation.
“Misogyny operates in a spectrum, from seemingly innocent racialized gender stereotypes to blatant forms of men’s hatred of women, as well as women’s complicity and alliance with patriarchal norms and practices,” Leonara shared.
While this specific attack with Stephanie occurred between her and a stranger, research has continuously shown that gender-based violence happens more frequently between intimates or people who know one another.
Post Comment