This is a slightly modified version of an article I posted yesterday. I’m sharing it because I’m sick of hearing in the news about another woman who has been abused or killed.
While we worry about strangers, it seems that the biggest risk to the safety of women are those who are closest to them – particularly those who profess to love them.
This is not the world I want for my daughters or yours, for our wives, sisters, mothers and friends.
The situation doesn’t appear to be improving on it’s own, so I’m speaking up and asking others to do the same.
Bad things happen when good people look the other way and do nothing.
.
Yesterday was International Women’s Day….and I’m angry.
Why?
On Sunday a young lady was reported missing by her family after failing to return home.
Her body was found on Tuesday.
She’d been murdered.
Her former boyfriend (and the prime suspect) appears to have deliberately crashed his car into an oncoming truck (and created another victim in the process).
The White Ribbon Foundation reports that on average 1 woman per week is murdered by a current or former partner in Australia.
10 women have died as a result of violence in 2019.
This needs to stop. No-one deserves this.
I don’t know where the attitude of entitlement has come from that has made this so common (let alone all of the other acts of violence), but it needs to change.
A lady saying no means just that.
It doesn’t matter whether that’s the first time you’ve met her, whether you’ve been together for a week, or if you’ve been together for 50 years.
It doesn’t matter either if she is your elderly mother (or another relative or friend) and you are caring for her.
As much as it might hurt, she is perfectly within her rights to say no to whatever you are requesting.
YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO USE VIOLENCE OR THREATS OF VIOLENCE TO FORCE HER TO CHANGE HER MIND.
THIS INCLUDES THREATS TO DENY HER SECURITY THROUGH LIMITING HER ACCESS TO MONEY, OR SUPPORT OR CARE.
Grow up.
Look at yourself in the mirror.
YOU ARE THE PROBLEM, NOT WOMEN.
FIX YOURSELF.
#standupspeakout
