As I was looking through websites to find something to write on, I came across a post about Domestic Violence in Tokyo on Feminisiting.com.
"Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. Violence can be criminal and includes physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activity), and stalking. Although emotional, psychological and financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence." This is a definition of Domestic Violence that i found on www.domesticviolence.org.
I'm very glad that reporter Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley did a video on the domestic violence issue in Japan. I had no idea that domestic violence was a issue in japan and has never heard about it in the news or articles except for this one. According to the post from the feminisiting website from a study last year, 25,000 women were violently beaten by their partners, an increase of 20 percent. 1 in 3 Japanese women have been physically assaulted in their relationships and 1 in 20 feared for their lives. According to the video it says that even if women come up with the courage to go to authority the police rarely take it seriously. I don't understand how that could be pushed to the side. As it also says in the video "Men think that as long as their is love, violence is permissive, just as a parent can slap its child to teach them how to behave." This IS a problem. Almost 100 percent of the time domestic violence by partners is caused by the need of power and control. There are some commericals and articles on the fight of domestic violence, but not enough. Like I said before I've never heard about the domestic violence issue in Japan and i think it should be addressed. The video also states that women's orgs believe that in this first world country many women will remain second class citizens. If women haven't become equal yet, when will they? And will they ever? I think Japan and many other countries that we don't hear about need to have more light put on the situation. I think these countries need the U.S. to help where women are considered first class citizens.
If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, or call 911, your local hotline, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.
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This blog sadly did not surprise me. I did not know the numbers but that the Japanese culture suppresses women was something I was aware of. Your idea of someone like the US stepping in and helping these women probably would not work. My opinion is that the reason they have such a problem with violence and abuse is because of the westernization. Men are mirroring our behavior and so are some women and that causes problems in a culture like Japans. The men had the power outside of the house and the women had it inside of the house in western views that sucks because western women want power on every level that a man is allowed to have power which in our society is a good thing. However in the Japanese society it is causing confusion, men are wondering why a woman wants to be in the work force and how to run a household therefore they are frustrated. I am not trying to give an excuse for these actions I am just trying explain possibly why this is happening. Maybe the next person who reads this can come up with a solution.
ReplyDeleteI think that women are equal to certain aspects but not for everything. The statistics on this topic really did surprise me. You would also think that some type of authority figure would come to your defense about the problem if you addressed the problem to them. I feel as if people should always know that there are people out there to talk to and that you shouldn't hide physical abuse, even if people rarely take it seriously.
ReplyDeleteThe statistic of abused and beaten women suprised me greatly. I would assume that there would be some kind of justice for the women over there, although I think that because it is a different society than here in America, perhaps the women are afraid to come forward about their husbands abusive behavior. No one, woman or man, should have to suffer from someone elses physical abuse upon them.
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