Violence against women is one of the most important issues taken into consideration by international organizations like the United Nations. Women are usually victims of physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, regardless of age, race, culture, wealth and geography.
Campaigns like “Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women,” presented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, highlight actions by individuals, governments and civil society partners to end violence against women and girls. This particular campaign has acquired great popularity because its spokesperson is Nicole Kidman, who is also a UN WOMEN Goodwill Ambassador.
This is just one of the many international campaigns that seek to reduce the alarming figures that demonstrate how violence against women is deeply rooted in society. The UN has classified this social issue as a “global pandemic,” which demonstrates the deep-rooted dimension of it.
The UN reports that, “based on country data available, up to 70 per cent of women experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime.” Physical or sexual violence is not only experienced at home, but it’s also likely to happen at work.
Campaigns, however, do not stand alone in the crusade to end violence against women. Blogs like “End Violence Against Women,”are empowering tools that allow many individuals to express personal experiences, and opinions about the issue. This particular blog is a fruitful source of information that compiles anecdotes, articles related to issue of violence against women, statistical reports, lists of organizations that provide asylum to victims, and even highlights the work of some activists.
The United State Department of Justice has a special blogthat announces events, and reports the actions taken by committees across the nation. This blog seeks to attract the attention of advocates, educators, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, the judiciary, medical and mental health professionals and community leaders to create collaborative partnerships that could mitigate the violence against women. People can find important information regarding laws, organizations, and even contact information like the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at: 1-866-331-9474
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Isis-Women’s International Cross-Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE) is an international organization that “exists to promote justice and empowerment of women globally through documenting violations of women’s rights and facilitating the exchange of information and skills to strengthen women’s capacities, potential and visibility.” Isis-WICCE has a blog that touches on crimes against women in situations of armed conflict.
Isis-WICCE’s blog is particularly important because, according to the UN, Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Peru, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Chechnya/Russian Federation, Darfur, Sudan, northern Uganda and the former Yugoslavia are countries were crimes against women in situations of armed conflict have been extensively reported. The blog describes different campaigns carried out in Uganda, and also cites specific cases of impunity. This is a great place for people who would like to take part on international activism. The blog also offers one interesting feature, a cyber-dialogue that allows people to discuss certain themes such as Structures of Violence: Defining the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women.
The power of blogs is not only extensive, but also very effective in communicating local, and national issues on a global scale. The production of blogs worldwide seems to increase every day, which demonstrates that online tools are becoming the main source of activism in the world.
Citations:
No to violence (photo): UN European Advertising Competition, http://www.create4theun.eu/
Isis-WICCE (photo): Isis-WICCE, http://isiswicce.wordpress.com/about/