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Given
these facts, it is not surprising
that the Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action calls violence against women
a violation of the human rights of
a majority of the world's population.
Women are statistically safer out
on the street than they are in their
homes.7
Violence against women is woven into
the fabric of society to such an extent
that many of us who are victimized
feel that we are at fault. Many of
those who perpetrate violence feel
justified by strong societal messages
that say that rape, battering, sexual
harassment, child abuse, and other
forms of violence are acceptable.
Every day we see images of male violence
against women in the news, on TV shows,
in the movies, in advertising, and
in our homes and workplaces. It is
a fact of life for women of all ages,
races, and classes.
I
have never been free of the fear of
rape. From a very early age I, like
most women, have thought of rape as
part of my natural environment--something
to be feared and prayed against like
fire or lightning. I never asked why
men raped; I simply thought it one
of the many mysteries of human nature.
In the broadest sense, violence against
women is any violation of a woman's
personhood, mental or physical integrity,
or freedom of movement through individual
acts and societal oppression. It includes
all the ways our society objectifies
and oppresses women. Violence against
women ranges from sterilization abuse
to prescription-drug abuse, pornography,
stalking, battering, and rape.* It
includes the sexual and physical abuse
of young girls and the abuse of elders.
Every
form of violence threatens all women
and limits our ability to make choices
about our lives. Sexual violence is
particularly insidious because sexual
acts are ordinarily and rightly a
source of pleasure and communication.
It is often unclear to a woman who
has been victimized and to society
as a whole whether a sexual violation
was done out of sexual desire or violent
intent or whether these motivations
are even distinguishable, because
violence itself has come to be seen
as sexual or erotic.
Thirty
years ago, most forms of violence
against women were hidden under a
cloak of silence or acceptance. As
more and more women talked with each
other in the recent wave of the women's
movement, it became apparent that
violence against us occurs on a massive
scale; that no woman is immune; and
that family, friends, and public institutions
have been cruelly insensitive about
it.
Over
the past thirty years, women have
mobilized to offer direct services
to those who have encountered violence,
to educate people about the range
and nature of male violence against
women, and to develop strategies for
change. This chapter reflects the
important work of some of these women.
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