Violence against women is a systemic crisis affecting 1 in 3 women globally, this means the reality of us knowing someone who has been violated, being a survivor ourselves, witnessing violence is highly likely.
I know it is hard to speak up, the fear of abuse you may face, being ostracised from colleagues, family, your community.
It may bring back your own experiences of violence and trauma.
Knowing where to raise it, how to say it.
Understanding whether what you saw, what you might be taught, how you may practise, was in fact wrong, illegal or harmful.
But the thing is when we stay silent, we can become complicit, we become part of the problem over the solution.
The more we sit on it, waiting to see if someone else will report it, the greater the abuse can occur, the greater the collusion becomes.
The longer we wait the clearer the message to perpetrators that their behaviour is OK, they can harm, abuse, and kill women with impunity.
In fact we will honour them with promotions, raises, public and private support and accolades.
The louder the silence, the louder the message to women who have been violated, abused, killed is that they were not believed, it didn't happen and you don't matter.
There are many reasons why we should try to intervene and speak up.
When we have a voice, we can use it safely ourselves and for those who are abused.
When we have power we can reframe how we channel this, to help others, can we utilise our power to challenge those who abuse theirs.
Speaking up can help prevent victims or survivors from being further harmed – whether that’s physically, mentally or emotionally.
We show solidarity to survivors and let them know they are not alone and that we care.
It sends a clear message to perpetrators that we see them and their actions will not be accepted.
Using our voices and taking action can help end a culture where violence against women is normalised.
However, your safety must be your priority, you should never put yourself at risk. Before taking any action, take a moment to pause, take deep breaths, assess the situation and consider the following;
Is it safe for me to act now?
Are there other people nearby who could help?
What actions can I take that are unlikely to cause harm to myself and others.
It is important to remember if you have seen violence against a woman happen and either felt like you couldn’t or didn’t speak up or take action, please know you are NOT to blame. The responsibility for all forms of violence against women lies with the perpetrator(s).
For more information on actions you can take, take a look at the work of Right to Be who have done some great work on bystander support with their Bystanders Intervention Guide; '5D's'.
Comments