Violence against women:

Time to put a fullstop

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

Minister Sumedha Jayasena

They say the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Each and every earth-dweller still believes in this age old saying as the female gender of the human race has proven it beyond any doubt over generations.

It is the woman who transmits the knowledge and experiences of the present generation to the future, bridging the generation gap moulding youngsters, thus leading the way to the future. That’s how they ruled the world with their soft touch, and will continue to do so in a broader perspective and under different situations and conditions the future woman may have to face.

Unfortunately, woman and her contribution to society never received due acknowledgement throughout history unless where highlighted by great philosophers such as the Buddha.

This condition has worsened in the face of unpredictable changes occurring in the global community, which has created a rat race among the people, in their desperate attempt to grab the best out of the lot. This desperation has made people forget the true values of life, culture and their upbringing. All values and social norms have been discarded, making the woman and the girl child unprotected.

Deputy Director Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau, Kanthi Dissanayake

Director of the Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau, Pradeepa Serasinghe

The time has come for all of us, irrespective of gender, to delicately reconsider this valuable component of our cultures, where negligence that is currently taking place causes inestimable damage to the entire future. Protecting the woman and the girl child.... It is time to initiate actions from all walks of life and engage people to come together and end violence against women.

Killing ‘Butterflies’

In December 1999, at the 54th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the world accepted November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The day was declared in the Resolution 54/134 adopted at this Assembly.

November 25 was chosen as it was the day ‘the Butterflies’ (‘Las Mariposas’) - the Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic - were savagely killed by henchmen following the orders of the dictator, the then ruler of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo. The Mirabal Sisters, namely Patricia Mercedes, Bolgica, Minerva Argentina and Maria Theresa from Salcedo of the Dominican Republic braved their way fighting the ruthless dictatorship of Trujillo and his fascist government. On November 25 in 1960, Patricia, Minerva and Maria Theresa were abducted and brutally killed while returning from their visit to their husbands who were incarcerated by Trujillo to silence these women.

The story, as reported, says that the car these women were travelling in was stopped by these henchmen and the women led into a sugarcane field where they were mercilessly beaten and strangled to death. Their car was thrown off from a mountain cliff known as ‘La Cumbre’.

The murder never silenced the outrage against the dictatorship as Trujillo expected. Instead he was assassinated six months later.

49 years later

Where are we now? Are we better or worse? “Cases of violence against women are reported more than they used to be a few years ago,” said Kanthi Dissanayake, the Deputy Director of the Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau. As Dissanayake explained, though we cannot see a reduction in the number of cases, more are now being reported. “It may not be reported by the victim; even an outsider or neighbour would report either to us or to the Police,” she explained. The people, especially women, are more aware of the injustices taking place and are stronger due to today’s economic and social expansion.

The role of a woman in the society, at home and at work, has changed. The role has altered from the traditional conservative housewife and mother, to a more challenging career woman. Today’s world demands a versatile, skilful power woman and not just a housewife.

Yet, violence against women still occurs worldwide. “It is the most atrocious manifestation of the systemic discrimination and inequality women continue to face, in law and in their everyday lives, around the world. It occurs in every region, country, and culture, regardless of income, class, race or ethnicity,” the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in one of his messages issued on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

According to records at the Children and Women Division of the Sri Lanka Police, from January to September this year, a total of 1900 cases were reported as minor offences against women while another 573 cases were reported as major offences. Out of the minor offences, 1003 cases were of causing bodily injuries and 74 on domestic violence. There were 658 cases of sexual harassment. The reports were from all areas of the country. Under major offences, 200 rape cases were reported in 2009.

The number of minor offences were higher in 2008, a total of 2,299, with 874 major offences, of which 303 were rape cases.

Special attention to IDPs

Gender-based violence is damaging to the society as a whole. It can prevent women from engaging in productive employment, and girls from attending school. It makes women more vulnerable to forced and unprotected sex, which plays a key role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. It takes a deep and enduring toll on the entire family, including and especially on the next generation.

If society can treat the woman with equal dignity, respecting her as a human being, it would provide a solid answer to this problem. Yet, disrespecting humanity has become a plague infecting every nook and corner of the world.

“While considering the harassment and injustices women face islandwide, we are giving special attention to the vulnerable groups among the Internally Displaced Persons of the North,” said Director of the Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau Pradeepa Serasinghe.

“As soon as the welfare centres in Cheddikulam in Vavuniya were set up, we made arrangements to send our Women Development Officers working islandwide to start counselling and skills development programs to empower the women in these groups,” she said.

With mass resettlement taking place at the moment, some of these Women Resource Centres have closed down. They are functioning in IDP Welfare Centres where people are still sheltered.

Reaching the grass roots

Explaining the Government’s efforts in eliminating violence against women, Minister of Child Welfare and Women Empowerment Sumedha Jayasena said focus is given to ‘Priority to Mother’ (Mawata Mul Thena) under the Mahinda Chinthana. “To eliminate violence against women, it is important to empower them economically and socially,” the Minister added.

Accordingly, women’s societies function islandwide in a systematic structure where women can voice their grievances and injustices at the Divisional Secretariat level.

“This benefits most rural women. We have a pilot project in the Moneragala district where we assist the most needy women to uplift their lives, and we have a very relaxed approach,” she said, adding that they are hoping to spread this goodwill gesture to other parts of the country in the near future.

On assisting the needy women among the displaced families in the North, Minister Jayasena said with the finalisation of resettlements in the North by early next year, the Ministry will start its next phase in empowering these women.

“Due to LTTE terrorism, we could not have Women Development Officers in the North and East. But, with the present situation, we have the possibility of appointing such officers in these areas under resettlement and we can easily expand our work,” the Minister added.

Along with these national level projects taking place, a huge responsibility lies with individuals. Each responsible citizen should be well aware of the detrimental effects of violence against women on the well-being of the world as a whole.

It’s more an individual responsibility to redouble efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. This requires us to change the mind-set, still all too common and deep-seated, that violence against women is acceptable.