Our Voice
Our Voice this week is about domestic violence, tying in with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is going on throughout April.
And just so we’re clear, a male member of The Colonnade staff is writing this.
Yeah, that seems a little strange to us as well. After all, most cases of domestic violence are against women, inflicted by men. According to statistics on the American Bar Association Web site, domestic violence occurs three times as often against females as it does against males.
So why is a male writing this? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and be in better taste, for a female to write this?
It might, if this was going to a letter of warning for female students. It would if it were a lecture on how to protect yourself from domestic violence. It would if this were an account of abuse or rape.
That isn’t this column. This installment of Our Voice is to talk to the male students, who are statistically more likely to commit such a crime.
So guys, let’s have a little chat about what you can do to help prevent this from happening to the ladies everywhere.
Let me start by saying I’m not accusing you of being an abuser. Statistics show that more than 90 percent of men will never be involved in a domestic abuse case. Most of you will never be a cause for the reason this column is being written. But keep reading, I’m going to tell you what you can do to stop the men that would commit such a crime.
First, if you know of anyone who has committed such a crime, or been a victim of such a crime, make sure it is reported. Many cases of domestic abuse go unreported, because the victim doesn’t want to get their aggressor into trouble with the law, or because they feel some sort of responsibility for what has happened. Don’t let this happen. Convince the individual to report it, or if the aggressor has told you himself/herself what they have done, report it immediately.
Next, if you are in the presence of a domestic abuse and see it occurring, do whatever is possible to stop the incident. Don’t do anything that will put you at risk, but do whatever you can to stop the incident. If there is no way to safely diffuse the situation yourself, call the police and let them handle it. Whatever you do, don’t just stand idly by.
Finally, don’t do anything yourself that might constitute domestic abuse. There are ALWAYS safe avenues to express emotions, even anger, without resorting to violence. If you feel that you might resort to violence, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. This hotline is open to both victims and aggressors. If you feel that you may resort to violence, leave the area until you have cooled off. Don’t let your emotions lead you into making the worst mistake of all: hurting someone you care about.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 18 2008. Filed under Opinion, Our Voice.
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