Violence against women exists and afflicts women from all social backgrounds in a society as modern as ours. Violence is the crudest way to solve conflicts and has detrimental repercussions not just for the victim, but the perpetrator as well. Jackson Katz, a speaker at TED talks, believes that violence against women is not just a women’s issue, but a man’s as well. He postulates that violent behavior is essentially a man’s incompetence to deal with his personal conflicts which he displaces out on weaker targets and is also triggered by issues arising from his own manhood. Women often feel ashamed to speak up against their spouse’s violent behavior; this could be either for the sake of privacy or because the victim does not want to go through the pain of separation.
The perpetrator may offer gifts and promise to change, but in the end they end up doing the same thing and often blame the woman for it. Abuse just takes the victim through a downward spiral of physical and emotional turmoil. Counselors and relationship advisors believe that it up to women to take a stand and break this painful cycle. Women are encouraged to speak up against it or seek out professional intervention. The best way is to not make excuses for the perpetrator. Violence is never justified and as Jackson Katz points out, it is up to both men and women to speak up and bring out the change.
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