Hitting women isn’t funny
This is a call to action to the people who follow my blog: either directly or via the livejournal syndication.
Nearly 1 in 3 UK women have experienced domestic violence (source). Domestic violence is defined as:
Violence against women is any violence that targets a woman because she is a woman. It is also violence that disproportionately affects women.
It includes physical, sexual or psychological harm such as domestic violence, sexual assault, forced marriage, stalking, ‘honour’ attacks, human trafficking and female genital mutilation. It also includes threats of violence and kidnapping.
(source: Home Office)
Facebook currently has 500+ ‘fans’ of hitting women. The group has been reported by various people but still exists. The discussion topic ‘best place to hit them’ includes suggestions to “punch them in the ovaries”. The picture shows a blond man punching a woman with braiding, which can be read as rascist.
If you are on facebook, even if you only log in once a month to see what that kid you hated at school is up to now, please take a moment to report the group and have it removed. It promotes violence against women.
I don’t care if they say it is ‘just for fun’ or ‘just a laugh’. Violence against women is a hate crime. Joking about violence against women helps validate the people who assault women and encourages them to think what they are doing is okay.
And please post about this through your status update, or your twitter, or on livejournal. Please raise awareness that facebook have yet to remove a group inciting violence and hatred, despite it breaking their terms and conditions.
(I’d like to point out I’m against violence towards people based on gender, sexuality, religion or race. This one is just really bugging me.)
31 January 2010 at 8:39 pm
Hmm, wondering if it’s time to leave Facebook actually…
31 January 2010 at 8:49 pm
I know what you mean. I mostly stay as there are work friends on it who don’t use other social media. Oh, and as I’m addicted to Bejeweled Blitz.
31 January 2010 at 10:31 pm
I can’t believe it’s still there. I’ve published a link to this article – hopefully if enough people start to complain FB might actually take some notice. Mind you there’s always the danger for that group that any publicity is good publicity, there are some sick folk out there… :-/
1 February 2010 at 8:48 pm
I am a divorced woman – I got divorced in 1984 after 3 years of hell – spending a lot of my time in the local casualty dept after daily beatings and humiliation. I still have scars and badly healed broken bones as a result of this abuse – in those days the police would not intervene – It’s a domestic! As a result of this abuse it has taken me 20 years to finally find love and to be able to trust any man again …
The upside is that I am a fiercley independant career driven and successful businesswoman – but this horrific violence has robbed me of a private life, children and now grandchildren. Far too big a price to pay – and NOW someone is making fun of it – SHAME on you Facebook!!!
2 February 2010 at 8:57 am
Thanks Anna.
And thank you, Teresa. I might have started to let this go, but you’ve reminded me that laughing about these crimes isn’t just dismissing their seriousness but is attacking the survivors of abuse all over again.