Abuse
The news reports of abuse & its effects seems to be increasing, or perhaps my awareness is heightened. The Abuse & Neglect in Family Context class I am taking this semester has been tough, in the sense that admitting and recognizing terrible abuses against people (especially children) actually occur, and wondering which circumstances in my life and the lives of my friends fit into those categories.
Most disturbing today were two articles:
The first, discusses a law passed in Afghanistan that legalizes the rape of a man's own wife every fourth night, as “the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.” This law was previously overturned and re-instated to win the votes needed to influence the re-election of Afghanistan's president. The decision to deny women the right to control their own bodies is terrible, as is the promotion domestic and sexual violence.
In other news, a young girl in Brazil, age 9 years, was raped and impregnated --with twins-- by her stepfather. "Weighing just 79 pounds and barely four feet tall, the 9-year-old girl, from Alagoinha, a town in the northeast, underwent an abortion when she was 15 weeks pregnant..." I don't wish to incite a debate about abortion on my blog, but considering her small stature and mostly underdeveloped body, attempting to continue & carry to full term a pregnancy with twins could very well have been fatal to her. I was surprised to read in the article that the Catholic church excommunicated every person involved in the decision & process of abortion-- every person except the stepfather that is accused of raping the child over the course of a "number of years." The church defends that abortion (which they view as the murder of a child) is worse than the rape of child, although in this case of rape it most likely would have been murder had the girl not terminated the pregnancy.
Yikes. These are disturbing thoughts.
To soothe my troubled heart, and maybe yours too, I suggest supporting men, women and children by participating in or supporting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2009. This annual event, being held this year on Wednesday, April 8th, involves men donning women's heels and walking a mile around a set path on campus to take a stand against sexual violence. We ladies can cheer on the sideliness, raise money from friends and family members, and recruit the men in our lives to participate in the note-worthy activity.
Most disturbing today were two articles:
The first, discusses a law passed in Afghanistan that legalizes the rape of a man's own wife every fourth night, as “the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.” This law was previously overturned and re-instated to win the votes needed to influence the re-election of Afghanistan's president. The decision to deny women the right to control their own bodies is terrible, as is the promotion domestic and sexual violence.
In other news, a young girl in Brazil, age 9 years, was raped and impregnated --with twins-- by her stepfather. "Weighing just 79 pounds and barely four feet tall, the 9-year-old girl, from Alagoinha, a town in the northeast, underwent an abortion when she was 15 weeks pregnant..." I don't wish to incite a debate about abortion on my blog, but considering her small stature and mostly underdeveloped body, attempting to continue & carry to full term a pregnancy with twins could very well have been fatal to her. I was surprised to read in the article that the Catholic church excommunicated every person involved in the decision & process of abortion-- every person except the stepfather that is accused of raping the child over the course of a "number of years." The church defends that abortion (which they view as the murder of a child) is worse than the rape of child, although in this case of rape it most likely would have been murder had the girl not terminated the pregnancy.
Yikes. These are disturbing thoughts.
To soothe my troubled heart, and maybe yours too, I suggest supporting men, women and children by participating in or supporting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2009. This annual event, being held this year on Wednesday, April 8th, involves men donning women's heels and walking a mile around a set path on campus to take a stand against sexual violence. We ladies can cheer on the sideliness, raise money from friends and family members, and recruit the men in our lives to participate in the note-worthy activity.
Wow, That is so sad! And it's good to hear that people are raising awareness. I cannot wait to get over to logan and be able to be around people that care everyday! I love you!
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