Do Women Live in Fear? Criminal Sentencing.

[Keepitsimple]

Every time you turn on the TV, there seem to be programs that graphicly depict violence against women. CSI and Law & Order are good examples. Newspaper reports of rapes and abusive relationships are so frequent, it's dulled us to the catastophic effects of these crimes. Most women have taught themselves to recognize their surroundings and are constantly on the alert. It's second nature to most. I don't think men give enough thought to how women might be affected by all the publicized violence against women. Personally, I think male violence against women is just about the most despicable crime that can be committed - it's certainly the most cowardly....yet sexual assaults and abuse are often dealt with by our justice system with a slap on the wrist. Without sounding chauvinistic, we are supposed to protect women - not abuse them. I'm not sure how many women actively post to this Blog but I'd be very interested in reading their feedback in terms of how violence against women, shown through the media, has affected their daily lives - can it be fearful at times? In addition, how do women feel about the justice system - is sentencing adequate, are these crimes treated seriously enough....and would you propose any changes to the way society deals with violence against women?

[Leafless]

Keepitsimple

You must falsely assume men are not severely victimized, in a variety of ways, even more so than women, but it is hardly ever mentioned or even talked about.

Actually women are better protected by the system then men are.

[margrace]

How are women protected by the system. Men who abuse them are allowed to rome around free until the time they actually kill the women.

A neighbour of ours was regularly beaten. Finally she went got a gun and shot him. That was her protection. She of course was charged and she had to fight for herself. Two situations.

[BC_chick]

Every time you turn on the TV, there seem to be programs that graphicly depict violence against women. CSI and Law & Order are good examples. Newspaper reports of rapes and abusive relationships are so frequent, it's dulled us to the catastophic effects of these crimes. Most women have taught themselves to recognize their surroundings and are constantly on the alert. It's second nature to most. I don't think men give enough thought to how women might be affected by all the publicized violence against women. Personally, I think male violence against women is just about the most despicable crime that can be committed - it's certainly the most cowardly....yet sexual assaults and abuse are often dealt with by our justice system with a slap on the wrist. Without sounding chauvinistic, we are supposed to protect women - not abuse them. I'm not sure how many women actively post to this Blog but I'd be very interested in reading their feedback in terms of how violence against women, shown through the media, has affected their daily lives - can it be fearful at times? In addition, how do women feel about the justice system - is sentencing adequate, are these crimes treated seriously enough....and would you propose any changes to the way society deals with violence against women?

It's very easy indeed to get live in fear because of the constant images bombarded on us about violence against women. However, a number of years ago, I read an empowering book called "The Frailty Myth" which deeply affected my perception of violence against women. In it, it discusses the psychology behind women's self-perceptions of being the weaker sex (which is actually not true pound-for-pound), how predators are similar to wild animals where they pick their targets according to body-language (the same way dogs smell fear and attack - this is true of rapists through interviews with them and what type of victims they seek), and how ever since women gained to rights to exercise in school and active women became the norm (we used to be told our uterus would fall out if we exercised, lol), there has been a backlash against women, demeaning any form perceived physical strength in a woman.

Anyway, I can't say I ever feel a 100% sure walking down the street late at night in a bad neighbourhood. But I do have to remember that the odds of something actually happening to me is far less than the fear it instills in me. I think of it as the same thing with terrorism - how good is the quality of "Life" is one is constantly living in fear?

Women need to be assertive, to walk down the street holding their head up and looking in the eye of a passer-by, and most importantly to learn self-protection. Otherwise, we are still living in the times where it is being dictated to us how we must live our lives.

[Leafless]

How are women protected by the system. Men who abuse them are allowed to rome around free until the time they actually kill the women.

A neighbour of ours was regularly beaten. Finally she went got a gun and shot him. That was her protection. She of course was charged and she had to fight for herself. Two situations.

There are no real answers when you are involved as a victim against some nut case, male or female.

I don't condone violence, but in certain situations deadly force of one sort or another is sometimes required and in turn is up to the courts to decide your fate.

In the case of relationships, one should always be cautious who they take on as a partner.

[guyser]

How are women protected by the system. Men who abuse them are allowed to rome around free until the time they actually kill the women.

A neighbour of ours was regularly beaten. Finally she went got a gun and shot him. That was her protection. She of course was charged and she had to fight for herself. Two situations.

Pretty much the same way that men are.

As for your neighbour , a couple of questions?

How long was the abuse? Years?

What attempts to mitigate her abuse did she seek?

Where was her family and friends?

You see where I am going with this?

[margrace]

How are women protected by the system. Men who abuse them are allowed to rome around free until the time they actually kill the women.

A neighbour of ours was regularly beaten. Finally she went got a gun and shot him. That was her protection. She of course was charged and she had to fight for herself. Two situations.

Pretty much the same way that men are.

As for your neighbour , a couple of questions?

How long was the abuse? Years?

What attempts to mitigate her abuse did she seek?

Where was her family and friends?

You see where I am going with this?

Not really

[Catchme]

You must falsely assume men are not severely victimized, in a variety of ways, even more so than women, but it is hardly ever mentioned or even talked about. Actually women are better protected by the system then men are.

You falsely state that men are more severely victimized than women, there is absolutely NO proof to your assertations. In fact quite the opposite.

The good news is the most recent Stats Can available, show murder rates in Canada have gone down because there are less women being murdered.

The spousal homicide rate declined by 8% in 2003, with six fewer spouses killed. This rate has been gradually declining since the mid-1970s for both men and women. Of the 78 spousal homicides, 64 men killed their wives (including common-law, separated and divorced persons) and 14 women killed their husbands.

Homicides involving other types of intimate partner relationships also dropped, from 17 in 2002 to 11 in 2003. These include homicides committed by boyfriends, girlfriends and current or estranged partners.

Women were much more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. Among all solved homicides of victims who were 15 years of age and older, almost two-thirds (64%) of females were killed by someone with whom they had an intimate relationship at one point in time compared with 7% of males. Males were far more likely to be killed by a casual acquaintance (31%), a stranger (19%) or a criminal associate (13%).

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040929/d040929a.htm

Now in regards to spousal assault:

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/061002/d061002a.htm

Still, violent assaults against women at the hands of their boyfriends have increased substantially from 242 cases reported in 1998 to 2,781 in 2004. Researchers were at a loss to explain why there has been such a steep increase, but cautioned that the numbers come from police departments representing only 37 per cent of the volume of crime in the country.

Statistics Canada researchers were at pains to point out that sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes and that it is hard to know to what extent any drop in reported assaults is a result of women not reporting the crimes.

"Fewer than 10% of sexual assaults in both survey years [1993 and 2000] were reported to the police," the researchers wrote.

"Victims' decisions to report the violence to criminal justice and social services depend on a variety of factors, some of which include fear of the offender, shame and embarrassment, and regional availability of services. The majority of victims of spousal assault and over 90% of sexual assault victims did not seek support from the criminal justice system."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/10/02/statscan.html

[myata]

Is there a particular example of a "slap on the wrist" sentencing for real, violent crime that you have in mind (and wanted to discuss)? Otherwise it falls in the category of those broad rhethorical issues that are darlings of the left because they very obviously have no absolute resolution. Violence existed in the world long before humans came about and will probably hang on long after. If and how it can be mitigated depends very much on the specifics of the individual situation. There's no (and will never be) a common simple answer to all cases.

[Catchme]

Otherwise it falls in the category of those broad rhethorical issues that are darlings of the left because they very obviously have no absolute resolution. Violence existed in the world long before humans came about and will probably hang on long after. If and how it can be mitigated depends very much on the specifics of the individual situation. There's no (and will never be) a common simple answer to all cases.

Well, we humans really do not care about violence existing in the world before we came about do we!

One could safely say it is only the violence that comes about now we are here that concerns us.

And quite obviously violence has been mitigated and lessened all through our history up to today.

Common sense says, there can not be 1 absolute resolution, to stop every act of violence, however, that does not mean we do not know what causational factors there are that need to be removed in order to mitigate violence.

However, just because there is not 1 singular way to stop violence does not mean it should not be taken seriously and addressed. Moreover, because it has been addressed, by us darlings on the left, and crimes of violence have been steadily going down. Too bad you did not look at the Stats presented in the links, or read the whole thread or you would've have been able to see the fact of decreasing rates of violence.

[DarkAngel_]

i agree BC_chick! a cute or beautiful girl that kick the crap out of the attacker is very appealing! i love a girl that can protect herself, just as well, i feel (as well as many other men) an obligation to protect the weak, and women are no exception, infact, are the reason!

my friends went down and beat the crap out of a guy raping a 14 yr old, i think the generalization of the wacko's in our gender being seen as 'men' instead of 'desperate pervs who cant git a date' is why women activists are hitting resistance. most men would kick the brains out of a rapist! and i will constantly be on the look out for a girl in need...

[myata]

However, just because there is not 1 singular way to stop violence does not mean it should not be taken seriously and addressed.

And those will be ... ? Let's get down to specifics, details, rather than engaging in endless pointless discussions like "shouldn't we all be happy and love each other and have whatever we want without having (ever) to work"?

Do you have any particular episode in mind? Idea or a proposal?

[Live From China]

You falsely state that men are more severely victimized than women, there is absolutely NO proof to your assertations. In fact quite the opposite.

Hmm. I wonder? People may find the following a bit of an eye-opener:

Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men

Introduction

Domestic abuse of women has been in the public eye for many years. Many studies have examined its nature and extent, shelters for abused women have been set up, and legislation and police charging policies have evolved in response to the growing appreciation of the extent of the problem. The extent of the comparable issue of domestic abuse of men is not as well known and understood by the general public. However, recent findings have become available that contribute to a better understanding of domestic or intimate partner abuse of men.

Statistics Canada first collected data on intimate partner abuse of both men and women through its 1999 General Social Survey (GSS). Respondents were asked 10 questions concerning abuse by their current and/or previous spouses and common-law partners during the 12-month and 5-year periods preceding the telephone interview.1 According to their responses, almost equal proportions of men and women (7% and 8% respectively) had been the victims of intimate partner physical and psychological abuse (18% and 19% respectively). These findings were consistent with several earlier studies which reported equal rates of abuse by women and men in intimate relationships.2-16

Some scholars suggest that the motives for intimate partner abuse against men by women may differ from those for abuse against women by men,17 and that women suffer more severe injuries than men.18 Nonetheless, the occurrence of abuse by women against men, and its consequences, warrant attention. It is important for the victims of abuse, whether they be men or women, to know that they are not alone –that is, that such experience is not unique to their personal situation. It is also important for the perpetrators of intimate partner abuse – men or women – to recognize that violence in any form is both morally and legally wrong.

Above from:http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/mlintima_e.html (Emphasis is mine).

The above data parallels that in the UK and US.

From: http://www.batteredmen.com/batrcan.htm

My apologies; tried to copy and paste more substantial information from the above but it just wouldn't work.

[Keepitsimple]

You falsely state that men are more severely victimized than women, there is absolutely NO proof to your assertations. In fact quite the opposite.

Hmm. I wonder? People may find the following a bit of an eye-opener:

Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men

Introduction

Domestic abuse of women has been in the public eye for many years. Many studies have examined its nature and extent, shelters for abused women have been set up, and legislation and police charging policies have evolved in response to the growing appreciation of the extent of the problem. The extent of the comparable issue of domestic abuse of men is not as well known and understood by the general public. However, recent findings have become available that contribute to a better understanding of domestic or intimate partner abuse of men.

Statistics Canada first collected data on intimate partner abuse of both men and women through its 1999 General Social Survey (GSS). Respondents were asked 10 questions concerning abuse by their current and/or previous spouses and common-law partners during the 12-month and 5-year periods preceding the telephone interview.1 According to their responses, almost equal proportions of men and women (7% and 8% respectively) had been the victims of intimate partner physical and psychological abuse (18% and 19% respectively). These findings were consistent with several earlier studies which reported equal rates of abuse by women and men in intimate relationships.2-16

Some scholars suggest that the motives for intimate partner abuse against men by women may differ from those for abuse against women by men,17 and that women suffer more severe injuries than men.18 Nonetheless, the occurrence of abuse by women against men, and its consequences, warrant attention. It is important for the victims of abuse, whether they be men or women, to know that they are not alone –that is, that such experience is not unique to their personal situation. It is also important for the perpetrators of intimate partner abuse – men or women – to recognize that violence in any form is both morally and legally wrong.

Above from:http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/mlintima_e.html (Emphasis is mine).

The above data parallels that in the UK and US.

From: http://www.batteredmen.com/batrcan.htm

My apologies; tried to copy and paste more substantial information from the above but it just wouldn't work.

Interesting but really off the mark. As usual, it depends on what questions were actually asked. If "abuse" was tabulated by including "my wife yelled at me", then that's misleading. Really, my original post was meant to address the common sense situation where man=big and woman=small and man=coward and physically assaults the woman. In general, women usually can't win a physical battle with a man. That can equal fear. As far as men being abused by their partner - they should get a backbone.

I cringe when I see the word "scholar" doing surveys like this. Why can't they ask these two basic questions: "Has your partner ever assaulted you in a manner that made you fearful?" and "Are you fearful that you will be assaulted again?".

[Live From China]

Emotional or psychological abuse consists of behaviour intended to shame, demean, intimidate or humiliate. Examples include yelling at or insulting the other person, or limiting his contact with friends and family. Such behaviour often occurs within relationships that are also physically abusive.

So the above doesn't count? Don't get me wrong: in some senses we can use any parameters we wish, as long as "the gate swings both ways." What I find strange is that I often hear women say they were abused because their male partner yelled at theme, or demeaned and insulted them. So I must then ask, "Does this count or doesn't it?"

I cringe when I see the word "scholar" doing surveys like this.

Of course, that is the part of you that doesn't like your prejudices ruffled!

[myata]

I cringe when I see the word "scholar" doing surveys like this. Why can't they ask these two basic questions: "Has your partner ever assaulted you in a manner that made you fearful?" and "Are you fearful that you will be assaulted again?".

I don't see how this can be of much use, because it's based on perception rather than objective appraisal of situation. Some people are paranoid and live in permanent fear that they would be assaulted. Would it qualify them as being abused? Then, others may simulate fear for personal gain.

What I see of more value is better education in recongnizing troublesome or abusive relationships (whichever side is the main cause if there's one), leaving such relationships and staying away from them.

Then of course, unprovoked sexual violence is a totally different situation. I don't know of any people around me who would condone or downplay such acts. It's an issue of policing and prosecution. I'm not aware of many cases of "slap on the wrist" sentencing for serious sexual assaults.

[Borg]

Every time you turn on the TV, there seem to be programs that graphicly depict violence against women. CSI and Law & Order are good examples. Newspaper reports of rapes and abusive relationships are so frequent, it's dulled us to the catastophic effects of these crimes. Most women have taught themselves to recognize their surroundings and are constantly on the alert. It's second nature to most. I don't think men give enough thought to how women might be affected by all the publicized violence against women. Personally, I think male violence against women is just about the most despicable crime that can be committed - it's certainly the most cowardly....yet sexual assaults and abuse are often dealt with by our justice system with a slap on the wrist. Without sounding chauvinistic, we are supposed to protect women - not abuse them. I'm not sure how many women actively post to this Blog but I'd be very interested in reading their feedback in terms of how violence against women, shown through the media, has affected their daily lives - can it be fearful at times? In addition, how do women feel about the justice system - is sentencing adequate, are these crimes treated seriously enough....and would you propose any changes to the way society deals with violence against women?

In a nutshell - men bad - women good - legal system gender favoured.

Yawn.

As has been stated the gate swings both ways.

I have not taken a belt or a stick to my wife - but I have been tempted!! Come to think of it - over the past many years there is probably at least one time she has been tempted as well. Perhaps more.

Find your lobby group - get some sympathetic left leaning female media type and keep up the hype - but while you are at it look up the same thing - only this time make it male abused by female partners.

And the wheel on the bus goes round and round - round and round - round and round ........

Borg

[Live From China]

Well said, Borg!

As I have said in other posts or threads, if you quote a source that counters the popular notion, it is automatically discounted. Oh, that's just backlash. Well, they really didn't ask the right questions. That's by a scholar so it can't be true. My evidence is accurate to the nth degree, yours isn't. Gee, why bother presenting any evidence at all? It's one of the oldest, most manipulative - and transparent - con games going.

And thus, as you said we just go "round and round and round...."

Plain and simply, the gate of violence swings both ways.

[margrace]

Two groups of women talking, same conclusion. It was about viagra, comments if my husband takes that then I'm out of here. So in my opinion this pretty well proves that sex is much more important to men than women and men just cannot accept the fact.

To women sex is something you have after being assured how much you are valued and loved. To men it is just getting rid of a load.

[Borg]

To women sex is something you have after being assured how much you are valued and loved. To men it is just getting rid of a load.

Do you always spew such hatred of the opposite sex?

If I were to talk like this about women in general I would be branded as a pretty bad person on these boards - yet you and others like you seem to think it is quite acceptable to bash men in general.

Simply spewing hatred of men - shows me you are a truly bitter person with an axe to grind.

Did you ever think for one minute that possibly - just very possibly - not all men represented your hateful image?

No, probably not - and what bothers me at this point is there are not many on these boards who are not calling you and your ilk on this.

Is it because we as men have come to expect women like you to treat the entire male gender badly?

Is it because to stand up for men makes one a woman basher? Hardly!

Or is it because women like you are so narrow minded we simply accept your comments and hope you will just go away - allowing the rest of us to get on with our lives?

You must be a bitter and lonely person - but I must admit I cannot spare any pity for you - you have generated enough self pity to cover anything I could provide you with.

Borg

[Live From China]

To women sex is something you have after being assured how much you are valued and loved. To men it is just getting rid of a load.

Gosh, sounds like you are really bitter :angry: