Women as Crime Victims
It is my belief that everyone has been affected by crime sometime in their life. Crime is inevitable because evil is in the human nature. While this is the case, women tend to experience more violent crimes because they are unwilling or unable to defend themselves appropriately against their attackers. It is a common fear among women of being sexually assaulted, raped, abused, or being the victim of any crime because of their inability to stand up for themselves because of being the weaker sex.
While it is true that women have been the victims of other crimes, these three are especially dreaded because of the nature of the crime and the consequences of being the victim. There are many programs that focus on preventing violence against women as well as studies being performed in order to reduce the amount of women becoming victims of crime. These studies are important and may prevent some women from the experience of being a victim; however, ultimately does not eliminate violence against women.
Prevention needs to begin from parents to the child while they are young. This can help give the child a structure in which to follow as an adult and provide future skills to help prevent them from becoming victims of violence. In an article by Pat brown, she states, “It is imperative that you understand the world of psychopaths and criminals: how they think, where they lurk, and how they lure and grab victims” (Brown, 2012, p. 50). She further goes on about a letter she received after a television interview.
Brown’s article referenced the letter (2012) I just saw you on ‘The Today Show’ speaking about a recent tragedy involving the violent murder of a recent high school graduate by, police believe, her boyfriend “In that interview you spoke directly to girls who have recently broken up with their partner, advising that if that partner requests a meeting post-breakup that it not be done privately because the partner is counting on the fact that she’s nice and will agree to meet. ‘ I can’t agree with you enough! I fear, however, that we—in particular women—don’t actually teach our girls that it’s okay to refuse that ‘one last time’ or that it’s okay and likely wise to break up in a public place or over the phone even, when one’s partner exhibits dangerous traits. “Moreover, we don’t even do a good job of teaching our girls how, in the depths of teenage love, to spot the subtle signs that scream ‘danger. ‘ Nor do we teach them how to put words to those gut instincts that tell us something is amiss with our partner and relationship, or, simply, that we deserve better than what we’ve been experiencing in the relationship at hand.
We do, however, do a great job of teaching them that it’s important to be nice, understanding, caring, and nurturing without also teaching them to be wise and deeply instinctual, as though the former and latter attributes are mutually exclusive. (p. 50) This woman is absolutely correct in my opinion. We need to educate our children while they are young on ways to prevent becoming a victim to crime. Women especially need to be aware of signs of domestic violence, unstable behaviors, risky behavior and potential situations that can put them in harm’s way. Women are more prone to sexually derived crimes like sexual assault and rape.
Although these crimes can also happen to men, I believe that women are more often the target of this type of crime because women tend to be the weaker sex and are more easily overpowered by a man’s strength. According to our text, “…the majority of all women’s non-fatal victimizations are committed by someone the woman knows. In addition, one-third of all women homicide victims are murdered by intimate partners compared to 5% of men” (Northern Arizona University, 2009, p. 142). These statistics are a harsh reality that we as women need to recognize, realize and prepare for.
Considering sexually derived crimes as one of the most horrific kind of crime out there, we need to begin to spread awareness on how to protect ourselves. This day in age it is important that every adult woman know how to fire a gun as well as simple life saving techniques for survival when being attacked. After all, violence will continue, and according to Bindel, “Violence against women is an international epidemic. It has been identified by the World Health Organization as a grave health issue, affecting more people than HIV and Aids” (Bindel, 2010, p. 38).
References
- Bindel, Julie. 2010. “A weapon against half the world.” New Statesman 139, no. 4991: 38-39. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 1, 2013).
- Brown P. Saving Your Daughter’s Life. USA Today Magazine [serial online]. November 2012;141(2810):50-51. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 1, 2013.
- Northern Arizona University. (2009). Investigating difference: Human and cultural relations in criminal justice. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.
