This is serious
My day on Friday was largely shaped by something that happened Thursday night. On Thursday night a close friend of mine was picked up, thrown against a wall, manhandled, and pinned by an ex of hers before another friend was able to pull him off. While this situation could have been a lot worse, dating violence is serious and unacceptable under all circumstances. Being in college complicates the reporting process since victims have to go through the University's channels. As we were walking around the city Friday, we coincidentally walked past a Women Against Violence campaign poster encouraging people to speak up. This is a public health issue that people never take seriously enough until it happens to them or someone they know. There are policies in place at the University, State, and Federal level to protect women; however I sometimes feel that the policies are not respected enough. Congress struggled to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act this past year which, although they got it done eventually, was disappointing to see.
