Degenderation XYZ

Here are some facts you should know:

It is estimated that of all women who were the victims of homicide globally in 2012, almost half were killed by intimate partners or family members, compared to less than six per cent of men killed in the same year.

Worldwide, almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18thbirthday. Child marriage is more common in West and Central Africa, where over 4 in 10 girls were married before age 18, and about 1 in 7 were married or in union before age 15.

 Around 120 million girls worldwide (slightly more than 1 in 10) have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts at some point in their lives. By far the most common perpetrators of sexual violence against girls are current or former husbands, partners or boyfriends.

At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in the 30 countries with representative data on prevalence. In most of these countries, the majority of girls were cut before age 5.

Adult women account for 51 per cent of all human trafficking victims detected globally. Women and girls together account for 71 per cent, with girls representing nearly three out of every four child trafficking victims.

It is estimated that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives. However, some national studies show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Just because we don’t have statistics to back up the numbers in your country it doesn’t mean that you don’t face the same problems.

 Here is what you can do to help end violence against women: 

Teach     your children early on that they are the ones who decide who gets to touch     them and where. Consider teaching them the proper names for the     parts of their body at a young age so that they can clearly communicate     about their bodies. Teach children that it’s their choice whether they     want to hug or kiss others, even family.

Raise     children to respect others. Teach children to treat others as     they would like to be treated. Talk to your children about healthy     relationships and the importance of treating their dating partners and     others with respect. Teach them that consent from a dating partner is a     clear “yes” for sexual activity.

Lead by     example. Work to create a culture that rejects violence as a way     to deal with problems. Speak up against messages that say that violence     against or mistreatment of women is OK. Don’t be violent or abusive     yourself.

Become an     activist. Participate in an anti-violence event like a local Take     Back the Night march. Support domestic violence services and violence     prevention programs by donating your time.

Volunteer in youth programs. Become a mentor. Get involved in programs that teach young people to solve problems without violence. Get involved with programs that teach teens about healthy relationships and healthy masculinity and femininity.

Also It’s important to  know your local organizations that are willing to interfere and help you … 

Youth generally begin using for one of two reasons, 1) underlying emotional pain/trauma, 2) peer group. Those reasons were the same 50 years ago. The problem we’re faced with today is that the use is no longer primarily confined to alcohol and marijuana (slightly addictive,) but it’s now evolved to opiates and methamphetamine (highly addictive.) The reasons for using haven’t shifted but the accessibility, acceptability, and toxicity of the substances being used have drastically worsened the outcomes.