Gender based violence and domestic violence against women
Gender based violence GBV includes domestic violence DV, violence against women and girls VAWG, sexual violence SV, intimate partner violence IPV and violence against LGBTI populations.
Until you are the victim of this violence, the devastating impact on your everyday life, family and social relations, performance at work, and peace of mind cannot be understood.
What you may not realize is that as females constitutes at least half of the world population, when her quality of life is threatened, so too is the very foundation and prosperity of her country.
It's not enough to observe 16 days of activism against gender based and domestic violence and stop violence against women and children!
It's time to erase it once and for all.
"When you beat a woman, you beat the nation," President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa, Women's Month, Heritage Month, 2020.
Gender Based Violence Destroys the Economy and Health of a Country's People
When a girl or woman is violated, physically, mentally or emotionally the effects ripple through to her immediate family, relatives, friends, community, society and ultimately the nation.
For this reason we need to realize that no one is safe, until everyone is safe.
We must understand the intricate web of gender based violence and it's hold on the future for generations to come.
How can the health of a nation be affected by gender based violence?
To understand how the health of a nation can be affected by gender based violence we need to look into the future. Girls are our future mothers of our nation's children -children who will be future adults of our country. Our country depends on these adults for it to be strong, healthy, prosperous and protected. Albeit, it should be known that a country's wellness is entirely dependent on the state of mind of the adult.
GBV Ensures Poor Mental Health and State of Mind for Generations
An adult's state of mind is critical for clarity of thinking, decision making, and conscious living, that not only focuses on his/her own well being, but that of the family, community, country and planet. State of mind is founded on childhood experiences.
A child's mental health is highly dependent on his/her home environment. If the child's mother is a victim of gender based violence, the aftershocks of her trauma, lead to post traumatic stress disorder PTSD, which negatively impacts her ability to sufficiently guide her child through a proper childhood.
The impact of gender based violence on the child is akin to handicapping a teacher, and robbing the learner of the opportunity to develop to the best of his/her ability.
Self Esteem, Self Confidence Emerge from Emotionally Stable Home and Family
A child needs a secure, happy, and nurturing home situation to help him/her develop core values and social skills, turn on deep states of compassion and solidarity, and realize emotional wellness. Self esteem and self confidence emerge from emotionally secure role models within the immediate environment, which for a child is his/her home and family.
A Woman's Lack of Safety Shapes the Future of Her children and the nation
A woman who lives in an unsafe situation, be it at home or out of the home, will inevitably drag her children into the quagmire of immediate stress, and long term psycho-mental-social issues. The child's ability to optimize his/her life will stagnate. And the vicious cycle of lack of self confidence, violent tendencies, and lack of empathy begins to roll into the future.
Adults from homes of women who have been subjected to gender based violence carry the emotionally scars throughout life, negatively impacting their decisions and actions whether they find themselves in mediocre or leadership roles within systems, companies, communities or nations. Only when the girls and women of a nation enjoy safe, healthy, and nurturing lives will any nation prosper.
A key issue pertinent to home environments is that of patriarchy.
GBV is too costly for a Country to afford!
There is no getting out of the economic drain, drastic lowering of GDP, and decline of a healthy workforce when women of a nation are victims of gender based violence and domestic violence.
Short Extracts From Dr. Vie's USA Live Stream Series on Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence
Canada, USA, South Africa, India
Gender based violence #GBV negatively impacts GDP, and the economy and prosperity of a country long term.