A five-part series
in the medical journal
The Lancet
has come to the conclusion
that violence against women
is a "global public health
and clinical problem
of epidemic proportions."
The study found
that the key driver of violence
(kind of ironically
as women can't drive)
in low-
or-middle-income countries
is gender inequality
and that
although spreading awareness
was one important first step
nations must also
make it a priority
to allocate resources for victims
change discriminatory structures
and policies
promote support for survivors
strengthen health and education sectors
that both respond to
and prevent violence
and invest in more research
for finding solutions
to gender inequality.
But next to each of these proposals
was an asterisk
pointing to a footnote
which read
"As an alternative solution
for nations that cannot
implement these steps
this publication recommends
asking women
'Why did you let yourselves
get so oppressed
in the first place?'"
This poem © 2014 Emily Cooper.
