Monday was International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women. It is the anniversary of the 1960 murders of three Dominican sisters -- dissidents who were frequently jailed for their pro-democracy activities -- by the secret police of their autocratic government.
A few years later, a group of Central and South American feminists decided to make the day an international day against gender violence. It was not until 1999, however, that the UN formally designated Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women.
That date this year also marked the beginning of Canada's 11th White Ribbon Campaign. Nearly 1 million men will wear white ribbons until Dec. 6, which is Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Dec. 6 is the anniversary of the 1989 shooting rampage by a 25-year-old man on a Montreal university campus that left 14 women dead. The man believed women were to blame for his failure to gain admission to the university. Male researchers of gender issues decided to launch the ribbon campaign to oppose gender violence two years later.
In addition to wearing white ribbons to show their determination not to condone gender violence, Canadian men also hold concerts to spread their message, issue "white ribbon" educational brochures at schools, conduct anti-violence activities in their communities and labor unions, and hold DadWalk events at zoos.
Norway, where incidents of gender violence are relatively low, has long had regulations stipulating that the percentage of either gender among government and elected officials must not fall below 40 percent. But women account for just 6 percent of members of the boards of publicly listed companies. The government passed a law this year, stipulating that women must account for at least 40 percent of the board members of government-invested companies. Private companies will be required to follow suit in 2005.
As for Taiwan, when I typed in the key phrase "sexual assault" in an Internet search for news stories involving such incidents from this month, a vast list instantly appeared on screen. Taipei City's Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Center says that of the 775 victims of sexual violence reported to it last year, 61 percent knew with their abusers.
Men are also seeking help. The Lungshan Women's Service Cen-ter (龍山婦女服務中心), the Women's Rescue Foundation (婦女救援基 金會) and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Center have observed a trend of men calling to complain of domestic violence over the past year.
Daily reports of violence against women have led to complacency about such violence. So when stories of men being subjected to domestic violence appeared, the media covers the issue for several days in a row. But the part that gender plays in violence is beyond dispute. More than 90 percent of the victims of both domestic and sexual violence are women and more than 90 percent of the culprits are men.
Male readers who are sensitive about news of violence against men would be wrong to conclude that men are now on an even keel with women. They would do better to take this opportunity to look at the issue from a woman's viewpoint and cooperate with women to oppose violence.
Although the White Ribbon Campaign is aims to eradicate violence against women, it opposes all forms of violence. If men engage in soul-searching and contain their instincts for violence, they will squarely face their own emotions and bodies in a more sincere and intimate way. When they do so, the incidence of violence against both men and women will decrease.
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