Journal 3 by Mariah

JOURNAL 3

Girls are at gender risk of sexual violence and exploitation. Provide three (3) premises for the proposition. Write in complete paragraphs. 

Sexual exploitation and violence are global issues that are particularly alarming in today's world. A report published by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), sexual exploitation is the most widespread form of human trafficking, accounting for almost 79 percent of all cases and it primarily affects women and girls. The following three premises includes culture environmental that practice victim-blaming, girls are underprivileged when it comes to seeking help as well as certain countries that are very poor in legal sanctions.

Firstly, cultural environmental that practice victim-blaming. This is one of the premises that could lead to huge impacts on one community. It could either becomes somewhat a norm, which when such things as gender exploitation would seem to be is not a big deal anymore. For example, the majority of the men from one culture might be doing such bad things to women such as violence and sexual slavery. Hence, the other half of the population would not concern much because the environment itself has developed a stigma to not speak anything at all about it. According to Mori (2018), "In Malaysia and across all 27 countries where the survey was conducted, about half (50%) agree that these days, reports of sexual harassment are generally ignored. Despite the high profile public debate on sexual harassment, few people say they are talking about the issue with their family; only 15% say they are talking about it 'a lot' compared with twice the proportion (30%) who say they aren't talking about it at all." Inadvertently, a culture that is very familiar with the environment will produce a negative perception among a community. Perceptions like "women are weak" and "girls should take their chances" are popular, yet they have major consequences for individuals who are impacted by these actions. They were continually be blamed by their own community for such irrational male violence that led to them being raped, violently assaulted, or even having a baby in their womb in the first place. A little perception causes women to be constantly seen as a justification to be a victim as girls are perceived as incapable of being 'reliant' enough to fight. For example, a young girl may have grown up with this perception as a result of cultural practices. Thus, when she becomes a woman, enters the workforce, and clocks off from work to home at five every day, she may still be sexually exploited as a result of victim-blaming. According to Nations, U. (n.d.). mentioned that, “56% of Malaysian women have experienced at least one form of gender discrimination in the workplace, according to the “Voices of Malaysian Women On Discrimination & Harassment in the Workplace” survey, undertaken by the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) in collaboration with research agency Vase.ai. This illustrates that a culture may be a dominant reason for a gender risk of sexual violence and exploitation.”

            The second premise could be that these girls are underprivileged when it comes to seeking support. Girls, especially those of a younger age, may be unsure about what to do next, who to contact, and how to handle such circumstances. At such a young age, girls have no idea unless they are approached and to be asked. If the abuser is a stranger, for example, they may persuade the victims that no one will believe their claim. Because the abuser tells them it was their fault, thus the girls typically feel responsible for the violence. Threats may be used by abusers to intimidate girls into not reporting the abuse. As a result, girls would find it difficult to confront the truth, so they act as if nothing had happened. This is supported by McVeigh (2014), "The report also highlights how adolescent girls did not see themselves as having rights, some did not even see themselves as deserving of rights. Tanya Barron, chief executive of Plan UK, said the survey showed that charities needed to listen to young and adolescent women. “Whether they are burdened with housework that prevents them attending school or at risk of teenage pregnancy and sexual assault, girls are being abused and limited every day,” she said. A possibility for parent not believing the story when the girls report sexual abuse can leave the victim feeling isolated or scared. Or worse, the girls may even blame themselves for the abuse. In another scenario, girls, or any women victims in general are also trapped if the abuser comes from family member as they may be scared of getting the family member in trouble. Therefore, they have no social support to seek help in advance. The closest example would be from the earliest days since lockdown, according to Nortajuddin (2020), "Malaysia’s Talian Kasih hotline, which is a helpline to provide assistance to women and children who are experiencing abuse among other issues, has seen an increase by 57 percent of calls since the country enacted its MCO. Local women’s groups have warned lockdowns could see a rise in domestic violence as women are potentially trapped in a confined space with their would-be abusers. "They might be underprivileged when it comes to seeking help in terms of a platform. In some regions or areas, it might be impossible to seek gain attention from huge organizations, or even to reach out for some medical attention. According to Landale & O’Dowd (2018), “Despite warning about the abuse three years ago, a new report shows it is continuing in the south of the country. UN agencies and charities said they had zero tolerance of exploitation and were not aware of any cases of abuse by partner organisations in the region." Regardless of any aspects that bring the girls to be underprivileged in seeking help, it is one thing in common; girls would end up and choose to stay quiet within their own space with those abusers. Because they are desperate and oblivious, they are more accessible to sexual abuse and exploitation.

            Last premise would be due to certain countries that are poor in legal sanctions for sexual violence and exploitation. As with other crimes activities, sexual exploitation is also possible to take down, but not all countries are developed with a strategic and effective law. This causes the country to put the girls at risk. According to Nations, U. (n.d.). (2021), "The United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons - the foremost international agreement in this area - entered into force in 2003. The Report shows that in the past few years the number of Member States seriously implementing the Protocol has more than doubled (from 54 to 125 out of the 155 States covered). However, there are still many countries that lack the necessary legal instruments or political will." This is because any country has a significant impact on the number of people exploited around the world. If the number is large, it will increase the number of girls who are exploited. If it's the other way around, it could be a result of the country's own incompetence in dealing with such situations. The same may be said for any rules in another country; they exist for a reason.

        In short, culture environmental that practice victim-blaming, girls are underprivileged when it comes to seeking help as well as certain countries that are very poor in legal sanctions are the are the premises for girls are at gender risk of sexual violence and exploitation.

 

REFERENCES:

Nations, U. (n.d.). Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. United Nations : Office on Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html

 

McVeigh, T. (2014, October 12). Girls worldwide are ‘living in fear of abuse.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/12/girls-worldwide-fear-future-with-no-control-over-lives

 

Sheng, L. (2020, October 27). More Than 50% of Malaysian Women Experienced Gender Discrimination in the Workplace - Women's Aid Organisation. Women’s Aid Organisation. https://wao.org.my/more-than-50-of-malaysian-women-experienced-gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace/

 

World Health Organization, Violence against women. (2021, March 9). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

 

Nortajuddin, A. (2020, April 3). Does Malaysia have a gender stereotyping problem? The ASEAN Post. https://theaseanpost.com/article/does-malaysia-have-gender-stereotyping-problem

 

Mori, I. (2018, March 6). International Women’s Day: Global misperceptions of equality and the need to Press for Progress. Ipsos Mori. https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/international-womens-day-global-misperceptions-equality-and-need-press-progress

O’Dowd, V. L. J. B. (2018b, February 27). Syria conflict: Women “sexually exploited in return for aid.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43206297?fbclid=IwAR2V_3VbMTtBy_lsKhE7bK_4Tqyd7Qv5NFI42iY9HKxIafyrPMzFzn62zjc