As well as women’s right issues in America there are many issues in Russia. Women in Russia also face violence. On March 4, 2011, Ambassador Dame Anne Pringle held a meeting with human rights activists to discuss the topic of women’s rights in Russia. This meeting was held right before the International Women’s Day on March 8th. For those who don’t know what International Women’s Day is, it is a day where women look back and see how much they’ve accomplish through their continuous struggle for justice, equality, peace, and development. At this meeting that Ambassador Pringle held, the problems women face in Russia was discussed. Andrei Sinelnikov is the head of his organization known as the ANNA Centre for the Prevention of Violence. This organization was created to protect women and children from violence. ANNA Centre provides programs to help violence victims with legal, emotional, psychological, and informational support. The ANNA Centre also works to raise awareness for women victims on a local, regional, and national level. ANNA Centre is recently opening their first ever nationwide hotline for victims of violence. “Tanya Lokshina and Friederike Behr, representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International respectively – also discussed the unique issues affecting women in the North Caucasus.” North Caucasu is the northern part of the Caucasus region right between the Black and Caspian Seas and is within the European part of Russia. The Human and Rights Watch an Amnesty International (HRM) is a non-governmental group that advocates human rights. Many groups all over Russia are starting to talk more about how to prevent this violence against women. These activists set out to attempt to prevent, “honour killings, bridal abductions, and enforced dress codes in Chechnya and other republics in the region.” Many women all over Russia have been and unfortunately continue to be attacked. A specific example of an attack was, “last summer in Grozny in which women not wearing headscarves were attacked with paintball guns is one recent example of the severe harassment often inflicted upon women” Groups in Russia are stepping up the fight against violence against women, by talking and creating the first hotline for support. This hotline is just one step in the right direction to continue the efforts to end violence against women in Russia. This is historically significant because not only have women in America been fighting to end violence against them, women in Russia have been too. Even though a new law wasn’t put into place to end this violence, many groups are continuing to try and make a difference in their community.
Do you think that these non-government groups are doing enough to stop the violence? Do you think that the Government should step in to solve these problems, or within time that these non-government groups can solve this violence issue. Do you think these small groups have enough power to stop the violence?
Article Link:
http://ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=560748782
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I think that the government should step in and help fight against violence toward women. I don't think that a worldwide hotline that not many people know about is going to help the cause because how does one phone call make a difference. All a man or woman is doing is calling the ANNA Centre's hotline, talking to a person and gaining emotional and informational support. I don't see how that is going to help.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I think that in order for Russia to get help with this issue, I believe that the government should take a stand and make laws that would stop the violence and arrest every man who beats a woman that's not in self defense but for self pleasure or benefit. Men aren't superior and shouldn't be allowed to abuse women and the government is the main way change can happen.
I think that the non-government groups are doing a good job at attempting to stop the violence. Creating the Anna Centre to protect women and children from violence was a great step forward because it allows women and children to be somewhere where they feel safe and they don’t feel in danger. Also, the creation of the hotline, I believe, was a great addition as well because if someone doesn’t want to go to a center then they can just talk to someone over a phone. I think that the non-governmental groups are doing just a fine job trying to fix this issue and I think in time that the solution will be fixed, but maybe at some point the government should step in to help with the issue. I personally believe that the small groups do have enough power to eventually stop the violence but for the moment, they might need a little assistance from the government.
ReplyDeleteI think that the non-government groups seem to be doing a sufficient job at protecting women’s rights. Like Sam said, creating the hotline and creating the ANNA is a very smart way to start and work to achieve gender equality. I feel like these are simply not enough to guarantee that there will never be any more gender equality issues. They are somewhat impossible to avoid and we see them on a daily basis. As long as the government has laws that grant women and men the same political and economic rights then I feel as though there isn’t anything else for them to do. The government can’t make everybody think the same way and socially it is impossible. I believe that the non-government groups are working to achieve more social acceptance for women and I believe that is the best they can do, and this should not be a concern on the government. Its hard to say that the government isn't doing enough when we don't know about the Russian governement and laws that they have in place. Physical violence should definately be a top priority.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order to truly make an impact on violence against women the government needs to step in. In order to change society in this particular case laws would more of an impact, because it would change how the people viewed this violence. The Anna Centre and hotline are doing a good job of giving women the support they need and helping them and their children. But it is doing very little to change the way men think about violence against women. The hard part about creating laws in Chechnya is that it is a regional government who then answers to the government of Russia. It is going to take a lot of work but with the help of activists, support groups, and governmental assistance Russian society will slowly change their views on violence against women.
ReplyDeleteI believe that these non-government groups are not doing enough to stop the violence because it is persisting. I think that the Government definitely needs to take charge in stopping the violence of women. I believe that these smaller groups definitely have the potential to raise the awareness for the Government groups to end this violence. I especially think that women need to stand up for themselves as well and contribute to their own rights as well as raising awareness. The government will have to listen if these groups can raise enough protests and people to effectively make a standing difference. The government possesses the power to change the laws thus they must be more willing to fight for the behalf of women. Upon reading this article, I agree that the ANNA Centre and HRM group definitely are helping the protection and counseling of abused women but that the women continually are being victimized by violent crimes. Overall, I simply don’t think small groups have the power to ultimately stop these crimes and that the Government is the law maker of Russia and should be the ones enforcing the fines and persecutions associated with these hate crimes.
ReplyDeleteI think that the small groups can help out a lot because they are making an effort and helping women out of their situation, whether it is a small amount of women or a large amount. I do not think that they have the power to physically stop all the crimes against women but at least they are taking care of some of the problems. The government should deffinatly try their best to stop the violence but i do not think anybody has enough power to stop it all but making an effort can solve a lot of the crimes already occurring.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, I feel the smaller groups are contributing enough that the government doesn’t have to step in. The creation of the hotline and ANNA Centre is a starting point towards the right direction that will help provide the programs needed to help violence victims with legal, emotional, and informational support. While the government could potentially get involved and bring more to the table for women, small groups and organizations are already doing enough to try and prevent any more violence that I feel the government doesn’t need to get concerned just yet. However, I feel that eventually these small groups are not going to be enough to get the attention needed on women. If the support they’re trying to give to victims of abuse isn’t enough, they should propose to the government again to put a new law in place. Equality should involve not only men, but women too.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should step in to fix the situation of violence against women. They are probably the best option because they have the most power within Russia. I feel like that if they initiate this change then many might follow their lead. The non-governmental groups are trying their hardest to combat this issue, but have not done enough, because violence is still occuring at high rates. The government can pass laws that help out this situation. Therefore they are the ones who should be leading the initiative to combat the issue. The non-governmental groups have done what they could, but their lack of power has hindered their ability to actually make a change. This is an issue that the government must deal with.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that these small organizations are doing enough to stop this violence in Russia. Violence prevention would be most effective if the government were to step in and contribute to the cause. These small groups may have some effect, but not enough to stop the violence all together. No one will be able to completely stop all of the violence, but the government will make a significant impact if it joins these small groups in the effort.
ReplyDeleteI think that these non-government groups are not doing enough to stop the violence, but I do think for such small groups they are doing the best they can. The government should definitely step in and help out more by even starting to make new laws or anything that will stop this violence. What they have going on now with ANNA Centre and HRM are two groups that are really helping these women and the new idea of having a hotline support for these women is a great idead that will really be a lead way into solving this problem. Because violence against women is a serious issue and should be a top priority.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think that the government should step in at all. But I also think that the non-government groups aren't doing anything to help the problem. Opening a hotline is only for women who have been abused, and it sounds like it is just a place for them to vent about what happened to them, not solve the problem. I think that if they collected a certain number of phone calls and played some back to their society, people could see just how many women are being violated. I honestly don't think violence against women will ever end. It's basically illegal everywhere, being considered domestic violence, but that doesn't mean that the problem stops, it's just that if you get caught or reported, that's when you go to jail.
ReplyDeleteThe government puts pressure on non-government groups which can cause problems but in the long run, I think that it would be better. If the government says that if the non-government groups do not solve the problem then someone above them will have to step in, it will cause the non-government groups to up their game in stopping violence against women. Non-government organizations need the extra push in order to succeed in our current society. As of right now, creating a hotline is not solving any problems for women who have been abused. This is more like a counseling call but it is a hotline. In a hotline like this, you don't say your name or who exactly did the violence to you therefore nothing is being done to solve the problem. As we have seen in the fight for suffrage by Alice Paul, she created a group starting with two people but worked to her fullest potential to grow a large group that achieved her biggest goal. I think that any group can fight for anything and accomplish their goals, as long as they take the right approaches. A small group like theirs is not going to get very far; they need to grow.
ReplyDeleteThe government should defiantly step in and do something to stop the violence against women. The hotline does not seem to be working so well overall as still women are being abused. I do not think that the small groups should stop entirely just try to work with the government more. If they had government help they could probably accomplish much more.
ReplyDeleteI think that these non-government groups are at a good starting point to stop the violence. I agree with Katie and I think that in order for the groups to succeed, there needs to be more awareness as well as participation within these groups. Since the violence is still continuing to occur that goes to prove that more needs to be done in order to stop the violence completely. Due to the fact that they are non-government groups they are faced with a lot of pressure being put on them but that could both cause the groups to excel or cause them to abruptly come to an end. With more support, the groups would be likely to succeed but the word needs to be spread more. I think in the end, the government will need to step into solve these problems. I think that since Russia is faced with many cases of violence against women, the government should intervene and make a law against it. Even though I would like to say that these small groups can make a difference, I think that if the government were to get involved, results would be seen much faster. I think that the small groups do not have enough power to stop the violence. I think that if they were to expand or to unite with other groups then they would obtain enough power to make a movement, but currently I think they need the government to intervene in order to get their point across.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not think that there is anything that the government can do to stop the abuse. The government tries to stop the people from doing a lot of things, such as drugs, but people are still doing them every day, and still dying from them every day. I do however think that there could be great achievement if the small non-government groups make a bigger effort to stop the problem. I personally cannot think of any solutions to stop the abuse, but i do think that women who were is abusive situations and relationships should be involved in helping simply because they were in the same situation as the women whom are seeing help.
ReplyDeleteI think that these small groups are trying to their best of their ability possibly but it isn't enough to stop the issue. Groups this small probably won't have the power to influence others as well as a larger one might. I do believe that the government should step in to solve these problems because if the don't the issue will only get worse and cause more issues in the country.
ReplyDeleteI think the non government small groups are doing enough, because they are doing the best they can. I am not sure if they will be able to solve this issue on their own, it is possible but I am not sure. I think the government should step in and make new laws preventing this violence, but at the same time, the non-government groups should continue to push forward with the movement and continue with the government's help. This ties in with social and political change, and which one needs to be changed first. The government can make all the laws they want, but the way the majority of people in Russia view women will still stay the same, no matter what laws are inflicted on them. Because of this, I think that the non-government groups are very important in this movement and need to continue what they are doing, or there would be no movement. They do have the power to change, because if Russia is a democracy, then the people hold the power. If they can get the majority of the population to have the same state of mind as them, then they would be in a very good position. Also, they only have the power to change if the government steps in and makes new laws, so they crazy people (like the ones who paintballed the women) can be removed from society and put in jail.
ReplyDeleteI think that the non-government groups are not at their "peak" at stopping the violence. Meaning, as Cassandra said, they are at a good starting point and I believe that they will continue to find ways to find more efficient ways to help stop the violence, but right now, they are just starting out. As Derek said I do not think the government can do anything major to help stop the violence, they can raise awarness and create laws, however as Katrina said the citizens of Russia will view the women the same, it will take many, many years to change that view and personally all I think the government can do is to raise awarness, but the non-government groups are doing a good job of that and i think if the government joins the movement then awarness will spread faster. And time will tell if Russia is recieving the message that violence against women is unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteI think like many ave said that these government groups haven't done mush to stop this violence and still have a long way to go. However i do think though they can make these changes. I think they will find ways to stop this violence as i'm pretty positive that no one would want this issue to remain unsolved. I think unlike Shayna they can do something major and to stop this but it just might take a longtime in order to do so. Some actions could include raising awareness which sounds like a small action but i believe that is a big step forward in trying to achieve their goals. We can only see in time what might occur and if Russia is improving or remaining the same.
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