As a 40-something (and a late one at that), I never thought I’d be blogging, let alone blogging about the young pop star Rihanna. But the news is full of stories about her assault, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend.
If only the stories were less gossipy and voyeuristic and more informative.
Unless the focus of the reporting changes suddenly, this will be a missed opportunity to shed needed light on the reality of violence against women in the United States, especially for her younger fans.
The hard truth is that violence against women is common, has known risk factors (including a pattern of when it escalates from injury to homicide), and carries significant emotional and economic costs.
All of us, including the media, have an obligation to do more to lead our society toward more effective strategies for preventing it.
Here are some of the facts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• Each year, women in the U.S. experience 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes;
• In 2004, these assaults resulted in 1,544 deaths, of which 75 percent of which were women; and,
• The annual cost of this violence has been estimated at $8.3 billion in 2003 dollars – not to mention the emotional costs to the women and children who experience and witness it.
Stories questioning “why she doesn’t leave” miss the mark.
First of all, it assumes a feeling of power on the part of the victim that the violence against her was intended to – and undoubtedly did – undermine.
Second, staying may actually be self-protective, at least in the short-term. A little known fact is that women are actually at higher risk for injury and homicide after they leave an abuser. According to U.S. Department of Justice data, separated women experience violence intimate partner violence at rates significantly higher than single or married women.
Just once, I would like to read a story that framed this incident (or, sadly, the next one) within the larger context of the reality of violence against women in our society and its epidemiology.
And just once, I would like to read a story that focused on how men have the power to stop this violence.
I hope you will tell me about the stories you want to read.
Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at The Women’s Foundation.
