A Small Step makes a Big Splash

There are many forms of violence against women and girls. It’s not just about the physical
injuries that are inflicted on women. It’s also about the mental and emotional pain that is inflicted by
others, not just men. In actuality, while men take up a high percentage in the abusers of women and girls,
violence against women can also be caused by the very people that are part of the cause. It may not be in
a physical sense, it can also be in the ways stated above: emotionally and mentally.

Actually, everyone can be a form of abuser. How? By enabling the abusers. There are a lot of
people who know about others being abused but don’t do anything about it or don’t acknowledge the
problem. They act as if there’s nothing going on. This makes the situation worse until something tragic
happens. By enabling the abusers, we let them roam around and do the same to others with no fear of
retribution. This is a terrible thing that is actually happening in society.

Everyone can be an enabler, your friend, you – even I can be an enabler. This makes us abusers.
We might know about situations in which our friends are being abused but choose not to do anything
about it. In doing so, not only do we fail our duty as a friend; we also fail our duty as a human being.
Women’s rights are human rights. This means that by enabling someone to abuse others, we are also
accomplices in violating their human rights. We are letting someone, who can pose a threat to the safety
of our community, walk around unscathed, feeling like they can do whatever they want.

How do the things mentioned above have anything to do with the theme of the campaign? Well, I
think the smallest step can make a large contribution to creating a VAW-free community. We can
encourage those who were abused to get help. We can talk to them about the situation and come up with
ways so they can get out of their current problem. If they’re not ready to talk about it, then the least we
can do is be there for them and make sure they know they’re not alone. We can try to subtly help them.
We don’t have to do drastic actions. Sometimes, the smallest things can have the biggest effect. If we can
help those close to us, they might feel better and stand up for themselves and finally accept help. If we try
to help without their consent, we might make the situation worse or it might end up in a tragedy.

This is how we can start creating a VAW-free community. By helping the smallest community
that we’re part of: our family and our circle of friends.