The continuing tragedy of battered women
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 20 Apr 2010
Spousal abuse encompasses a wide and tragic spectrum that includes physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse. The abuser or the victim can either be the husband or wife. Statistics show that women are much more likely to be murdered by her partner.
No ethnic group or social class is exempted from this and leads to a violent cycle if left unchecked. A quick search for figures on the net reveals many disturbing facts: Every nine seconds a woman is physically abused by her husband. Domestic violence is a repetitive in nature - about 1 in 5 women victimized by their spouse or ex-spouse reported that they had been a victim of a series of at least 3 assaults in the last 6 months.
I came across a 2006 article which stated that 2.8 million Filipino men admitted having physically hurt someone. Of those surveyed, 39 percent said the victims were their wives, while 15 percent said the victims were their live-in partners.
Worldwide statistics are also troubling: up to 70% of female murder victims are killed by their male partners (WHO 2002 ) and at least one in every three women, or up to one billion women, have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetimes. Usually, the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her.
For the past couple of months the internet was filled with stories about Edwin Valero of harassing and assaulting his wife Jennifer, threatening medical personnel who were treating his wife for assorted injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs, and violating a restraining order barring him from going near his wife. There were also reports of substance abuse and anger management issues.
Reports say that Valero denied killing Jennifer, who was found dead with stab wounds inside a hotel room. Valero was arrested by the Venezuelan police but used his clothes to hang himself while in custody.
There are those who lament that the 28 year old Venezuelan boxer was a wasted talent being the only boxer who as a world champion had a prefect 100 percent knockout record ( 27 knockouts in 27 fights with no losses). But we should not forget Jennifer, forever silent and unable to tell her story. We should also remember the other victims, their children will grow up without parents.
There are millions of women out there with similar stories. Those who are not married to celebrity athletes will continue to suffer in silence away from the media spotlight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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