Home Is Where The Heart Is ?
By : Myka Ollison December 1, 2018
Domestic Violence floods our screens from the media every day. People who are abused, like Justine Skye, wrestled with the difficulty of naming her abuser. In the Breakfast Club interview, she stated, “It’s not even about protecting him… It’s not about revenge, it’s not about exposing this person… Maybe one day I will say who it is.” She continued, appearing to confirm that the person may be in the music industry, saying, “I don’t think that people would care. I don’t think that it would make a difference…"
Victims bear the difficult task of healing, naming their abusers, and in many cases, creating an entirely different life. The people that suffer through this trauma, both men and women, seek safety, shelter and closure. Article 14 & 16 give you the right to a safe home or shelter along with the right to a marriage and family. There are times when dealing with domestic violence means that one's home is not the safe place and they must leave that place along with leaving one in their family behind. Thankfully there are people and organizations that listen to victims, helping them keep their family together and each other safe.
To all victims, this article is for you. And to you, Justine Skye, REPORTING, HEALING, and SEEKING SAFETY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Everyone should enjoy all the rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 3 "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person" We all have the right to live in freedom and safety. No one should be arbitrarily killed, or deprived of their liberty without good reason.
Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that marriage is a “love union“ or contract and with the right to this, there is no limitation on the race, nationality or religion of who you marry, or with the sex of who you marry. The freedom to marry and have a family is one you are born with, not a privilege.
If there are misfortunes one experiences with their significant other or a family member, they have the equivalent freedom to escape it. There's a widespread bloodshed not only in the United States but globally when it comes to domestic violence. Whether it's with teen dating, sex workers, children or in the workplace and one has a right to escape the abuser.
85 percent of domestic violence victims are women while 50 percent of homeless women became homeless for reporting their domestic violence. Children who grow up with domestic violence are six times more likely to hurt themselves and more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
Do you see a pattern? This continuous wounding in silence is what creates these dispiriting statistics. This conversation of rights and how we exercise them is important because there is tragedy and trauma in everyday life that is ignored.
The misconceptions of domestic violence in society are one of the primary reasons many victims prevent reporting domestic violence. There are many things to be afraid of in these unfortunate situations so the backlash, judgement and even ignorance will make make nothing easier. There are more than enough intractable events that go into solving this predicament. Let's start with just one: the central problem with helping a victim of domestic violence express these rights while keeping them safe and getting them justice.
From the Bill of Rights to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, when one is a victim of crime of domestic violence there are rights to be exercised and that plays a role into the way one is treated. Domestic violence is an alarming predicament in many homes around the world. Many spouses and children seek solace while some stay with feelings of obligations or simply just can't leave for economic reasons.
Throughout the US there are nonprofit organizations that set up hotlines, websites and safe houses to help one flee the violence and stay away from it. The role of criminal justice system has a history of failing the safety of victims of domestic violence which is why it's one of the most chronically under reported crimes.This is also why it's important for victims to be able to access such different organizations that help them exercise these rights for their specific predicaments.
Let's do more than celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Let's bring awareness of domestic violence and its victims. Carver High School wants to empower victims of domestic abuse and crimes.
Reflection
There were many insights I wanted to report but I had to consider the privacy of domestic violence victims. It is crucial to keep victims and victims rights organizations private so I would not put safety at risk. When talking about injustice and human rights this topic is often left silent and in the dark. As a journalist I would like to bring awareness of its importance to the youth , my peers and you, my audience.