Jenny Amory, 50, Brookline, MA
Why this question is important to Jenny:
Every woman and girl I know is impacted in some way by violence in their family, community, or personal life. I believe that women, girls, and supportive men can change this reality. If we work together, there is no limit to the change we can create.
I am the executive director of a Boston, Massachusetts USA-based journalism mentoring and leadership program that works with teen girls. We work with girls to produce a print and online magazine that discusses the issues that are affecting teen girls in the U.S. The subject matter is often about sexual abuse, domestic violence, trauma from witnessing deaths of family or friends, and dating violence. We don’t shy away from writing about these matters at Teen Voices.
We often say that girls experience invisible violence because so much of it happens behind closed doors. Unlike more public forms of violence, this violence is often not known, reported, or spoken about. So what if the world were safe for women and girls? Peer Leader AnnaCat, age 16, said:
The women of the world would be stronger, less defeated. There would be no more helpless teenagers, scared to leave their abusive boyfriends. There would be no more crying mothers, sisters, or daughters mourning the death of a loved one due to street violence or war.
I hope that girls reading this will send their stories about violence to teenvoices.com, and that we can all work together to encourage girls and women to create change in their own communities!
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Jenny’s question is one of thousands of questions gathered during a dropping knowledge question campaign. The power of these questions is evident. These questions demonstrate just how thoughtful the public can be if asked to name what it believes is important.
There is the terrible impact of violence–both hidden and visible–and then there is the more insidious effect of the possibility of violence on the lives of women and girls. The ways we are limited in where we live, work, walk, travel, interact, etc. etc. in order to avoid violence. Jenny, thanks for raising this important issue.
This is definitely an issue that needs some attention. Problems like these lead up to several diseases we have such as depression. Thanks teen voices for putting some thought into something like this and thank you Jenny for bringing this to their attention.
My name is Agostinha, and I’m a Peer Leader at Teen Voices. Violence plays a major role in women’s and girls’ lives. Most acts of violence are not talked about because of fear. If women and girls let go of those fears and stand up against violence, they will feel safer. If we all joined hands to support each other against violence, many things could be accomplished, and it takes only one of us to start this change. I think the media plays a major role in violence. There are so many movies, TV shows, and music videos about violence against women and girls. Teen Voices is one of the places in Boston that begins the change we need. We help teenagers think differently and act differently in a positive way. Women and girls are leaders in the world, and it’s just a matter of time until ever man and woman realizes it.
Imagine what a wonderful world it would be. Girls and women would feel respected and empowered to speak and share ideas without being bullied, ostracized or harrassed; there would collaborative resolutions to conflict resulting in a more peaceful world.
Women would be believed when they were victims of sexual violence and harassment. And they would stand by each other.
Teen Voices has the wife and supporter of a man who is indicted for assaulting women on its Board. He is defending himself by saying this is not a crime and taking the definition of this crime to the state supreme court.
Many other women have come forward but could not get charges as it was a “he-said she said” according to the District Attorney in Mass. As a victim I can not use my real name as he was a powerful man in Mass
Having worked for 20 years with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, I know intimately the devastation such violence has on women and children. I have also seen the amazing resilience that carries survivors through this devastation. I agree withe Jenny, there is no telling what we could accomplish if this resilience, intelligence and strength were put to use on activities other than survival!