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Domestic violence is a global disease – but we are not powerless Domestic violence is a global disease – but we are not powerless
(3 months later)
Recently, I watched a policeman (and several onlookers) stand by as a man dragged a weeping, shoeless woman along the street by her hair. Central Beijing is generally very safe but not, it seems, if your assailant is your husband.Recently, I watched a policeman (and several onlookers) stand by as a man dragged a weeping, shoeless woman along the street by her hair. Central Beijing is generally very safe but not, it seems, if your assailant is your husband.
Repeated requests that a policeman help her were ignored; only after I tried to restrain the man myself, and another passerby assisted, did the officer take action. The couple were eventually driven away to the nearest police station. I have been unable to find out what happened to the woman, but it is highly likely they returned home together: victims usually drop charges. That's not surprising since previous domestic abuse cases suggest that the police response to such cases is woefully inadequate. I'd be shocked if a British policeman simply stood by as his counterpart did in Beijing, but this is not about blaming the Chinese officer. Domestic violence is not a China problem, it is a global disease. And it is not just a matter for law enforcement, but for all of us.Repeated requests that a policeman help her were ignored; only after I tried to restrain the man myself, and another passerby assisted, did the officer take action. The couple were eventually driven away to the nearest police station. I have been unable to find out what happened to the woman, but it is highly likely they returned home together: victims usually drop charges. That's not surprising since previous domestic abuse cases suggest that the police response to such cases is woefully inadequate. I'd be shocked if a British policeman simply stood by as his counterpart did in Beijing, but this is not about blaming the Chinese officer. Domestic violence is not a China problem, it is a global disease. And it is not just a matter for law enforcement, but for all of us.
The sense of powerlessness and fury flooded back this week as I realised that while people watched and photographed (and profited from) a tearful woman in London, no one did a damn thing to protect her from assault.The sense of powerlessness and fury flooded back this week as I realised that while people watched and photographed (and profited from) a tearful woman in London, no one did a damn thing to protect her from assault.
There can be good reasons for pausing. In Beijing, I feared that I might make the man angrier, and hoped that the policeman would take charge. And though some victims think onlookers should step in, others disagree. "If anyone had intervened it would have made it a million times worse … at the end of the night I had to go home to that man; I had children in the house," a victim of abuse told Victoria Derbyshire in a powerful interview this week.There can be good reasons for pausing. In Beijing, I feared that I might make the man angrier, and hoped that the policeman would take charge. And though some victims think onlookers should step in, others disagree. "If anyone had intervened it would have made it a million times worse … at the end of the night I had to go home to that man; I had children in the house," a victim of abuse told Victoria Derbyshire in a powerful interview this week.
But she went on to urge witnesses to call the police, pointing out how much more skilled officers have become in handling domestic violence.But she went on to urge witnesses to call the police, pointing out how much more skilled officers have become in handling domestic violence.
That message is echoed by Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, who advised against personally stepping in but stressed, "it is really important that people do something". Yes, there are still horrific shortcomings in the handling of domestic violence. Recently we read of the repeated pleas for help that preceded Maria Stubbings' murder by her violent ex-partner – the latest of too many such cases.That message is echoed by Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, who advised against personally stepping in but stressed, "it is really important that people do something". Yes, there are still horrific shortcomings in the handling of domestic violence. Recently we read of the repeated pleas for help that preceded Maria Stubbings' murder by her violent ex-partner – the latest of too many such cases.
And welfare cuts are endangering women's refuges, which might save other lives. But police have made huge progress in tackling the issue and that gives Britons the luxury of choice – unlike those who witness abuse in many other parts of the world. I will never know if my decision to intervene was the right one. In the UK, I doubt I would have had to make that judgment.And welfare cuts are endangering women's refuges, which might save other lives. But police have made huge progress in tackling the issue and that gives Britons the luxury of choice – unlike those who witness abuse in many other parts of the world. I will never know if my decision to intervene was the right one. In the UK, I doubt I would have had to make that judgment.
When we see a wrong and say nothing – from embarrassment, uncertainty or indifference – our silence speaks for itself. We tell abusers their actions are acceptable and that they can bully, injure and perhaps one day kill with impunity. We tell victims they do not matter and there is no point asking for help. If a frightened woman's safety is not worth a phone call, what are the rest of us worth?When we see a wrong and say nothing – from embarrassment, uncertainty or indifference – our silence speaks for itself. We tell abusers their actions are acceptable and that they can bully, injure and perhaps one day kill with impunity. We tell victims they do not matter and there is no point asking for help. If a frightened woman's safety is not worth a phone call, what are the rest of us worth?
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