There are many forms of abuse and all of them can have serious physical and emotional

6 min readDec 2, 2020

As we mark the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign (25 November — 10 December), UN Women is joining hands with survivors, activists, decision-makers, the UN system, and people from every walk of life, to shine a light on the need for funding, essential services, prevention and data that shapes better-informed responses.

The answers seem quite obvious. And — rest assured — they are. It turns out that exactly as in the case of McLuhan’s slogan, sometimes — most of the time, in fact — what sounds ridiculously obvious in theory does not correspond to the daily life of what is preached and practiced in the mass media universe.

Our “rock ’n’ roll star” is right. People do have certain talents. And that distinction acknowledges the unique ability to write timeless songs in the same way it recognizes the ability to be truly innovative: if it was that easy, every fucker would be doing it.
In 2020, COVID-19 touched our lives in nearly every way, everywhere, as countries went into lockdown and restricted movement to contain the spread of the virus. As doors closed and isolation began, reports of all forms of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, began to rise.
It’s important to remember that when discussing cases of sexual violence, a victim’s sobriety, clothes, and sexuality are irrelevant. The perpetrator is the sole reason for assault and must bear the responsibility alone. Call out victim-blaming and counter the idea that it’s on women to avoid situations that might be seen as “dangerous” by traditional standards.

Join us in calling on governments to bridge funding gaps to address violence against women and girls, ensure essential services for survivors of violence are maintained during this crisis, implement prevention measures, and invest in collecting the data necessary to adapt and improve life-saving services for women and girls.

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These are consumers that don’t have MP3 files stored on their computers, iPods, or phones. They never bought a CD in their entire lives, and they cannot even begin to understand the point in collecting vinyls. Actually, even the concept of a “music album” may be incomprehensible to most of them. At the same time, a streaming service like Spotify emerges as the perfect platform: music is effortless to access, virtually free, and frantically disposable, like a 15-second TikTok video or the Reels tab on Instagram.

In August 1994, a couple of weeks before Oasis’s debut album, and over a year before Wonderwall, a 27-year old Noel Gallagher talked to Caspar Smith from The Guardian in a now iconic interview. Asked if he thought he was special, Noel said: “If it was that easy, every fucker would be doing it. If it was that easy, you’d be doing it. I believe people have got certain talents.”

Every year, the 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for united, global action to end all forms of violence against women and girls. This year the United Nations, together with our partners, are demanding four critical actions, summarized by our 2020 campaign theme: FUND, RESPOND, PREVENT, COLLECT.

When Marshall McLuhan wrote “the medium is the message” — though people rarely remember this — he was also referring to the obvious interpretation that everybody tries to ignore or distort (depending on which side you are). “The personal and social consequences of any medium result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by any new technology,” this in McLuhan’s own words.
The pandemic of violence against women is not new. Even before COVID-19 hit us, globally, 243 million women and girls were abused by their intimate partners in the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the violence, even as support services faltered and accessing help became harder.
When a woman shares her story of violence, she takes the first step to breaking the cycle of abuse. It’s on all of us to give her the safe space she needs to speak up and be heard.
Phrases like “she was asking for it” or “boys will be boys” attempt to blur the lines around sexual consent, placing blame on victims, and excusing perpetrators from the crimes they have committed.
Talk about consent, bodily autonomy and accountability to boys and girls, and also listen to what they have to say about their experience of the world. By empowering young advocates with information, and educating them about women’s rights, we can build a better future for all.
Say you own a record label in 2020 with a dozen new artists under contract. Would you rather spend your money signing Annie Leibovitz to photograph some album covers or would you hire Zane Lowe and Jon Caramanica to star in a six-episode original podcast in partnership with Tidal? Would you collab with 95.5 Klos or with the D’Amelio sisters?

There are many forms of abuse and all of them can have serious physical and emotional

Written by Theboatrace