Amy,

I was wondering if maybe you could help me find a good source of information about the following question. Basically, a friend and I were having a discussion about how in other countries it is still o.k. to kill or severely harm a woman without there being any punishment or repercussions. For the record we are both totally against such acts of violence against any women or human for that matter. I was trying to make a point by saying at one time we, as in the Western world, portrayed violence against women much in the same manner as they do in other countries, with there being no punishment or repercussions for these acts. In other words, in both cases the acts of violence are at some level endorsed by those in authority for whatever reasons.

If you could help me in anyway, it will be greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to enlighten someone to the reality of the world we live in as well as the world that has come before us. T

hank you in advance for your help with regards to this matter. Also, please feel free to weigh in with your own opinion on this; I'm very interested to hear it.

Take care,

Paul

Dear Paul,

Though killing isn't allowed in the US, it certainly still happens. Our laws might be better here, but that doesn't mean that we fare better in terms of overall treatment of women. There is still far too much devaluation of women that happens here as well as elsewhere around the world. I guess I just want to clarify that we are by no means a model for the rest of the world. In fact, other countries have lower thresholds than the US.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund might be a good group for you to access, as they have statistics on how it plays out in the US, but also global connections. For more international connections try Equality Now.

Good luck,

-- Amy