Most people when they hear "gender based violence” are likely to think of a male-female interaction with the male being the perpetrator. Statistics show that every 9 seconds in the United States (US) a woman is assaulted or beaten. On average, this amounts to nearly 20 women per minute being physically abused by an intimate partner in the US. I have witnessed domestic violence throughout my life from early childhood, through my teens and even as an adult. This came not from television or what someone had told me but from within my own household. My mom and stepfather had drawn out, rugged fights. My stepdad would hit and punch my mom and if you've heard anything about my mom, you’d know Ms. Lewis ‘didn't take any mess’. She would hit him with the closest thing in sight or within reach. Her retaliation eventually caused him to stop and back down. As a child I thought I was the only one who saw their parents’ fight. I was ashamed and embarrassed to share these experiences with anyone. One day while at school, I overheard a female teacher whispering to another teacher that she should leave and not be a punching bag. Hearing this at 9 years old, I took an oath to myself that that I would never be a punching bag, and so I wasn’t. It seemed to me that violence was the answer. It was what I saw and what I believed was the answer. In my effort to self-protect I became the perpetrator. Dr Tina D Lewis is the founder and creator of Global Women Speakers, the number one platform for women who share the passion to become more financially successful so they can have more and be able to give more. Her commitment to empowering women was born in her personal experience of domestic violence
as a child who’d witnessed domestic violence I thought it
was an answer
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November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine Collective Action Magazine
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