Saturday, 7 January 2017

Post 146—The PM on Violence against Women



Many of my posts are critical of our young PM, though not because of his age. Of course, his age may have something to do with it, for during the last Federal campaign did we not frequently here that he was not yet ready?  In other words, not experienced enough; not old enough.  I do believe that to be the case. He is far too rash and does not think things through adequately. I’m hardly the only one to talk this way, of course. It is frequently repeated even in the liberal press.

But credit to whom credit is due. I will give him credit when he deserves it, since, like some people, I do not get paid to oppose him no matter what he says or does. The item I am sharing with you today has been on my “to do” or “to write” list ever since end November last year, but other things were always crowding it out. They still do, even today, but this time I’m elbowing them out of the way and let the PM have his say on a very important subject. 

On November 25, 2016, the PM’s office published the following statement:

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:
“An estimated one in three women around the world experience violence in their lifetime. This statistic is unacceptable. It is crucial for all of us – women, men, and youth – to work together to put an end to this violence.
“Violence against women is the world’s greatest and most persistent violation of human rights, leaving women and girls vulnerable and unable to fully participate in society. It damages families, communities, and countries.
“Violence against women is not a women’s issue. Men must boldly work alongside women to combat this violence – and not simply because they have wives, daughters, or sisters. Women deserve the full depth of respect, safety, and dignity, regardless of their relationships with men.
“To change the prevalence of this violence, we must first challenge the attitudes and behaviours that allow this violence to exist, and that allow disrespect for and abuse of women to become commonplace. We must teach our daughters and sons the importance of gender equality and the need to treat everyone with equal respect.
“That is why the Government of Canada is investing in several programs both in Canada and around the world to help promote gender equality, support efforts to prevent gender-based violence, and stop human trafficking.
“Today and throughout the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, I encourage all Canadians not only to think about how their actions matter, but also to stand up against gender-based violence. Get started by joining the conversation online using the hashtag #ActionsMatter. Together, we can create a world that does not tolerate violence against women.”
Mostly well spoken, PM.  Thank you.  But it raises a question….
I’m back to make one comment on the above. I’m a missionary and we missionaries are often accused of imposing our religion and culture on other peoples. My point today is not to argue against that, but, rather, to indicate that our Federal Government does the very thing we are accused of. It tells other cultures what to do, impose western values on non-western people.  To oppose gender violence is a good thing, no matter where it occurs. However, when you start talking about gender equality you are talking about the basics of a culture and you are telling those “others” that they must change their culture. Has anyone invited the PM in to undermine their culture?  Just because he thinks genders should be equal, does that give him the right to force that on others?  Of course, if it is accompanied by dollars, then other nations often pretend to agree just to get access to those dollars, but they often get diverted to a cause the men can accept!

Just askin’.

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