Americans were horrified by the recent shootings near the University of Santa Barbara. Seven people, including the shooter, were killed. What was more shocking was the misogynistic nature of the incident.
Twenty-two-year-old Elliot Rodger rambled on in 137 pages about his life and frustration with women. He also documented his rage against women in a series of YouTube videos. Rodger filmed one video minutes before the rampage stating his plan for retribution.
“I do not know why you girls aren’t attracted to me,” he said, “But I will punish you all for it.”
The reaction following the incident encompassed grief and deep concern for the safety and welfare of women.
#YesAllWomen began trending on Twitter. The tweets ranged from women expressing their fear of walking home alone to the objectification of women based on the clothes they wear.
Shortly after this event occurred, two young girls were gang-raped and hanged from a tree in northern India.
The attack on the girls sparked outrage. Angry villagers protested by refusing to let police remove the bodies from the tree.
The founder of Women for Women International, Zainab Salbi, stated that "violence against women is a global issue," not limited to developing countries.
While we are sometimes tempted to believe that we are granted safety in America, the sad fact is that women are not. Violence against women plagues developing countries as well as our own nation.
While it’s true that women have made strides toward equality, I will not consider the struggle over until we all feel safe.
