As if the reality of violence against women in the real world wasn’t bad enough, the U.S. television network has decided to make females the likely victims of violence on its shows. A recent report by the Parents Television Council tells us that the amount of violent scenes against women has gone up by 120 percent, between 2004 and 2009. And if that number isn’t shocking enough, according to this report, scenes involving violence against teen girls went up 400 percent! And they’re not just talking about drama series; these violent scenes are also taking place in comedies. Is violence against women really a laughing matter?
You may think that violence on TV is no big deal and that it’s always been there. But according to this report, violence in general increased by only two percent—this is a very big difference from the 400 percent increase in violence for teen girls alone. It’s true that violence on TV is nothing new and that, as bad as it may be, it’s always been a form of entertainment. But it’s possible that too much violence against women has desensitized us, which means we’re just not really noticing it anymore. This can’t be good.
Whether or not you think violence toward females on TV is an issue, the bottom line is that violence against women DOES happen. It happens every day and it happens everywhere. Take a stand by supporting our cause. Awareness is the first step toward change.
To see a sample of clips included in the study, visit this link. Warning: The video contains strong, violent content.
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