Sorry there wasn't a "WARNING THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC" message before the above pictures- frankly I don't care. The least you as a viewer can do is inform yourself and spread the message. I'm tired of people ignoring an urgent problem- whether it comes to women's rights, the earth, animal welfare, the refugee crisis, and more- because they don't want to confront the truth because it is too "graphic". Too often people choose to stay ignorant to an issue out of fear of realization. No more- I present graphic material not to scare or scar people, but rather to empower them to do something about it. Acid attacks are sinister forms of assaults that involve throwing acid on primarily women in Middle Eastern countries due to matters such as refusal of marriage or insufficient pay of dowry. The most vulnerable fall victim to these horrific and life altering events, mainly young girls under the age of 20. Acid attacks are prevalent in many countries, including India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Uganda and Cambodia to name a few. On average, the BBC claims that 1500 major attacks are reported worldwide every year- and there are far far more that go unreported. Acid attacks leave victims burned, maimed and disfigured. The depth of their disfigurement depends on the type of acid and how much was used on the victim. Sulfuric acid and mixtures of household chemical items are often used. Acid is known for its highly corrosive nature, making it extremely dangerous when it comes into contact with human skin and results in the skin tissue to dissolve and exposed bone to jun out and melt the surrounding flesh. Acid attacks lead to physical, emotional, and social permanent damage and even death. Many are so traumatized by the extent of their wounds that they may suffer extreme physcoligical turmoil. This further damages the victims’ self-esteem, self-confidence and seriously undermines their professional and personal future. Women find it difficult to find jobs, remarry, or even keep children which may be taken away and sent to more "adequate" parents. Take one acid attack victim who begged the government for an assisted suicide, or "mercy killing", after years of physical and emotional hell she suffered from her husband throwing acid on her entire body. And justice is almost never served. Many attacks occur in rural villages that shield these incidents from the public eye. Often its the women who are beaten and punished after the attack due to her family attempting to protect their "honor". In the film Saving Face, which follows a facial reconstruction surgeon who travels to Pakistan to treat victims of acid attacks, one of the victims of the acid attacks is forced to go back and live with the same man who threw acid on her for almost 5 months!! It's time for all governments to crack down on perpetrators, for such a cruel crime blurs the lines that define humanity.
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Today, a Muslim woman was set on fire randomly on the streets of 5th avenue in New York City. This pales in comparison to what goes on in the other world and clearly has no big impact on a majority of the world. It’s a sad fact but it is a true one. Of course it would be wrong to say that NO ONE cares about this topic but it really alters the view of certain people. At this point it's sad to say that some may even be desensitized to the rash and irrational acts of hate portrayed around the world. I currently attend NYU and have been dropped freshly into the rich city of New York. In terms of similarities, my home city of Santa Clarita falls short on every aspect. Views, food, people, culture everything is different and introduced in different ways to. Up to a certain point, I did not care for the news and only focused on the bubble that my city had to offer. This bubble offered a safe haven for everyone, and allowed people to gain a false sense of security. “Nothing’s going on in the world, everything is fine.” But really, while we all slaved away in a privileged little town, numerous people of my age and even younger or older have been fighting for what they feel is right. It’s almost hypocritical for me to stand here and write this. But this is not the only thing I am doing.
I am trying to be an active citizen to this global community and spread awareness and try to actually make a change. While some people may be sitting at home heavily thinking about what channel they should watch and what they should post on Twitter, others are deciding if it’s safe to leave the house and maybe stay awake for the night. Any problem you have isn’t automatically undermined by another serious one, but just keep in mind, some people are out there fighting for their lives. It’s time people wake up and realize that this world has been running off of too many blind leaders. Each form of hate crime is fueled by bigot politicians or irrational hate fabricated by a false sense of comfort. The people who carry out these crimes, of murder, arsony, or just humiliation do it all to make themselves feel better. Because what they do is justified to them and they believe they are actually changing the world for a better place. Yeah, they have the right idea of acting out and carrying out their beliefs but of course in the complete wrong way. With all this chaos going on in the world, people just want to be heard, and some will take it to extreme measures in order for this to happen. This could be good or bad, but in reality there has to be a medium to all of it. Extreme passion towards a certain idea leads to hate and eventually radicalism that fails to accept any other medium towards their cause. While people who only half-ass their way through something by donating a dollar feel comforted that they actually made a change. I’m not bashing the form of donation, and it is true that some people really cannot help make a change because of their circumstances. But to those who have a voice still and sit there on social media and just rant days on end about a topic, how about you get up and make a change. New York has been suffering heavily from a string of hate crimes lately and it can also be because of the recent passing of 9/11’s memorial. The Twin Towers going down was definitely considered one of the worst tragedies America had suffered and it has also brought along a lot of hate. Just recently, a woman was charged for trying to rip off a Hijab from a person while physically and verbally assaulting them. Again, these type of actions are serious and posses malpractice in nature, but still are not as big as the events going on in Syria and other countries fighting this war on terrorism in their homes. But small actions lead to bigger actions and eventually a group of people will form another cult or group and carry out their practices and idea. If you now try to fight the Trump in certain areas, you become a pariah and instantly regarded as a silly person with a narrow mind. These types of actions and idea keep fueling the hate that America does not need. After really walking around the city and exploring the news daily and keeping updated, you run into many different people and realize that freedom of speech is a thing. As I digress, it can be seen in the sports scene. People like Colin Kaepernick and Brandon Marshall, refuse to stand during the anthem. Actions like these contribute more to separate groups and separate ideas. More problems and debates arise and people fail to see the bigger picture. These people do not carry out their actions in hopes of showing people they dislike America. NO, these people are doing this because they sense it is necessary to happen. Back in the 1968 Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos caused uproar in the crowd when they raised their fists up. People found this disrespectful and many others were appalled by such actions causing a split on views. During the 1936 Olympics, runner Jesse Owens stunned the audience when he went to actually participate during the occupation of Nazi Germany, while winning 4 gold medals. This again, caused a division in views and many people criticized his race when he single handedly was representing America as a whole. And finally, the boxer Muhammad Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war after he was drafted because he felt his race was treated in such a poor manner, that they did not represent America in that way. Such actions have been present all around and not just in sports, but it's chilling to see that history has repeated itself many times. It’s no longer the problem whether their actions were wrong or not, no it's the bigger picture. People fail to see the bigger picture that such actions promote. People are contesting the unfair treatment they sense is happening in their community. When certain actions like this repeat itself in history, we need to stand back and ask ourselves why they come up again. The problem has not been fixed yet. Excuses and temporary fixes cloud the actual problem eventually leading to its reemergence in the future. Ideas are so powerful now, that everyone has been using a twisted source of justice as their excuse to back up any sort of action. This can’t be done anymore. People need to realize that it's time to think actually and fix a problem. But it can’t be done through violence and constant protest. Whatever idea you fight for is torn down instantly by violence because this itself presents another problem. People are getting hurt because of an increased sense of comfort is needed. A lot of these hate crimes and protests can be done without the people running around and harming each other. Everything is so scattered now. WE must sit as a global community and tackle issues in unified actions. Starting a mass is key now, and people need to really know what is right for this country. Amidst all this chaos, people only want to be heard and will go through extraordinary measures in order for their voice to be heard. This needs to be stopped. Sit down and look around, ask yourself how many pieces of news articles you can read that actually involved some positive change in the world. Fragmented pieces of actions clash in ideas and only tear down what was once about to be built. Because as far as I know, I don’t want to be living in a world where women are still discriminated. I don’t want to live in a world where law enforcement is seen as a threat. I don’t want to live in a world where people have to fight and try to prove their righteousness in order to achieve peace. Clearly, the world will never be fully at peace, but we are from even trying it out. Currently time has been pedaling back and we seem to be digressing further and further back in time disregarding any sort of humane evolution we have worked centuries for. There are over 1.3 million people in the US army. Those 1.3 million men and women are some of the most skilled soldiers at deterring hostile forces to date. The United States military force is one of the most dominant defense forces in the world. However, within its own ranks, the United States army is fighting its own battle- one that it is losing every day. "If you are a women in the US army, you are more likely to be raped than killed by enemy fire". 20,300 men and women were sexually assaulted in only 2014- and the number is estimated to be far greater due to rapes and assaults that go unreported. 60% of women who do report sexual assaults are retaliated against by military personal who threaten jeopardy of job position or accuse these women of lying or exaggerating their claims. Some are stripped of their ranks or discharged if they choose to speak out. So why does this problem occur in the very system that should be the most honorable? One reason sexual assault festers in the military is its leadership structure, according to former service men and women who have been assaulted in the military and advocates who work with them. In the military, sexual assaults are handled within the chain of command. That means that a victim’s commanding officer has the ability to intervene at any point: to stop an investigation, reduce a sentence or even set aside a conviction. There is also a lack of awareness brought to this issue- according to accusations against the Pentagon and military who want to depict the military as only a righteous system with no faults. If you serve in the U.S. military and you rape or sexually assault a fellow service member, chances are you won't be punished. In fact, you have an estimated 86.5% chance of keeping your crime a secret and a 92% chance of avoiding a court-martial. And by (and if) the time justice is served it's often too late to press adequate charges- and victims are often too burdened with PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and more to stand a chance at pushing their case. So, America, the next time you thank our fore fathers or applaud our soldiers for keeping this beautiful nation safe, add another reason as to why you should be grateful for freedom...because it comes at a damn heavy price. |
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