Women And Violence

The Guardian’s G2 has run a feature today about actress Keira Knightley starring in a new ad for Women’s Aid about violence against women... by men. This is a problem that is well worth raising awareness about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctoZbeD-GlY

However – violence against women is not just perpetrated by men. Women also uninvitedly attack other women – and men – yet no one talks about it.

I happen to know of examples where women have been the perpetrators of violence within the home – not big, burly-looking men like the man in the Women’s Aid advert, but who, nevertheless, have caused fear and intimidation in the home because of their recourse to violence. I have seen gay charities speak out about domestic violence, but domestic violence isn’t exclusive to a sexual relationship. Hundreds of thousands – possibly millions – of people live in house shares with friends, acquaintances or strangers. This group is often forgotten by the media.

Domestic violence also includes family life. From what I have heard, and from what I have witnessed, it more often than not a woman who raises the punitive hand to a child, not a man. I have never seen a man beat a child in public, but women will.

Why women do this is another discussion, but it is one we should be having.

Warning On Cannabis

At last - a television campaign aimed at warning teenagers of the mental health problems associated with cannabis.

The Guardian today reports that, while it is not the first anti-cannabis advert to appear on British television, it is the first to target 11 to 14-year-olds.

Like many, I used to think that cannabis was no real big deal, and was a drug on par with alcohol and cigarettes. I now know that it isn’t. Its ability to trigger long-term mental health problems is far greater than we thought 10 years ago. Or rather, more of us are now aware of the mental health risk.

According to figures quoted in the Guardian, 10,000 11 to 17-year-olds were treated for cannabis use in 2005, 10 times the number a decade ago.

I have watched the advert on the Guardian site. It is hard hitting. I have seen that kind of thing happen to people. A cannabis-user who experiences that level of paranoia doesn't have to have been using the drug for very long.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/feb/13/advertising-drugsandalcohol

Well done to Frank, the Home Office-run drugs advice and information service promoting the ad. The campaign is well worth the £2.2 million the government spent on it.