Violence Against Women: Philosophical Perspectives, Article Review Example

This article is very thought provoking in the way it comprehensively covers violence issues affecting women of color and to an extent, all women in the US. The authors begin by soliciting for emotional support on the issues of violence meted out on women of color, and that is why the very first part of the article is an example who is raped at the hands of the society and then again when seeking help from the police (ironically, the ones who are supposed to protect women). In this example, the authors get the opportunity to introduce a prominent theme of the article; which is further elaborated in the body of the article.

This theme refers to the failure of the community to protect women and the failure of the justice system to protect women of color (Smith 1-6). Women of color are being victimized not only by the society, but also by the judiciary system. The authors are emphatic that traditional approaches where the fight against violence was entrusted to judicial processes is inadequate and in most cases serving the perpetrators of violence rather than the victims. In this elaboration, the writers seek to deliver home that the campaign against violence to women must go further than seeking stiffer penalties for offenders (Smith 1-6).

Another central theme of the article concerns the separation of the campaign against women of color from the mainstream campaign against domestic violence, which is dominated by white women and biased towards the problems of white women. The authors seek to express how, before the Incite Conference, colored women were misrepresented and under-represented by the larger campaign against violence on women (Smith 1-6). In expressing this concern, the authors seek to establish why a separate movement against violence on women of color is necessary and why it must be distinct from the campaigns dominated by white American women movements.

Another important thematic concern of the article is to elaborate on how widespread violence against colored women is. The article goes to great lengths to show how the initiative for the women of color against violence drew a phenomenal response and how it has advanced even though it had never been regarded as prominent before the Incite movement begun. This thus suggests that the problem at hand is bigger and millions of women are affected (French and Teays 98 – 146). The intent here is to show that the colored women movement is not a minority group but a national movement with significant effects in every locality within the US (French and Teays 98 – 146).

Another instrumental theme expressed in the article is one of differentiating between violence perpetrated against women by the state and the community. A large section of the article has been devoted to stressing that the state has perhaps been the guiltiest offender in suppressing women’s rights. In this, the article stresses the need to battle state violence against colored women and the need to include violence against women of color as part of the abuses recognized nationally and internationally.

Debate Questions

The following two questions solicit further discussion on the issue. First, can the campaign against women of color be beneficial to the campaign against violence to women in general or does it only benefit the women of color alone? Secondly, between sensitizing the public on the cons of violence against women and seeking policy enactment advocating for stiffer punitive measures against offenders, which one is the most effective course of action should the campaign pursue?

Works Cited

French, Stanley & Teays Wanda. Violence against Women: Philosophical Perspectives. New York: Cornell University Press, 1998. 98 – 146.

Smith, Andrea et al . The Color of Violence: Introduction. New York: The Incite! Anthology. 2006.1-6.