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the HERALD Wednesday August 1991 Community Page Female assault has no place in modern Canadian society For All Your Fine China Silver Crystal Giftware MAIN ST MILTON 8780050 Main Street South Downtown Georgetown 8731470 By JACIE PALMER Herald Special In last weekend s issue of the Herald we read of an account of an assault in which the female victim was pushed to the floor and hit several times over the back of the head It goes without saying that this was not likely the first incident of violence between them because a victim rarely goes to police the first time In fact a woman is beaten 35 times on average prior to taking such action Although most assaults occur without being preceded by arguments this incident alleged occurred after one and yet I have to wonder at the presence of mind the male abuser had He didnt slap her across the face punch her in the abdomen or even kick her the legs According to the published report he drove her to the floor and belted her over the back of the head where bumps and bruises are not readi ly visible What a professional Only a professional would have the presence of mind to be certain the assault wouldnt leave visible injuries There is no doubt police prefer dealing with assaults where the injuries are multiple and severe A lawyer once told me the police love lots of blood Give them broken limbs blood stitches bruises and facial injuries and the case will receive some kind of priority because the injuries are more serious The assault I wrote of will like be given very little priority by police and our court system The victim needs to follow up regular ly with police to assure a sue conviction Police and the courts simply don appear to care about these kind of minor assaults I convinced that some members of the police force believe women deserve to be abused The sad part is that if this woman had retaliated against her male abusive partner and visibly injured him shed in ail likelihood be crucified by our maledommaled system Yet all assaults should be taken very seriously Our society is Established 1973 HALTON HILLS COLLISION RR 1 ACTON corners Ladies Mens Hair Styling GIGIHONEEl HAIR REMOVAL EYELASH TINTING Mill 8533461 Acton becoming more and more ac customed to violence and the ma jonty of us seem to accept this violence without even batting an eye We are conditioned to violence and as long as it affect us directly we seem satisfied to be a part of the status quo However violence indirectly affects all of us whether it be a mother who s assaulted a daughter who s sexually abused or children who recreate acts of violence they ve seen on televi or in the movies Each act of violence affects us for a lifetime Abusers cannot be stopped unless violent acts are given priority by the polic and our judicial system More counsel ing and penalties are need even for first time offenders who are really repeat offenders finally in court for the first time Every time our court system finds an abuser not guilty of his crime it tells him that what he did was OK No woman wants to be hit No woman asks to be hit We need to and the system needs to recognize that an assault has long lasting implications A few weeks ago a disgruntled father shared the story of his daughters assault with me She was attacked in a mall and received facial injuries but the court system let the young man off That was over three years ago Now she carries knuckles and spray bombs with her at all times According to her father she says Theyll never do this to me again Disappointment and broken trust men and our system It is only recently shes begun to trust men again and finally has a boyfriend This attractive lovely young lady has had several years of her life taken from her When she should have been out enjoy ing the freedom of youth she was terrified of receiving another assault The guilty go free and the vie tims continue to suffer Usually victims suffer in silence because they know they have to get on with their lives and cant afford to allow that negative mind set to continue Responsible members of our community need to stand together and say Enough is enough Lets protect our women Endnote Statistics quoted are from the Ontario Womens torate publications Feel free to contact by directing letters to her attention at The Herald All cor respondence will remain con idential Should you wish to speak to call the Distress Centre al and your call will be returned If you are a woman or child In crisis or an abusive male wanting help call the Distress Centre or dial 911 MVP DISTRIBUTORS MENS LADIES SHORTS Great for casual and sport wear Assorted colours and styles to choose from JACKETS Reg 24 At MVP we have a fine selection of ackets to suit every style Come in and take advantage of our special low prices I PULLOVER FALL JACKETS Reg 59 64 to oo AUTHENTIC MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL JACKETS Re MAJOR LEAGUE WIND- BREAKERS Reg CHALK LINE Reg 99 GRAPHIC JACKET DISTRIBUTORS 71 Main St South GEORGETOWN 8730500 in YOU COULD SAIL 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