On Friday, May 23, 6 young people were murdered and 13 wounded
in a deadly attack near the campus of the University of
California, Santa Barbara. The 22 year-old named by police as the
killer, Elliot Rodger, also took his own life. Before he embarked on his deadly
rampage,  Rodger warned of his intentions
in an online video and email, ranting hatefully about women, particularly those
who he perceived as having rejected his romantic advances.  The attack has led to widespread debate across
the USA and beyond about the ways women and girls are perceived sexually and
the violence and harassment that many experience.

In a statement, Soroptimist International of the Americas
(SIA) has urged continued action to tackle violence against women and girls, particularly
through education:

“SIA joins the rest of the world in mourning the victims
of the Santa Barbara, California, tragedy where a disturbed young man
senselessly murdered 6 people and wounded 13 others. His apparent motivation was
a deep-seated hatred of women.”

“Whether in the United States or Pakistan, where a
pregnant young woman was beaten to death with bricks by her own family members
for choosing her husband instead of marrying the man picked for her, SIA urges
people to unite in eliminating violence against women. One of the best ways to
do this is by providing women and girls with access to education, which is what
SIA’s programs focus on. We look forward to a day when women and girls
everywhere will live productive and full lives, free from violence, fear, and
gender-based discrimination.”

Debating misogyny
and attitudes to women – #YesAllWomen

The California murders have led to widespread soul searching about whether
some of the attitudes toward women expressed by Rodger are echoed and
reinforced in mainstream culture.

“It appears that the alleged attacker, Elliot Rodger, felt he
had the right to avenge his anger on [his victims] because he did not receive
that adoration that he expected from women while some other men did”, explains Paulette
Forbes-Igharo, Soroptimist International Lead UN Rep in New York.   

“Why did Roger feel that he was entitled to the response that he
expected from women?  This situation is
evidently far too complicated to comment on in detail without in depth
analysis.  However, societal conditioning
has certainly contributed.  Misogyny
played a role, and it is embedded in our society from many perspectives.  Women are denigrated and belittled in musical
lyrics, films, print media and many religious practices.  Misogyny is even perpetrated by our justice
system.  More often than not, when a woman
is raped she becomes the accused. 
Consequently, she ends up having to bear the burden of proving her
innocence before the rapist is punished.”

“We must address and end implicit and institutionalized violence
against women.”

The debate exploded on social media, with Twitter users in
particular using the hashtag #yesallwomen to share their experiences of harassment
and violence and their disgust at the sexual expectations and attitudes towards
women and girls.The hashtag emerged in response to arguments that “not all men are
sexist agressors”; women on social media replied that while this is undoubtedly
true, all women experience harassment.

Read
more

Campus Killings Set of Anguished Conversation about the Treatment
of Women – New
York Times

#YesAllWomen:
California rampage sparks Twitter response – BBC

California Slayings
Trigger Outcry at Misogyny – WomensENews.org