Violence

After 26 years of marriage, Dora finally understood that staying with her husband meant "choosing death." "I had to lock myself into my daughter’s room at nights for fear that he would hit me with a baseball bat while I slept. He questioned my desire to study, my dreams; he criticised my family, my friends, and isolated me from everyone."

Madame Moderator, Honourable Judges, My worthy opponents, Members of the Clergy, A.Y.P.A Island Council Executive, fellow A.Y.P.A members, other members of the intelligencia, a pleasant evening.   I believe that you the audience would agree with me when I say that the topic chosen for this competition is one that is long overdue and vital to the empowerment of women worldwide; ‘The absence of self-respect and self-value leads to domestic violence against young women.”   Permit me to define the key terms in the topic: According to the world netweb
Absence means lack
Self respect means valuing one’s self
Self-value means self worth or self regard
Domestic violence is any pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.
Young women according to the The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women means any young woman between the ages of 15-45.
Paraphrased the topic renders itself thus: The lack of self esteem and a belief in one’s self worth leads to a pattern of physical, emotional and psychological abusive behaviour against women between 15 -45 years.
My intelligent Audience, my opening quotation taken from an interview with a Brazialian woman conducted in 2006 by the Caribworld news media emphasizes the depth of domestic violence and fear that these women experience on a daily basis that creates that sense of powerlessness and overall lack of self worth.   My fellow AY members domestic violence has far too long been a private matter rather than a public issue.   This evening it is my intention to raise this awareness...