Culture Differences About Beating Women

I came across this article that talks about a non-governmental organization holding workshops to teach Indian males about the harmful and debilitating effects of beating women. The workshops are taking place in a small community named Jagriti, where boys from a young age are taught that beating women, whether it be a daughter, girlfriend, wife, or friend, is natural, acceptable, and even needed. There are some stunning comments in the article from boys and girls who have grown up in this culture.

Since we have discussed changing our culture in the last few class sessions, I thought this story would be appropriate. As someone from the United States, I can look at this and realize how wrong and cruel it is to beat women. But for the people who grow up witnessing and learning this way of life, it's what they know to be right. I think the U.S. has shown that changing the cultural norms about beating women is possible, and hopefully that becomes a reality in India as well.