How
can a victim of abuse ever
have any hope when all the hope they have left is beaten out of them? Hope that someone will
intervene
and rescue them from their abusers and tormentors. How much more are
they
abused and betrayed when those who they rely on for help abandon them
in the hands of their tormentors? Anticipating that the
response to
such questions is to condemn the police and local authorities, haven't
we
forgotten ourselves? In an increasingly `apathetic' modern society it would seem we are more likely
to rationalize our pathetic indifference's to make it more palatable in
our own
minds, and the media aids us in this. The police are not alone in their reluctance to involve
themselves in "domestic
disputes", a term that has itself become associated with some form
of
acceptance and dismissal to grant it some justification. It has become a sickening social default
response to categorize the victims in order to attach blame, again only to
alleviate our own selfish guilt. With all the victim support groups available,
little wonder the victims of any form of abuse are afraid to reach out for help, further tormented by the fear of being judged.
These are not only victims of rape, sexual, violent and psychological/emotional
abuse. They are the victims of despair. Despair because they are afraid of
being abandoned and forgotten. Despair because their plight will attract negative attention.
Despair because they have lost all hope of having anyone they can trust. What
can be more horrifying than when you finally do run into the arms of someone
who has come to rescue you, only to realise that they too are complicit in the
abuse?
However. Many of us feel such a
terrible sense of helplessness when we hear such stories of abuse. We feel so
utterly powerless, desperate to be able to do something. So often, it seems
beyond our means to intervene to comfort those in despair. But, we can all do
something. We can abandon our prejudices and judgement of others and realize
that we are each individuals, controlled only by our human spirit, born of
natural selfless compassion. We are each more special than perhaps we realize. The
victims of abuse so often don't have a voice and nobody can hear their cries. We
can do something. If you are religious, you can pray, and mean it. If not, you
can spare more than a moment to imagine yourself in their shoes. We can reach
out to them and free them from their entrapment. Remember that homeless person or
street beggar you passed by and ignored on the street, only because everyone
else did? That was your missed opportunity to be unique. That pause for thought
is worth more than you may realize. It is a moment in your life that may be
taken into account one day. Even if you're late for work or an appointment, go
back to them and remember that a few coins are worthless if they don't come
with a comforting word.
A moments thought for the suffering of another costs nothing.
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