Several high profile rape cases in the United States and India have increased our willingness to talk about violence against women. Much of the discussion has involved head scratching and puzzlement. What can we do? Why do men think they can behave this way? Do our laws protect the injured?

Violence against women is a men’s issue. Not in the way the “Every Religion Protects Women” campaign intends. The idea that women need protection by men from other men kicks the can down the road. What happens that afternoon you’re walking home and there is no one to protect you?

The message of this video is that good men come from all religions. This is an important message, given the current rise in Hindu conservatism (think the Christian right in the U.S.) in India.

Yet the idea that women need protecting from evil male intentions is predicated on patriarchy. Only a good man can beat a bad man; not a woman who speaks for herself or reminds men what is permissible in public.
Your thoughts?