Second Class Victim

As much as my firm belief in the equality of the sexes, I can't agree with the Spanish court's recent decision, that the fairer sex should receive a lighter sentence than her counterpart, presuming that they had both committed the same crime. This came about when a woman was charged of violence against her husband. If the blow from her dainty little hand hurt less, she certainly had the same intention to hurt with all her might when she struck out.

According to the Ministry of Justice, only 10% of domestic violence are committed by women (5% only according to the State Observatory of Violence against women). The reason of the court decision is not clear, at least not to me, but it seems to have established that women violators would be given the consideration of being, simply, women. Is this in fact the 'machista' way of saying women are the weaker species?

I don't share the elation of those who applauded such a constitutional resolution because, I think, instead of being effective it would only serve to flare up the polarization between the sexes. A victim is a victim, be it referring to a man or a woman. One as well as the other has the same right of wearing trousers.

What happens if, let's say, for the abandonment of a new born baby, on what could the court base for giving out a lesser penalty to a woman but a heavier one if the evil doer is a man? Doesn't the baby suffer the same degree of harm? Is there such a thing as a lesser death?

Tags:equality,violence,penalty

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