No, MTV. Domestic violence is NOT a joke

As Natalia says domestic violence is not a joke. Yet MTV Ukraine broadcast a segment debating whether it's ok to beat girls?

Though I found it hard to believe at first, the topic was “Can you beat girls?”

Yep, there it was, staring me in the face.

I went up to the TV screen and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone. Meanwhile, my table companions quickly became animated as they realized what I was reacting to.

“You’re not going to change anything by being outraged,” Miros’ka (not his real name) said. “Anyway, they have a right to ask an honest question of their audience.”

“This is not an honest question,” Christina (not her real name) argued. “It’s like they’re making a joke. They’re acting as though this discussion is appropriate for a light-hearted forum, as if it’s not a serious problem we face. I’m sorry, but would they get away with a question that was more like: ‘Is it OK to steal money from the elderly?’ NO. Why? Because domestic violence is treated like it’s normal.”

Shocking misogyny. How does this question even arise? It's abhorrent. No No, a thousand times no, it is not funny to joke about domestic violence. It is not clever or witty to ask if it's ok to beat girls. It is never ok. It is never funny. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Domestic violence falls under that article.

No more.