A simple solution is to change the “social sanction” around the world.
“Social sanctions” are the unwritten laws that almost every person, in every society, strongly enforces. Parents teach such laws to their children, and to a greater or lesser extent, most every person will help in some way to enforce these unwritten laws.
In America, for example, one social sanction might be if a person put on a t-shirt that said, “I have sex with young children”. They would have a hard time walking down a city sidewalk without being assailed by someone. This could run from looks of disdain, all the way to physical attack. Social sanctions can be very, very serious.
So this new unwritten law, this new social sanction, should be taught by women to other women, and to girls, everywhere around the world.
“Women and girls should *always* carry a bladed weapon with them, and if attacked by a man, they must cut him with it.”
Now, it does not matter if this is a 440 stainless fighting knife, or as little as a sharpened piece of scrap metal, or even broken glass, in very poor countries.
The social sanction is of women, demanding of other women and girls, that they must *always* have a bladed weapon on their person, and they *must* cut any boy or man that attacks them.
“Because this is what girls do.” That is the sole reason, with no other need for justification.
And then what happens? Undoubtedly some women will be beaten, or even killed, when attacked by men. But that happens right now.
But more importantly, men who *might* attack will have to think twice. And this makes all the difference in the world. “Does she have a knife? Will she cut me with it?”, are thoughts that persuade men to *not* attack in the first place.
There is a critical mass, of sorts, of women carrying bladed weapons. Many women and girls just won’t. But many will. And it is up to men to guess which ones are armed, and which ones are helpless. And they cannot tell. But the result is the same.
“I better not attack her, because she might have a knife, and she might cut me!”
And the world is changed.
“Because that is what girls do.”
“You don’t have your knife?? Here, I have an extra. You can have it. You don’t want to be out without one.”
An armed society is a polite society.
“Social sanctions” are the unwritten laws that almost every person, in every society, strongly enforces. “
I remember those...one of them was “you don’t hit girls”.
Unintended consequences: knives + PMS = danger!