Animals in Colorado have better protection against abuse than women.

This was one of the views voiced at the “Women and Torture: A Dialogue on the Global and Local Human Rights Implications of Domestic Violence” event last Monday.

The event featured panel speakers Sheila Dauer, director of Amnesty International USA, and Kristina Matkins, a representative from Denver SafeHouse. October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Recent legislation in Denver has made animal abuse a felony offense, Matkins said. “We don’t have that for women,” she said. “We send a poor message to the victim: It’s no big deal.”

Dauer said that violence against women is a global epidemic that doesn’t discriminate. In more than 30 countries women of all ages and races are abused.

In Bangladesh, women are burned. In Pakistan there are honor killings, where a man can kill his wife if he thinks she has shamed him or his family and not be held accountable for the murder. In other countries, such as Vietnam, acid is thrown on women.

Such violence against women continues because governments either ignore the abuse or condone it, Dauer said.

Government and police officials also are bribed by men so that men who abuse their wives are not prosecuted.

Amnesty International will soon begin a world-wide campaign to stop this abuse. The organization’s international chapters will prompt governments to be proactive and acknowledge women’s rights and protect women from abuse.

“Domestic violence can be seen as a form of torture,” Dauer said. “And torturing someone, whether physically or mentally, is a human rights violation. Governments can be held accountable for this.”

In 1993 the United Nations issued the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The declaration ordered that all governments prohibit acts of violence against women and establish adequate legal protection against such acts.

However, Dauer said that most governments are violating the order. Amnesty International will work to spread global awareness about this particular declaration and other human rights treaties.

In Denver, Matkins said there is more help from the government to protect women against domestic violence. Mayor Wellington Webb’s office has a task force to combat and prevent domestic violence.

There is a mandatory arrest law that requires police to identify and arrest an aggressor if the police find evidence of domestic violence.

But Matkins said there are still glitches in the system.

In 1998, Denver police received more than 22,000 domestic violence calls. About 6,500 arrests were made.

Matkins believes that police are not properly trained to identify signs of abuse and don’t know what questions to ask of victims.

“Unless you break a bone, the police might not make any arrests,” Matkins said. Perpetrators are then given probation, she said.

To stop and prevent domestic violence, Matkins said there needs to be a coordinated community response. Police, court officials and the community must be trained properly and victims must be given a variety of support, she said.

More information on domestic violence prevention can be found at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Web site at www.ncadv.org.

Information on women’s rights can be found at the Amnesty International Web site, www.amnestyusa.org/women.