After months of media coverage and exposure, Rihanna has comeback with her first song since the tragic incident with Chris Brown. Many of you may be wondering what importance a pop song can have in the prevention of domestic violence. You’d be surprised.

The lyrics of Rihanna’s new song, “Silly Boy”, exhibit the subtleties and warnings signs of abuse in younger relationships. There is a specific line that really caught my attention: “I remember when you would say you hate my waist”. Harsh criticism and verbal abuse are the first signs of abuse in a relationship.

The song also speaks about the importance of staying strong and not accepting abuse in a relationship or taking back someone who has abused you in any way.

We hope that Rihanna’s message reaches out to teens and young people in abusive relationships and gives them the courage to speak out and get the help they need.

Here is the song with the lyrics: 

At a recent seminar on domestic violence in Saudi Arabia, a judge decreed that husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly.

Before we react to this atrocity, it’s important to look at the bright side: that Saudi Arabia is actually holding seminars and public discussions on domestic violence.

In fact, according to CNN, “Domestic violence, which used to be a taboo subject in the conservative kingdom, has become a hot topic in recent years. Groups like the National Family Safety Program have campaigned to educate the public about the problem and help prevent domestic abuse.”

In a country where domestic violence is a regular occurrence and not seen as a serious issue, it is definitely refreshing and hopeful to see that the issue is finally facing light and being pushed every day.

There still remains a lot of work to do. Women’s rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider’s reaction to the ruling was “I’m not surprised to see a judge or a religious man saying that - they’ve been raised in the same culture - a culture that tells them it’s ok to raise your hand to a woman that this works.” - CNN. COM

Changing cultural perceptions is one of the most crucial steps in combating domestic violence and also one of the hardest. However, open discussion and awareness of the topic are the first step in ending domestic violence. Although we will still be faced with ignorance as portrayed by the Saudi judge, we are still one step closer in ending gender abuse in our community.

Many of us are shocked and horrified as we continue to read details on the Wesleyan Killer Stephen Morgan, who shot and killed his ex-girlfriend,  Johanna Justin-Jinich.

According to Bloomberg, “The victim filed a harassment complaint against Morgan when both attended a summer session at New York University in Manhattan in 2007, John Beckman, a spokesman for the university, said in a statement. Justin-Jinich said she’d been “receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Mr. Morgan,” the NYU statement said. However, after conversations with the NYPD, Justin-Jinich declined to file charges. ”

Such a tragedy calls for more education on campuses about dating violence but most importantly more safety measures on campuses. Why didn’t the NYPD follow up with the case?

Our thoughts and prayers are with Johanna’s friends and family and we pray for the safety of all the students of Wesleyan.