Global Violence, Selective Outrage
Violence against women is a global phenomenon that transcends geographical and religious boundaries. However, what is thought-provoking and concerning is not merely the occurrence of violence, but the way it is portrayed and reflected in mainstream global media—particularly Western media.
Every time a tragic incident against women occurs in Iran or certain Islamic countries, headlines quickly flood the media space. From “institutionalized violence in the Islamic Republic” to “backward Islamic culture,” all of it enters the narrative without the slightest doubt. In these accounts, not only is the perpetrator blamed, but the entire political, cultural, and religious structure of the country is targeted—as if an individual tragedy is evidence enough to condemn the entire system.
From “Cultural Backwardness” to “Personal Tragedy”
But when a woman becomes a victim of violence in the heart of Europe or in the United States, the story is told differently. The media, with remarkable caution, describe the perpetrators as “mentally disturbed criminals,” “individuals with troubled backgrounds,” or “men hurt by emotional relationships.” What would be interpreted as a “systemic issue” in Iran is reduced to a “personal incident” in the West; no one mentions “depraved Western culture,” “misogynistic capitalist system,” or “patriarchal policies of liberal governments.”
Two Murders, Two Realities
For example, in the final days of March 2025, Italy witnessed two horrific cases of femicide. Sara Campanella, a 22-year-old student, was stabbed to death in the city of Messina by a fellow student who had been stalking her for some time. Just a few days later, the body of another 22-year-old woman, Ilaria Sola, was found inside a suitcase in a valley near Rome; the killer was none other than her ex-boyfriend, who had hidden the body after the murder.
Although these tragedies received some coverage in Italian and even international media, not a single report mentioned “Western patriarchal culture” or the “deviant and ineffective social and cultural policies of the Italian government.” No media outlet linked these crimes to the political or cultural system of the West; instead, they were merely referred to as “individual murders” and “personal tragedies.”
Justice, Not Ideology
This double standard is not only a media injustice, but it also prevents a proper understanding of the phenomenon of violence against women on a global level. Whether in the form of honor killings in the Middle East, rape in the streets of Europe, or femicide in American homes, violence against women must be examined from a human perspective, without political prejudice. This topic should be approached without ideological exploitation, and its roots should be traced to the superficial, consumerist Western culture that reduces women to commodities.
The West cannot claim to be a pioneer in women’s rights while even in its most developed countries, rates of rape, femicide, and domestic violence remain sky-high. What threatens women is not only certain misguided Eastern traditions or false religious zeal, but also immorality, isolation, consumerism, and the collapse of social and cultural bonds in modern Western societies.
Condemnation Without Prejudice
Violence against women must certainly be condemned, but this condemnation must be grounded in justice and realism—not selective bias. Some countries should not be attacked more harshly simply because they do not conform to flawed Western cultural models, while others are excused under the pretext of “individual mistakes.”
From this perspective, as long as narratives are shaped through the political and ideological lens of the West, not only will the truth be lost, but women around the world will continue to fall victim to media injustice and the double standards that serve not justice, but Western power and dominance.
From: irna
