Amnon was Tamar’s stepbrother and both were David’s children. Tamar was requested by her father to serve Amnon with food. She prepared some cakes and took them to her brother who told her to send everyone away before he could eat (Cooper-White 2012). When she was serving him, Amnon took hold of her hand and requested her to lie with him.
She refused and asked the brother not to force her into sex as it was against the beliefs of the Israelites but Amnon was adamant to Tamar’s pleas. Amnon grabbed her hand and proceeded to rape her (Cooper-White 2012). This shows that perpetrators exploit the services being offered to them by the less privileged.
The cry of Tamar reflects how innocent people fall victim of assault while serving people they trust and respect and how the perpetrators do not heed their pleas. Women face violence and when they cry the society neither listen to them nor do anything about the violence.
The action by Amnon and the words that he used is a reflection of domestic violence in our society on how perpetrators of such violence against the opposite sex silence the victims.
Perpetrators also use harsh and strong words to maintain their control and power after they have committed the offences. They are determined not to see or recognize their victims in order to be free from the crime they commit (Cooper-White 2012).
In the United States of America, an average of one woman is assaulted sexually in every two minutes (Cooper-White 2012). Forty-four percent of the individuals assaulted are aged less than 18 years while those under 30 years comprise of 80 percent. The assaults take the forms of sexual harassment, battering as well as rape (Cooper-White 2012).
However, sexual assaults are mostly unreported among other crimes where more than 60 percent of the cases go unreported. People who are known by the victims constitute sixty-three percent of the sexual assaults (Cooper-White 2012).
The perpetrators are usually friends to the victim or their acquaintances. Statistics show that in every three women, one is raped during her lifetime. Therefore, it would be wrong for the society to be silent when statistics are evident (Cooper-White 2012).
When Pamela Cooper-white wrote the book titled The Cry of Tamar about the violence against women, she implied that violence takes place against both genders (Cooper-White 2012). The experience Tamar went through is not different from what is happening today.
For example, her brother Amnon sexually assaulted her. This action took place at her own home when her brother took advantage of her kindness, which happened to be her most vulnerable trait leading to exploitation (Cooper-White 2012). This implies that most of the rape cases occur in familiar surroundings such as homes, offices or schools.
There was no respect for Tamar even after she pleaded and said no to the brother. Even though Tamar cried loudly, the community did not come to her rescue. Most of the crimes committed today go unreported because no one cares to disclose once they happen.
Violence does not have to be sexual assault but can be murder that affects everyone. The issues of assault should be discussed openly and the society informs people about them. When violence is committed, justice should prevail even at domestic level for children and between spouses (Cooper-White 2012).
Reference
Cooper-White, P. (2012). The cry of Tamar: Violence against women and the church’s response. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.