Michele Lent Hirsch
Bio:
Michele Lent Hirsch draws on both science journalism and international experience to report on sexualized violence. In her previous role at Psychology Today magazine, she wrote and edited a wide range of pieces that made the latest research on behavior and the brain more accessible (and more fun).
As a freelance writer before that, she worked by day at the global network of Soros foundations, where she helped social justice programs adhere to national and international regulations. A native New Yorker and graduate of Cornell University, she is also at work on a collection of essays. Find her on Twitter at @Lent_Hirsch.
In this video hosted by HuffPost Live’s Abby Huntsman, our director, Lauren Wolfe, cites a finding that may get you riled up: that 65 percent of men surveyed in the Democratic Republic of Congo believe women should accept partner violence to “keep the family together.” More shocking is the finding she cites next: that 53 percent of girls in India think wife-beating is justified—girls who may one day be those very wives.
Even war is safer than this. Imagine it: Your family attacked. Your house teeming with soldiers. Your options running out. A protected area for victims of war sounds like a wise place to flee.