Why Utah still can’t confront violence against women

A display of purple flags raises awareness for domestic violence outside the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Utah’s troubling rates of violence against women have driven me, over several years, to attempt to understand why this crisis persists and what it will take to meaningfully reverse it. I don’t claim to have every answer, but I have developed a deeper understanding of the interconnected factors that — often invisibly — contribute to this violence. One of these factors is the lack of appetite Utahns — both leaders and residents — have to break the silence and face this issue head on.

As you might imagine, the perpetuation of violence is a complex issue that is often ignored in many U.S. states and other counties around the world. Utah is no exception. Violence against women is an uncomfortable topic, and concerns are often swept under the rug. Even though this violence is widespread worldwide, it remains one of the most silenced social issues. Several interconnected forces drive that silence in Utah and beyond. I will highlight six:

First, it’s uncomfortable and socially taboo: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) notes that gender‑based violence remains “shrouded in silence” because it is considered uncomfortable and stigmatized to discuss openly. People fear saying the wrong thing, being judged, or confronting painful realities. According to another source, silence becomes a form of self‑protection — both for individuals who don’t want to disrupt social harmony and for institutions that fear reputational consequences. In many communities, naming the problem feels like an accusation, so people default to avoiding it altogether. This avoidance doesn’t reduce the violence; it simply pushes it further underground.

Second, it challenges existing power structures: Violence against women is rooted in deep power imbalances. Naming the problem forces communities, institutions, and individuals to confront the ways power is misused or protected. That makes people defensive — especially those who benefit from the status quo. One global study highlighted how communities resist acknowledging violence, especially when it challenges cultural or patriarchal norms. When these norms are challenged, leaders and residents frequently deny or minimize the violence, and survivors who speak up face social retaliation for disrupting the expected order.

Third, it hits close to home. Most violence against women is committed by intimate partners or family members, not strangers lurking in dark alleys. Talking about it means acknowledging that the threat isn’t “out there” — it’s inside homes, families, churches, and communities. That proximity makes people shut down. It forces communities to confront the possibility that respected neighbors, leaders, or even relatives may be perpetrators. Research from a “Women in the States” report further shows that intimate partner violence cuts across every demographic group, reinforcing that no community is exempt. When the danger is this close, denial becomes a coping mechanism, and silence becomes a way to preserve the illusion of safety.

Fourth, people underestimate the scale of the problem. The UNDP highlights that even highly informed young people often don’t know basic facts about gender‑based violence or global campaigns to address it. This is true in Utah. When people don’t see the scope, they don’t feel urgency. This lack of awareness is reinforced by the fact that gender‑based violence is chronically under‑measured, making the true scale difficult for the public to grasp. A 2025 scholarly review on the topic found that inconsistent data collection and narrow definitions of gender‑based violence lead to widespread underestimation of its prevalence, especially in institutional and community settings. Without accurate data, communities underestimate both the magnitude and the urgency of the crisis.

Fifth, cultural norms discourage speaking up. In many places — including Utah — cultural expectations around modesty, obedience, forgiveness, or family unity can discourage women from reporting violence and discourage communities from acknowledging it. A research synthesis found that social norms — especially silence, stigma, and normalization of abuse — are among the strongest barriers to community recognition of violence. Violence is often treated as a private matter rather than a collective concern, which reinforces the idea that speaking up is disloyal or disruptive. These norms don’t just suppress reporting; they actively shape how communities respond, often prioritizing reputation, harmony, or religious ideals over women’s safety.

Sixth, systems are not designed to respond well — and that leaves people feeling powerless. When survivors see that institutions fail to protect them, they learn that speaking up is risky. When bystanders see that institutions fail to hold perpetrators accountable, they learn that speaking up is futile. Even when laws exist, social norms and community resistance make it difficult to enforce protections or talk openly about violence. Communities often ignore or circumvent these laws because of entrenched gender norms, leaving activists to fight uphill battles just to get authorities and leaders to take violence against women seriously. Faced with such systemic failure, many people feel powerless; they avoid the topic because they don’t know what to do or fear that nothing they do will matter. Silence becomes the default.

The bottom-line is this: We owe women and girls more than quiet concern — we owe them action. That means speaking honestly, challenging harmful norms, and insisting that our systems protect those they were built to serve. Utah can do better, but only if we decide that silence is no longer an option.