Violence against women is a
technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against
women. Similar to a
hate crime, this type of
violence targets a specific group with the victim's
gender as a primary motive.
The United Nations General Assembly defines "violence against women" as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women noted that this violence could be perpetrated by assailants of either gender, family members and even the "State" itself.
Worldwide governments and organizations actively work to combat violence against women through a variety of programs. A UN resolution designated November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
History of violence against women
Some historians believe that the history of violence against women is tied to the history of women being viewed as property and a gender role assigned to be subservient to men and also other women.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) states that "violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”
In the 1870s courts in the United States stopped recognizing the common-law principle that a husband had the right to "physically chastise an errant wife". In the UK the traditional right of a husband to inflict moderate corporal punishment on his wife in order to keep her "within the bounds of duty" was removed in 1891.
Impact on society
The
World Health Organization reports that violence against women puts an undue burden on
health care services with women who have suffered violence being more likely to need health services and at higher cost, compared to women who have not suffered violence.
Several studies have shown a link between poor treatment of women and international violence. These studies show that one of the best predictors of inter- and intranational violence is the maltreatment of women in the society.
Types of violence
Domestic violence
Women are more likely to be victimized by someone that they are intimate with, commonly called "Intimate Partner Violence" or (IPV). The impact of domestic violence in the sphere of total violence against women can be understood through the example that 40-70% of murders of women are committed by their husband or boyfriend. Studies have shown that violence is not always perpetrated as a form of physical violence but can also be psychological and verbal. In unmarried relationships this is commonly called dating violence, whereas in the context of marriage it is called domestic violence. Instances of IPV tend not to be reported to police and thus many experts believe that the true magnitude of the problem is hard to estimate. Women are much more likely than men to be murdered by an intimate partner. In the US, in 2005, 1181 women, in comparison with 329 men, were killed by their intimate partners. In England and Wales about 100 women are killed by partners or former partners each year while 21 men were killed in 2010. In 2008, in France, 156 women in comparison with 27 men were killed by their intimate partner.
Though this form of violence is often portrayed as an issue within the context of heterosexual relationships, it also occurs in lesbian relationships, daughter-mother relationships, roommate relationships and other domestic relationships involving two women. Violence against women in lesbian relationships is about as common as violence against women in heterosexual relationships.
Diagnosis planning
The
American Psychiatric Association planning and research committees for the forthcoming
DSM-5 (2013) have canvassed a series of new
Relational disorders which include
Marital Conflict Disorder Without Violence or
Marital Abuse Disorder (Marital Conflict Disorder With Violence). Couples with marital disorders sometimes come to clinical attention because the couple recognize long-standing dissatisfaction with their
marriage and come to the
clinician on their own initiative or are referred by an astute health care professional. Secondly, there is serious
violence in the marriage which is -"usually the husband battering the wife". In these cases the emergency room or a legal authority often is the first to notify the
clinician. Most importantly, marital violence "is a major risk factor for serious injury and even death and women in violent marriages are at much greater risk of being seriously injured or killed (
National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women 2000)." The authors of this study add that "There is current considerable controversy over whether male-to-female marital violence is best regarded as a reflection of male
psychopathology and control or whether there is an empirical base and clinical utility for conceptualizing these patterns as relational." on the course of violent marriages which suggests that "over time a husband's battering may abate somewhat, but perhaps because he has successfully
intimidated his wife. The risk of violence remains strong in a marriage in which it has been a feature in the past. Thus, treatment is essential here; the clinician cannot just wait and watch." The 1998 United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda recognized rape as a war crime.
Violence in empowerment systems
When police officers misuse their power as agents of the state to physically and
sexually harass and assault women, the survivors feel much less able to report the violence. It is standard procedure for police to force entry into the victim's home even after the victim's numerous requests for them to go away. Government agencies often disregard the victim's right to
freedom of association with their perpetrator.
Shelter workers are often reduced themselves to contributing to violence against women by exploiting their
vulnerability in exchange for a paying job.
Activism
Many activists believe that working towards the elimination of domestic violence means working to eliminate a societal hierarchy enforced through sexism.
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence cited
racism within the anti-violence movement and suggest that violence against women will not end until the anti-violence movement re-directs its goal from "ending violence against women" to "ending violence against women of color." The same conclusion can be drawn for other systems of oppression.
See also
Acid attack
Bride burning
Domestic violence
Female genital cutting
Foot binding (historical)
Human trafficking
Infibulation
Lissette Ochoa's domestic violence case
Murder of pregnant women
Rape
Response based therapy
Sati
Sexual slavery
Violence Against Women Act
Widow inheritance
Shows red card to abuser
References
External links
Violence against women, a factsheet on ECtHR case law
Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women and Girls (in English, French, and Spanish)
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