domestic violence

Name

nInstitution

nCourse

nViolence against men should not receive the same attention as violence against women

nIntroduction

nOver the past 20 years ago, statistics reported that women are as violent as men towards their partners. Surveys have provided both lifetime and annual-prevalence of marital partner violence among men and women (Crenshaw, 1241). However, the survey found that married/cohabiting women reported significant more intimate perpetrated rape, stacking, physical assaults than did cohabiting/married men. Many women suffer from more frequent and longer lasting discrimination, fear of bodily injury and use of mental health, medical and justice systems services than men (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1261). Violence perpetrated against women by male intimates is more repetitious and physical injurious than violence perpetrated against men by female intimates. Therefore, the violence perpetrated against women by male intimates leads to significant loss to the society in form of poor performance and use of medical, mental health and justice systems services as compared to violence perpetrated against men by female partners (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1232). Furthermore, there are several other forms of violence against women which include: sexual abuse by non-intimate partners, exploitation of labour, debt bondage of girls and women, female infanticides, rape in war and deliberate neglect of girls (Crenshaw, 1243). There are many potential perpetrators of violence against women including spouses, parents, other family members, neighbours, and powerful and rich men. Hence, domestic violence against men should not receive the same attention as violence against women.

nViolence against women as “any action of gender based violence that lead or have the potential to cause injury and these acts are embedded in the sex inequalities (Menjívar, Cecilia, and Olivia, 898). In addition, violence against women not only manifest in sexual inequalities but also unequal balance of power between men and women. The term violence refers to various forms of abuses targeted at girls and women (Kimmel, 1332). Perpetrators consciously use violence as a means of subordination. For instance, violence by intimate partners is often used to demonstrate the male power and the head of the family or relationship.

nIntimate partner violence

nThis form of violence against women is perpetrated by intimate male partners and husbands. It often includes physical violence such as punches, slaps and kicks to assaults with homicides or weapon. Besides sexual violence takes various forms such as forced participation in degrading sexual acts, or forced sex (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1262). Furthermore women are frequently subjected to emotional and psychological abuses such as prohibiting a woman from socializing or seeing her friends, family members, humiliation and belittlement. In addition, women suffer from abuses such as economic restrictions which restrict women from working, or owning properties or confiscating their salary (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1233).

nOver the last 16 years, various surveys have reported that between 10 per cent and 50 per cent of women who have ever had partners, have been hit or physically assaulted by their intimate male at some points in their lives. Furthermore, women between 3 per cent and 52 per cent reports physical violence every year. Statistics suggests that many women are sexually assaulted by their partners (Crenshaw, 1243). For instance, 26 per cent of women in Zimbabwe reported that they were forced to have sex against their will in marriage. Additionally 23 per cent of women reported physical assaults, 20 per cent reported that their partners shouted or intimidated them, while 12 per cent reported that they were forced when they were asleep (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1238). Physical and sexual abuse varies between different cultures and geographical areas. Most men do not report sexual abuse or ever forcing their wives to have sex.

nSexual coercion and rape

nWomen also face coerced and violent sex from non-intimate partners. Most perpetrators of rape cases are individuals known to the victims. These include family members, individual in position of authority, intimate partners, and acquaintances (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1266). Non-intimate male partners use physical force or non-physical force to compel women or girls to have sex against their will. These methods usually include blackmail, trickery or threats. Besides, women are raped when they are under influence of alcohol, when asleep, recreational drugs or any other drug such as date-rape drugs (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1237). Although rape by unknown persons are normally acknowledged as crime, by contrasts, sexual coercion in return for a job, rape in marriage and in school it is often tolerated in many countries (Kimmel, 1337). Rape cases by a gang of men are usually frequent in many countries such as New Guinea, South Africa and some parts of USA. These cases have been linked to gang initiation, racism, ethnic hatred, rites of passage and punishment.

nGirls child sexual abuse

nChild sexual abuse include sexual touching of the child, rape, compelling the child to touch another person sexually, exposing the child to pornography or forcing the child to have sex with another person (Crenshaw, 1249).. In most cases, sexual abuses of the child occur between the adult and the child (statutory rape). Sexual violence against the child persist over time and the perpetrators use manipulative tactics to keep the children from disclosing abuses to other people. In the recent past, child sexual abuse is on the rise (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1238). According to statistics, the most common perpetrator of sexual abuse is the father of the girl child or close male member of the family (Johnson, 1100). Many countries have reported child abuses from religious leaders, family friends or child-care workers (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1268). Child sexual abuse is common to children who are below 15 years. Studys findings show that child sexual abuse is very common to girls as compared to boys. For instance, national representative surveys shows that the rate of childhood sexual abuse is between seven and thirty six per cent for girls and 3-29 per cent for boys with most statistics reporting 1.5 to 3 times violence against girls and boys.

nForced prostitution, Trafficking debt bondage and exploitation

nThe growing worldwide industries have produced women and girls trafficking for forced labour and sexual exploitation. In addition, civil wars, displacements and poor socioeconomic status between women have elicited trade in women (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1238). Furthermore, the demands of low wages labour and social inequalities between countries have led to sex work drive. The business of trafficking women is highly profitable because it is often controlled by mafia, high-ranking government officials as well as military figures.

nUnited Nations define trafficking as the use of violence, coercion deception or debt-bondage and misuse of power and control over women for material gain (Kimmel, 1332). Reports show that there are between 0.7 to two million women who are trafficked across the international borders every year (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1268). Womens trafficking is spread across the world. The Eastern and Central Europe and former Soviet Union are the largest source of countries where women are trafficked into prostitution.

nMost women are often tricked that they have secured jobs in international countries as nannies, waitress or dancers only to realize that they have been lured to forced prostitution and other forms of slavery (Menjívar, Cecilia, and Olivia, 898). Others discover that they have been bonded into slavery-like jobs such as sweatshop labour, domestic violence or begging. Many women are raped, beaten or their vital documents such as passports confiscated (Crenshaw, 1289). According to data from International Organization for migration in Indonesia, 500 women reported that they were promised false opportunities abroad. In these countries, they many women receive no payment for their services or are kidnapped.

nRape in war

nThis is an inevitable assault against women in various countries with civil wars. Use of rape is a deliberate strategy to weaken community bonds or undermine resistance to aggression (Kimmel, 1347). In countries such as former Yugoslavia, perpetrators use rape for ethnic cleansing through impregnation. Rape cases have been documented in civil wars in Rwanda, Liberia and Uganda and political uprisings such as anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1269). During the 1992-95 conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serb soldiers raped between 20, 000 to 50, 000 women (Crenshaw, 1266). The international criminal court in Hague defined sexual offences as crime against humanity. The ICC has convicted Serb soldiers of raping and torturing Muslim women and girls in the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict.

nFemale infanticides, sex-selective abortion and deliberate neglect of girls

nIn several nations the ratio of men to women is often higher than would be expected from the normal men women ratio (Crenshaw, 1279). These countries include South Korea, China and Taiwan. This is due to high female mortality rates resulting from female infanticides (deliberate killing of females after birth), sex-selective abortions or neglect for girls. Deliberate neglect of girls is a systematic and fatal neglect of nutritional and health needs of girls, which leads to these demographic inequalities in these countries. It is estimated worldwide that more than 60 million women and girls are “missing” (Menjívar, Cecilia, and Olivia, 912). In population census in 2001 in India, only 876 girls and women were counted for every 1000 boys and men. This population census suggests that between 23 and 39 million Indian girls are “missing” (Garcia-Moreno, et al, 1269). Moreover, the highest mortality rate in India occurs in girls younger than 4 years. Furthermore, due to improvement in technology such as ultrasonography examination, many mothers are increasingly terminating lives of female foetuses. South Korea has the highest sex ratio at birth, at 120.3 for every 100 girls in 2000 (Menjívar, Cecilia, and Olivia, 918). Despite these data, female infanticides have received little attention from the government, medical profession or public health professionals.

nIn conclusion most severe and prevalent violence are against women than men. Over the past two decades, perpetrators of violence against women have increased. The potential perpetrators against women include individuals known to them (Crenshaw, 1266). These perpetrators include fathers, male family members, religious leaders or men in position of power. The intimate male person abuses their partners through physical assault or sexual violence. Many assaults include forced sex when they are not will and physical assaults such as beating. Non-intimate violence against women includes rape, female infanticides, deliberate neglect of girls and women trafficking (Watts, Charlotte, and Cathy, 1232). Many of this violence are not reported because women are threatened if they do so. Therefore many women are experiencing violence or are living with its consequences. Many governments have initiated laws that protect women from any form of violence. However, they are minimally implemented due to lack of awareness and the complication involved in violence against women. Therefore, the government and all the stakeholders should prioritize their efforts in curbing violence against women than violence against men.

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nWork cited

nCrenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color.” Stanford law review (2008): 1241-1299.

nGarcia-Moreno, Claudia, et al. “Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence.” The Lancet 368.9543 (2006): 1260-1269.

nJohnson, Michael P. “Domestic violence: it’s not about gender—or is it?.” Journal of marriage and family 67.5 (2005): 1126-1130.

nKimmel, Michael S. ““Gender Symmetry” in Domestic Violence A Substantive and Methodological Research Review.” Violence against women 8.11 (2004): 1332-1363.

nMenjívar, Cecilia, and Olivia Salcido. “Immigrant women and domestic violence common experiences in different countries.” Gender & Society 16.6 (2002): 898-920.

nWatts, Charlotte, and Cathy Zimmerman. “Violence against women: global scope and magnitude.” The Lancet 359.9313 (2002): 1232-1237.