411: Violence Against Women
Author: Amnesty International
What is Violence Against Women?Violence against women deals with 'gender-based' violence towards women. By this we mean:
- Violence that happens to a woman because she is a woman; e.g. forced abortions or forced pregnancies, rape, female infanticide or domestic abuse.
- Violence that particularly affects women more than any other group; e.g. violence against women in the family
How common is Violence Against Women? According to 50 surveys from around the world at least ONE out of every THREE women in the world has been beaten, forced into sex, or otherwise abused (such as emotionally) in her lifetime. Usually the abuser is a member of her family or someone known to her.
Does it happen in only certain parts of the world or to certain groups of women? No! Many people think that violence against women only happens in other countries, other cultures or just when people are poor or have drug or alcohol problems. This just isn't the case.
Violence Against Women in Conflict
- Violence against women such as rape, kidnap, torture and murder is often a deliberate tactic by armed forces in order to create fear, because of the communities certain women may represent or because their male relatives are activists or community leaders.
- When fleeting for safety women and girls are particularly vulnerable to rape and other gender-based violence.
- When women and girls do manage to reach a refugee camp they are not always better off. Camps are often built in dangerous places, near war zones for example which make women extra vulnerable. There are sometimes armed attacks on refugee camps.
- Over 50% of women experienced some sort of sexual violence during the conflict in Sierra Leone, Africa in 1999. Many were forced into slavery.
Violence Against Women in the Family: For many women and girls the home is far from the safe place it should be. Violence in the family can take many forms. It can include violence such as a physical and sexual abuse or even rape. Someone may be controlling her movements, not letting her see friends, not letting her out of the house or depriving her of money for food and healthcare. Family violence is an ongoing pattern of violence and abuse. The victim is especially vulnerable because she shares her home with her attacker and may have feeling of loyalty or even love her attacker.
Violence against women in the family can also include being forced into marriage at an early age. "Honor killings" come under this category too; this is when family members kill a person, usually a woman, if they feel she had done something to dishonor the family not behaved as they think a women should behave: e.g. if she gets pregnant whilst not being married.
Why does violence against women happen?
Discrimination & inequality: Discrimination is the root cause of violence against women. Women are commonly denied equality with men in all areas of life. In most cultures women's roles are often viewed as having less political, economic, social and cultural value than those of men, a process that has been happening for centuries. This keeps men in a position of power and violence is often used in order to reinforce this position. So whilst discrimination against women continues to exist, violence against women is more likely to be tolerated, justified or goes unpunished. Discrimination and inequality are at the root of violence against women.
Culture: Discrimination is also linked to culture and society. The cultures we live in define women's roles in society. Whilst come cultures are increasingly supporting and promoting women's human rights, some customs, traditions and religious values in many societies are being used to justify violence against women. However, virtually every culture in the world contains forms of violence against women-many of these are seen as "normal"or at least are tolerated. Even in countries where there are laws to help protect women, tolerance of violence can be found. In 2002 a man from Jordan was sentenced to just 12 months for the murder of his sister. He had killed her when he found out that she had been pregnant when she married her husband. The court decided to reduce the man's sentence because they considered that his sister had damaged the family's reputation. The belief that violence against women, particularly in the family, is a private matter makes it more difficult to try and stop the violence. It is not a private matter it concerns everyone.
Conflicts: There is a link between the amount of violence in the family and community in areas that are in conflict. Tensions in the home case are often increased when there is a conflict going on. At the same time when there is conflict, people tend to focus on the conflict, which means that violence against women in the family is overlooked. Sometimes conflict in the community is given as a justification of violence against women in the home. Violence against women during conflicts can also be used deliberately to create fear in a community.
Governments failing to take action: If the government fails to protect women from violence or to punish those who carry it out, violence against women is more likely to continue, as people know they won't get punished and so they can get away with it. Society and the government therefore end-up tolerating violence.
Poverty: Poverty leaves some women more at risk to violence. It is very difficult for a women living in poverty to escape violent situations or to get protection. Poverty and illiteracy (being unable to read or write) means it is harder for women to organize themselves to fight for change. However it is important to remember that it is not just women living in poverty that are living in violence, it can happen to all women everywhere.
