The Importance Of Violence Against Women

In the policy analysis assignment, the Violence Against Women Act will be analyzed and its history will be discussed, as well as the details of what it entails, the unintended consequences, how effective it is, and what changes could be made to it. The analysis will be completed by gathering information from the Internet, specifically scholarly resources and U.S. government documents. The Handbook of Social Policy will also be a main source of information, as well as any other books that address the issue of violence against women. There will only be one person conducting this analysis and the imagined role of that person will be citizens’ advocate.

Violence against women is "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women”. The violence against women could be considered to always be an issue since from the beginning women were lower than men. But over time it got worse and men could beat and just overall control women and it all goes unpunished. Its impact can be physical, sexual and cause mental issues for women and girls, even including death.

Domestic violence against women is prevalent in almost all the societies in the world. It is an issue which was not even recognised as a crime 40 years ago and is still not recognized as a crime by many societies. Women suffer from violence, including physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological violence by strangers and their partners all over the world (Kaya, 2010). Even though it is a worldwide occurrence, there are some women who face more intense and frequent violence depending on their culture, country, religion,

Throughout history, women have continuously found themselves as the subjects of oppression. Although the treatment of women has drastically changed over time, women are still exposed to much of the violence that exists today. Per the National Organization for Women, “young women, low-income women and some minorities are disproportionately victims of domestic violence and rape” (National Organization for Women, 2016). Women-centered violence is highly prevalent and reoccurring all over the world, even in our local communities. Individuals may be hesitant to consider just how much violence against women affects their communities.

Violence against women has existed for centuries and women experience violence in many setting; however, domestic violence is the most prevalent. Abela and Walker (2014) explain that the women’s right movement took place because women were maltreated and oppressed (78). They state that the victimization of women was the reason why the second wave of the feminist movement arose. They also explain that during this time, laws in the Untied States allow men to hit their wives (Abela & Walker 79). Women from different cultures and different economic status have been victims of domestic violence. In this paper, I will focus on domestic violence against women from different cultures. I will present information about the history of domestic violence

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO,2010) a key element to preventing gendered violence is achieving gender equality. Similarly, the Senate report on Domestic Violence and Gender Inequality (Commonwealth of Australia, 2016) recognises that gender inequality in all aspects of life is a main contributor to the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia (p. 3). The United Nations’ (UN) likewise argues that Violence against women is rampant throughout history because of unequal power relations between men and women (UN,

Violence against women is a substantial public health problem in the United States. According to data from the criminal justice system, hospital, and medical records, mental health records, social services, and surveys, thousands of women are injured or killed each year as a result of violence, many by someone they are involved with or were involved with intimately. Nearly one-third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner (Federal Bureau of Investigation 2001). Throughout this, many will read about intimate partner violence also called

According to (Breiding, Smith, Basile, et al. (2014) , a national Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, conducted in the U. S. in 2011 revealed, The lifetime prevalence of physical violence by an intimate partner was an estimated 31.5% among women. An estimated 22 .3% of women experienced at least one act of severe physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime. The lifetime prevalence of physical violence by an intimate partner was an estimated 27.5% for men. An estimated 14 of men experienced at least one act of severe physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. Where the victim/offender relationship was known, female murder victims were almost 6

Intimate partner violence includes the physical, sexual, or psychological harm brought unto someone by a current or former partner. While both males and females can be targets of abusive relationships; women are more likely to report cases of intimate partner violence to the police. Based on reports, the rate of women targeted is significantly higher than the percentage of men. Intimate partner violence may occur in all countries, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic groups throughout the world. Underreporting is a huge issue in our society, which stems from aspects such as cultural views, the presence of children, a lack financial support/help, myths associated with intimate partner violence, patriarchy, and strain theory.

Because of more women notifying the authorities about the violence they are facing, most of the research and studies focus on female population. Around 1.3 to 5.3 million people are facing IPV each year in the United States especially immigrant women (Modi et al. 2014). The National Intimate Partner Sexual Violence Survey (NVAWS) reports that 3 in 10 women have suffered by an intimate partner (Modi et al. 2014). As per NVAWS, women faced 48% psychological aggression, 30% physical violence, 17% sexual violence and 9% of rape. In order to combat the rising issue of IPV, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was introduced in 1994 (Modi et al. 2014). As per World Health Organization, Intimate Partner violence (IPV) defines as behavior within an intimate relationship that cause physical, sexual, or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse and controlling behavior.(Modi et al. 2014). Aged 16-24 girls and young women are severely assaulted by male partner and it’s almost 2 million U.S women each year (Marrs Fuchsel, et al

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. A legislation set up to eliminate violence against

Violence against women is one of the most prevalent crimes against women yet the most underreported. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of innocent women experience different types of abuse, and some do not even know it (UN Women, 2016). The cycle of abuse starts with tension building, in which the perpetrator starts becoming aggressive prompting the victim to fold and try to please the perpetrator. When the suspect does not get what he wants or is not satisfied, the act of violence starts. This includes verbal, threats, intimidation, arguments, blames, anger, physical assault, or deprivation from the outside world even from the victim's family and friends. After a while, the abuser would enter the honeymoon phase and apologize for everything that happened, then vows that it wouldn't happen again. And the cycle continues (Bell, 2008).

Scientific interest in the issue of violence against women and its connections to poor mental health used to be insignificant. Nevertheless, the rise of second wave feminism and activism around women’s rights generated the development of interest in the worldwide social problem of violence against women (Walker, 1989, p.702). The importance of this problem has now been affirmed. Violence against women is legally realized as a priority health and human rights problem (WHO, 1997). In March 1999 at the 43 rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, a Resolution was adopted that admitted that violence against women is becoming acute in all countries, societies and socio-economic groups and as a aftermath the

Domestic violence has become a very serious global issue. Domestic violence can be described as “any incident of threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been an intimate partner or family member, regardless of sexuality” (Home Office, 2008 as cited in Howard et al., 2010). When hearing the term domestic violence it is often pictured as a male physically, sexually, verbally, or emotionally abusing a female that they were or are intimate with. This paints a vivid picture in the heads of individuals because female partner abuse is rooted in history. For a long time women were considered possessions of men and property of the husband, who had the “obligation to control and discipline them” (txtbook). A man was allowed to beat his wife, as long as the stick was no thicker than his thumb (this is where the phrase “rule of thumb” comes from); this law was removed in 1820 (txtbook). In 2011, statistics for the overall rate of intimate partner violence was “542 per 100 000 women, almost four times higher than the rate of men” (txtbook). Additional research “demonstrates that women initiate physical aggression as often, or more often than men” (judicial citation). One of the problems with these studies is that they do not always indicate whether women use violence mainly as a source of self- defence (textbook). Although all genders can be exposed to domestic violence, it is more common for the

The problem my group decided to address is violence against women. Violence against women can be defined as a pattern of abusive, violent or coercive behaviors. These behaviors are used against the victim in an intimate relationship to control their thoughts, beliefs or behaviors. The abuser uses violence to hold power and dominance over the victim of violence. Not only do they physically violate the victim, they also isolate the individual from her support system, making it tougher for her to receive help and leave the horrific situation. This is a prevalent issue in America that does not receive the attention it deserves. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, every nine seconds a woman in the United States is being assaulted, that equivalates to one in every three woman have been a victim of some form of violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.