Violence Against Women : A Worldwide Problem Still Hidden Problem

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,

There are no single causes/factors that contribute to the violence perpetrated against women. For the purpose of this, the author has divided the types of causes of violence against women into five headings. They are cultural, economic, legal and political.

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.

Another negative effect of gender inequality is the increased fear of violence for women. Women are often portrayed as weak and helpless beings that can easily be taken advantage of. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states that, “Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence –yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned” (Unite to End Violence Againist Women, 2006). Violence against women in the form of rape, spousal abuse, child abuse or spousal killing has become routine behavior over the years, so it rarely even makes the news anymore. “Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, motor accidents, war and malaria, according to World Bank data”( Unite to End Violence Againist Women, 2006). Women are often blamed and questioned about their actions if they become the

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

This began to change in the 1980s, as women’s groups were organized locally and internationally to demand attention to the physical, psychological, and economic abuse of women (p.369-370). Domestic violence is a serious social issue that happens to many women in our world today. This type of abuse is not declining but continually rising on a daily basis. There have been issues in the past with the way these cases were being handled. Today, there has been some improvement concerning the laws that have been enforced in order to protect women from this type of abuse. There has been extensive research done on this issue in the past concerning domestic violence. Over the last ten years there have been a number of surveys on domestic violence that have been published from around the world.

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

Gender-based violence impacts women and girls mental health and plays a role in the types of trauma women are more likely to experience and their responses to those types or traumas.

For the past 30 years, violence had increase against women within abusive relationships, why women stay and endure the pain and why they relinquish violence. Women who are being battered share certain observable characteristics. Speaking with a battered woman should reveal these characteristics and help to identify her as a sufferer of Battered Women Syndrome.

This essay has been written as it has been found that violence against women can be clarified as a human rights issue, worldwide. The World Health Organisation quoted in Devaney (2016) reported in 2013 that more than thirty percent of woman who are in an intimate partnership has experienced more than one form of physical, psychological or sexual abuse. More than thirty-five percent of murdered women are committed by their intimate partner. The percentage of indirect death such as, HIV, suicide or chronical sicknesses caused through domestic violence are higher (Devaney et al.,2016, p.1). Beside this, it can be argued that victim blaming regarding domestic violence is another phenomenon, who takes place in the highest levels, such as

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).

After reading this chapter, I am shocked over how much violence towards women goes underreported. I knew beforehand that victims of gendered violence do not report their situation to the police for various reasons, ranging from fear to shame. However, I did not know that reporting of gendered violence is especially rare in communities with women of color. Realizing how minority communities expect the female members “...to maintain silence about sexual assault, to protect ‘family honor and community integrity’” (p.265) was both frustrating and heartbreaking. The fact that the community the woman is a member of, during the time she needs them the most, expects her to continue suffering with her current situation was depressing to read. I can understand how the minority community, and the minority victim of abuse, may want to keep the police out of their situation because of reports about police brutality. However, their denial of receiving help due to stigma against police, who are the most capable for ending the victim’s abuse, was tragic to learn about.

These acts, in different cases have left women disabled in one way or the other, subjecting them to a lifetime of dependency, pains and regrets. Moreover, intimate partner violence leads to more psychological torture compared to injuries on physical aspect. There is no physical touching or beating involved but abusive men use degrading and abusive words to pierce women’s minds. This often leads to suicide attempts by women who are abused by men they loved and makes them feel devalued in the society. The use of offensive words by these abusive men as weapon against their wives eventually degrades their self-esteems. Words are powerful weapon against women’s nature. Positive words gladden their hearts while negative words spoken to them could make them sorrowful and regretful for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, sexual abuse is the common aspect of intimate partner violence in homes. Married women and young ladies are either raped or often experienced attempted rape by their husbands or boyfriends. This has left many women with so much hatred and hindered them from having a meaningful relationship after the abusive relationship come to an end. Many women are still battling this devil called sexual abuse from the hands of their partners.

Domestic violence is a serious issue that negatively impacts women in our society. “Domestic abuse is a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, or fear of physical harm” (Domestic Violence). Although domestic violence can impact men as well, this type of abuse seems to be more prevalent among women. This abuse destroys families and can even lead to death in some cases. Even though there has been improvement in spreading awareness about this social injustice, much more work must be done to put an end to domestic violence to protect families around the world.

Violence against women begins in childhood and is mainly there that bullying is performed. In childhood is vulnerable to abuse and these children suffer from their condition, this is a global problem which often do not transcend beyond the limits of the family, the child suffers violence in silence, ashamed and guilt.