Violence against women especially in the home or in the context of the family is to me one
of the most important issues that we could possibly talk about in this class.
Violence is a strategy that people in power use to maintain their power.
It is central to discussions of women's health and human rights, not only because it is one
of the two major causes of illness in women--the other being sexually transmitted infections--but
also because it is a major strategy for maintaining power in societies organized in terms of hierarchy.
In our hierarchically structured societies, we not only categorize people but we also
make the mistake of assigning values to various categories.
We learn that strong is better than weak, that bigger is better than smaller, that rich
is better than poor.
Those higher in the structure expect to wield power and/or feel they must maintain their
positions by retaining control.
Violence is used at all levels of society to maintain power.
A country gets out of hand, and so we bomb it; a child stands up to his parent, and he
is beaten; a wife doesn't get dinner on the table on time, and she is pushed across the
kitchen.
Violence is an issue of the paradigms in which we live--these hierarchical or patriarchal
structures--and it is a strategy for maintaining power.
The Center for Gender Equity describes violence against women as the most pervasive yet least
recognized human rights abuse in the world, as well as a profound health problem.
It occurs in all countries and is perpetrated in the vast majority of cases by men against
their female partners.
The essence of domestic violence is that it is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors,
including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion, that
adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners.
Although domestic violence is hard to measure, those who work in the area of prevention of
family violence consider such injuries to have reached shocking, perhaps even epidemic,
levels.
In nearly 50 population-based surveys from around the world 10% to 50% of women report
being hit or otherwise physically harmed by an intimate male partner.
The first-ever global study on domestic violence was released in 2005 by the World Health Organization.
Based on extensive research done by the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine.
the report shows that violence against women is widespread, with far-reaching health consequences.
The WHO report confirmed earlier conclusions from less extensive studies that about one
woman in every three around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise
abused in her lifetime.
The WHO report included data for more than 24,000 women interviewed in 10 countries.
Among other conclusions the report found that women who are physically abused by partners
are likely to experience health problems, regardless of whether they live in modern
industrialized cities or rural areas in resource-poor countries.
They found that victims are about twice as likely as non victims to suffer from poor
health, and that such effects persist long after the violence has stopped.
This health impact of domestic violence went beyond injuries, as women who had experienced
physical or sexual violence by a partner were more likely to have pain, dizziness, and mental
health problems.
Victims were also more likely to have considered suicide and to have suffered miscarriages.
The cost of domestic violence goes beyond the individual costs that we have been talking
about.
Another WHO study on the economic dimensions of interpersonal violence noted that beyond
and in addition to devastating individual families, interpersonal violence also results
in major economic costs to societies.
Some nations spend more than 4% of their gross domestic product on such violence-related
injuries and low income nations may be hardest hit.
For much more detail and specifics about this extremely important issue—gender-based violence—and
its health consequences, please read Chapter Six of the text for this course.
As usual, I direct you to the descriptions at the end of the chapter of groups that are
addressing this serious and pervasive health and human rights issue.
