Transcript Violence Against Women

Violence Against Women
Hope Turyasingura
Center for Domestic Violence Prevention
WOUGNET workshop
Hotel Africana
Kampala, Uganda
2nd June 2010
Definition of violence against women (VAW)
The United Nations defines VAW as any act of
gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to
result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or
suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or in private life.
Definition cont…
Violence against women is a technical term used
to collectively refer to;
Violent
Cruel
Brutal
Inhuman
degrading acts that are primarily or exclusively
committed against women of all ages.
Forms/categories of VAW
Violence against women is one of the most
widespread violations of human rights. It can
include physical, sexual, psychological and
economic abuse, and it cuts across boundaries of
age, race, culture, wealth and geography.
Violence against a woman is a crime, and a
violation of her human rights.
Forms/categories cont…
Physical violence
Sexual
Emotional
Economical
Traditional harmful practices
Physical violence (physical pain)
Hitting with objects/on wall, beating, punching,
slapping, kicking, biting
Cutting with sharp instruments (axe, panga, knife,
broken bottles e.t.c)
Burning with hot water, acid, fire, hot irons
Hair pulling
All these mostly by spouses (domestic violence)
Emotional/psychological violence (hurting feelings
and emotions)
Refusal to eat meals at home
Prolonged silence
Comparing you with other women
Blaming you for everything that goes wrong
Isolation (keeping you from spending time with
friends and family)
Over possessiveness/jealousy
Threatening to hurt you/children/relatives
Late coming
Economical violence (control of resources)
Control of all family resources (financial, labor,
time, land, animals e.t.c.)
Denial or refusal to engage in gainful employment
Taking away ones income or produce
Refusing/denying a partner/spouse to own
property
Destruction of property
Refusal to provide the needs
Refusing a partner/spouse to participate in
financial decision-making.
Sexual violence (control of sexuality)
Rape (public/marital)
Defilement
Incest
Attempted rape/defilement
Extra marital relationships/multiple sexual
partners/unfaithfulness
Human Trafficking for prostitution purposes
Insertion of foreign objects in the partner /spouse’s
genitals (sticks, bottles or pouring red pepper)
Forced oral sex
Forcing someone to watch sexual acts
Sexual harassment
Traditional harmful practices
Forced early marriages
Female genital cutting
Widow inheritance
Denial of inheritance rights
Denial of eating certain food stuffs
Woman belonging to the whole clan
Polygamy
Location
It takes place in;
homes
in communities
on the streets
in schools
in churches
the workplace
in farm fields
refugee camps
during conflicts and crises
Who are the perpetrators?
Fathers
Stepfathers
Grandfathers
God fathers
Husbands
Brothers
Cousins
Uncles
Neighbors
Perpetrators cont…
Boda Boda riders, Taxi drivers and
conductors
Family friends
Teachers
Colleagues at school
Colleagues and bosses at work places
Religious leaders
Strangers
Root causes of VAW
Violence against women is about power and
control.
The root causes of all forms of VAW lie in a
society’s attitudes towards and practices of gender
discrimination (roles, responsibilities, limitations,
privileges, and opportunities afforded to an
individual according to gender)
Root causes of VAW
Male and societal attitude of disrespect or
disregard for women
Lack of belief in human rights for all
Lack of knowledge for human rights
Lack of value for women and women’s work
All the above lead to male
dominance/patriarchy/abuse of power
Contributing factors (perpetrate/increase risk)
Alcohol/drug abuse
Religious, cultural/family beliefs and
practices
Inadequate laws against VAW
Poverty
Different education levels
Inter-marriages
Different religious affiliations
Different political inclination
Age differences
E.t.c.
Consequences of VAW
VAW affects all kinds of women every day. It
doesn't matter what race or culture you come
from, how much money you have, how old you
are, or if you have a disability. Violence does not
discriminate.
A wide range of physical, mental, sexual , socioeconomical and reproductive, and maternal health
problems result from VAW
The link between VAW and HIV/AIDS
“Violation of women’s rights through Violence is both
a cause and a consequence of HIV/AIDS.”
– UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNIFEM in
Women and AIDS: Confronting the Crisis, p. 45
• HIV infection as a consequence of VAW (both biological and
social vulnerability)
• VAW as a consequence of HIV infection (social vulnerability)
Challenges of addressing VAW
Domestic violence is still socially sanctioned.
Perpetrators believing that they are victims
Culture Impunity (perpetrators not held
accountable)
Inadequate interventions (community and
institutional)
Inadequate public policy and legislation
Gender insensitive laws and policies
Insensitive JLOS
Lack of political will to address VAW
Conclusions
VAW is a major public health problem and a
violation of human rights.
Violence by an intimate partner is one of the most
common forms of VAW
A wide range of physical, mental, sexual and
reproductive, and maternal health problems result
from VAW.
Low social status of women in society is the root
cause of VAW
Many women do not seek help or report violence
when it occurs.
Not all men are abusive, but overwhelmingly, men
are the major perpetrators and women are
majority of the victims
Conclusion cont…
Violence against women is a chosen action
against a woman or girl child simply because of
her gender, simply because she is female.
Violence against women cuts across race, religion,
income, class and culture.
Violence Against Women is deeply embedded in
all cultures, so much so that millions of women
consider it a way of life.
A call for zero tolerance of VAW
No one deserves to be abused in any way
Recommendations
Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention (
address the root causes and contributing factors)
Integration of VAW prevention and response in all
programs
Institutional change; implementation of new
procedures (education, health, judiciary e.t.c)
Multi sectoral approach: Coordination with other
sectors e.g. JLOS, health, microfinance and social
welfare sectors e.t.c
Human rights based approach
Thank you!
"Commit, Act , Demand: We CAN End
Violence Against Women!".
Questions and Comments