Global Violence Against Women

DR GINNA BABCOCK

Violence Against Women: A Global Concern

• The United Nations Secretary-General’s in-

depth study on all forms of violence against

women reported that the most common form

of violence that women experience globally is

intimate partner violence

• Commonly referred to as IPV or spousal abuse

• It is a global epidemic and women are not safe

from violence in any country of the world

Acts of violence

Violence against women includes but is not limited to the following:• Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering; sexual

abuse of children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, nonspousal violence, and violence related to exploitation

• Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring within the general community including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work and educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, and forced prostitution

• Physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs

Violence Against Women: A Global Concern

• Advocates recognize that the violence against women in the United States affects one in four American women

• World Health Organization (WHO) found > 50 percent of women in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru, and Tanzania reported IPV, 71 percent in rural Ethiopia

• Only Japan reported < 20 percent IPV • Among women aged 15 to 44 years, violence accounts for more death and disability than

cancer, malaria, traffic injuries, and war put together

International Violence against Women Act

• Introduced in the Senate on October 31, 2007, and in the House on April 30, 2008

• This landmark legislation signals the first time that the United States has attempted to combat violence against women on a global scale

• Making violence against women and girls a greater U S diplomatic priority, the bill promises to create greater leadership and accountability

The United Nations

The United Nations (UN) leads the effort to protect vulnerable women and girls worldwide

The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1993

The declaration emphasizes that violence against women is a violation of human rights and recommends strategies to be employed by member states and specialized agencies to eliminate it

The Fourth UN World Conference on Women took place in Beijing, in 1995 Highlighting the problems of violence against women, the conference signified a worldwide effort toward ending intimate partner violence UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) provides financial and technical assistance supporting programs and strategies promoting women’s human rights, political participation, and economic security

UNIFEM promotes gender equality and links women’s issues and concerns to national, regional, and global agendas by fostering collaboration and providing technical expertise on gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment strategies

Violence Against Women: Around the World

• European countries have initiated legislative reforms in order to prevent intimate partner violence

• Two common points of law: • 1 All acts of intimate partner violence are recognized as crimes and fall under the

provisions of the penal code• 2 Victims are allowed to request measures of protection from the State

• Measures vary from financial assistance (Sweden), to restraining orders issued against the abuser (UK and Austria) In Canada, the violation of a restraining order is an aggravating circumstance

Definition of Domestic Violence

• Any spousal or domestic partner altercation or interfamilial conflicts of sufficient nature to justify law enforcement intervention;

• Spousal abuse is the most frequently cited;

• May involve parent/child conflict; and

• Physical or psychological

DV MAY INCLUDE CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON

• Examples of these crimes include:• Assault• Assault and Battery• Assault with a Dangerous

Weapon• Aggravated Assault• Murder • Rape• Stalking

abuse prevention acts (APA)

• APA’s are legislative efforts to prevent domestic violence

• Address the problems specific to intimate and familial relationships and provide additional protections to the victims of abuse

• Court issued protection orders as now commonly used

• Provide clear instructions to law enforcement

What constituteSa domestic relationship?

Domestic relationships include :• people who are or were legally married;• people who reside together without marriage;• people who share a child in common;• a women who is pregnant and the perpetrator is presumed to be the father;• people who have had a substantial dating or engagement relationship;• biological children or parents; and• step children or parents

types of domestic abuse

• Physical abuse• Sexual abuse• Emotional abuse or Psychological

abuse• Financial exploitation• Wife Abuse

• Spouse Abuse• Partner Battering• Parent Abuse• Dating Abuse• Child Abuse• Elder Abuse

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VICTIM

• Approximately 85% of the victims of domestic violence are women

• Women are most vulnerable to being beaten or killed at the time of the separation

• Women who leave their abusers are at greater risk of being killed, up to 75% greater than those who stay

• Pregnant women are at higher risk for abuse

Child Abuse

• Battered child syndrome, 1962, Henry Kempe

• > 3 million child victims reported annually

• Physical abuse• Sexual abuse• Emotional abuse• ~ 2,000 children die each year• Physical abuse is the most common

cause of death among children• Low income appears to be a significant

factor for child abuse •