Domestic and Sexual Violence Threaten Reproductive Health
At least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way, usually by an intimate partner or family member, according to a new report by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, which says domestic and sexual violence threaten family planning efforts and women’s reproductive health worldwide.
Documenting the extent of the problem, The State of World Population 2000 report says that gender-based violence constitutes a life-long threat for hundreds of millions of girls and women around the world. In South Asia, where boys are preferred by parents, the problem begins in the womb. It is estimated that over 60 million girls are missing, the result of sex-selective abortion, infanticide and neglect. So-called "honour-killings", domestic abuse, dowry-related violence, genital mutilation, rape and trafficking in women and girls are other forms of the problem.
Highlighting stories culled from news reports, human rights organizations, and many other sources, the report paints a picture of women undergoing horrible injustices and of women reaching out to help them and put a stop to such abuse.
One of the cases cited is that of a 12-year-old Jordanian girl beaten to death by her father with sticks and iron chains because she went for walks without his permission and had thus "dishonoured" the family. Every year between 25 and 50 women in Jordan are the victims of "honour" killings; in Pakistan such killings claim some 1,000 women a year.
Many cultures condone or at least tolerate a certain amount of violence against women, according to the report. In parts of the world, men are seen as having the right to discipline their wives as they see fit. Even women often view some physical abuse as justified under certain circumstances. In rural Egypt, 80 per cent of women surveyed said that beatings were common and often justified, particularly if the woman refused to have sex with her partner.
"Justification for violence," the report states, "stems from gender norms, distorted views about the roles and responsibilities of men and women in relationships." Worldwide, studies have shown a consistent pattern of events that trigger violent responses. These include: not obeying the husband, talking back, refusing sex, not having food ready on time, failing to care for the children or home, questioning the man about money or girlfriends or going somewhere without his permission.
Researchers have found that abused women tend not to use family planning services, even if readily available, for fear of reprisal from husbands. In a study in Ghana, close to half of all women and 43 per cent of men said a man was justified in beating his wife if she used contraceptives without his expressed consent. Abused women who participated in focus group discussions in Peru and Mexico said they did not discuss contraceptive use with their husbands out of fear that the men would turn violent.
Violence against women takes a tremendous toll, both physical and emotional, and causes immense damage to a woman’s reproductive health. The damage includes unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, complications from frequent high-risk pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, persistent gynaecological problems and psychological issues.
Serious episodes of depression affect about one third of battered women in the United States. U.S. data also suggest that women who were sexually abused as children tend to end up in abusive relationships and are at risk of becoming involved in prostitution and drugs.
Increasingly, gender-based violence is recognized as a major public health concern and a serious violation of basic human rights. Such recognition is prompting groups worldwide to demand that action be taken. The report cites the work of non-governmental organizations as "one of the most important contributions" to ending violence against women and girls. In Africa, where women’s groups are working to end female genital mutilation, several countries have outlawed the practice.
The Internet is also being used by women to stop domestic and sexual violence. In Rajasthan, India, trials of activists who opposed dowry violence and domestic abuse were suspended after an alert was posted on the Web. In Croatia, a group used the Internet to raise awareness of wartime violence against women and to bring about a new family law that includes restraining orders against men in domestic rape cases. Another group, Women Living Under Muslim Law, mounted a World Wide Web campaign around denial of women’s rights in Islamic societies, particularly in Afghanistan.
In South Africa, where the incidence of rape is thought to be the highest in the world, a group called WomenNet used the Internet for a Stop Rape campaign supported by international signatories. The government is now setting up 20 specialized "rape courts", the first such initiative in the world.
Over the past few years, several other legal victories have been registered: India's Law Commission has called for widespread reforms to the country’s rape laws. Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom have criminalized sexual tourism with minors. Bolivia no longer requires that a woman be found to be "honest" in order to be the victim of certain sexual offences. Cape Verde, Cuba, Thailand, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam have outlawed trafficking in women.
The report says that further action is needed on many fronts to protect women from violence, including advocacy, legal changes, improved enforcement, safe alternatives for victims, mediation and counselling services. In many cases, the perpetrators of such violence face little or no punishment. In India, for example, where the government estimates that one woman is raped every hour and 14 women are murdered by their husbands’ families every day, women’s groups say deeply conservative attitudes about sex and privacy within the family have contributed to ineffective laws.
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