Domestic Violence

2429 Words5 Pages

The practice of violence is prevalent throughout the world and millions of people die every year because of violence. One of the most pervasive forms of violence is domestic violence (Heise et al., 1994) (Koenig et al., 2003), which is hampering the harmony of communities, families and even individuals. Millions of families and homes have been and are being destroyed every year because of domestic violence. There are many forms of domestic violence such as violence against spouses, women, men, children or the elderly (Koenig et al., 2003). Although violence is gendered since men are considered to be the major perpetrators of violence against women (VAW), not all men are violent and both men and women have the equal potential to be perpetrators or victims. Amnesty International describes VAW as a torture and violation of human rights (Amnesty International, 2009) and the United Nations (UN) 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" (WHO, 2013). Domestic violence has also been known to be a main concern for women and empowerment because such violence against women decreases women’s social and economic progress (Koenig et al., 2003) and also their decision making ability.
In South Asia, gender prejudice and VAW are institutionalized at all levels: home, family, community, society, and the state (Mehta and Gopalakrishnan, 2007). Women with low education and alcoholic husbands are at greater risk of facing intimate partner violence (IPV) (Coker and Richter, 1998) than others. Women are being harmed physical...

... middle of paper ...

...dney Ruth, and Farzana Islam. “Women’s Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Within Marriage in Rural Bangladesh.” Studies in family planning 39.1 (2008): 49–58. Print.
"STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN." Amnesty International. Amnesty International, 29
July 2009. Web. Accessed (3 Dec. 2013). Retrieved from
.
"Violence against Women." World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Organization
(WHO), Oct. 2013. Web. Accessed (7 Dec. 2013). Retrieved from
.
Ziaei, Shirin, Ruchira Tabassum Naved, and Eva-Charlotte Ekström. “Women’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Child Malnutrition: Findings from Demographic and Health Surveys in Bangladesh.” Maternal & Child Nutrition (2012): 1-13. Print.

Open Document