Domestic violence: It's not a big deal or Is it?

 

We live in a world where men and women can never be treated equally. No matter how much hue and cry we make about equality rights, women suffer around the world noticed or unnoticed. In a male dominant society, women are treated as punching bags to show power or to release frustration.

This is not the story of only Asian women. WHO reports the endless number of cases every year on domestic violence around the world. Only difference is, the government takes this heinous act seriously in few countries while the others just sit back and don't try to poke their nose in internal matters of a household. 

Most cases go unreported due to family pressure, life threats, children's future or because of women not being financially stable. Women are so used to it that they don't even notice that something is wrong in being hit by your partner. The society plays a huge role in brain washing females since their childhood that they are dependent upon their spouse's mercy while males are brain washed to overpower women by hook or crook. For some psychopaths, hitting women is a thing of pleasure which makes them feel like a MAN. Needless to say, neighbors and relatives go blind eye to this kind of incidents. 

People feel domestic violence is more common in Middle class or lower middle class, however the truth is, women in high class equally suffer the rage of their husbands or partners. 

According to WHO reports, almost one third (30%) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. The prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence range from 23.2% in high-income countries and 24.6% in the WHO Western Pacific region to 37% in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, and 37.7% in the WHO South-East Asia region.

Globally as many as 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners. In addition to intimate partner violence, globally 7% of women report having been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner, although data for non-partner sexual violence are more limited. Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly perpetrated by men against women.

While preventing and responding to violence against women requires a multi-sectoral approach, the health sector has an important role to play. The health sector can:

• Advocate to make violence against women unacceptable and for such violence to be addressed as a public health problem.
• Provide comprehensive services, sensitize and train health care providers in responding to the needs of survivors holistically and empathetically.
• Prevent recurrence of violence through early identification of women and children who are experiencing violence and providing appropriate referral and support
• Promote egalitarian gender norms as part of life skills and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum taught to young people.
• Generate evidence on what works and on the magnitude of the problem by carrying out population-based surveys, or including violence against women in population-based demographic and health surveys, as well as in surveillance and health information systems.

The UNwomen.org shows these facts in the light of their collective data globally..

• Globally, 35 per cent of women have ever experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, or sexual violence by a non-partner. This figure does not include sexual harassment. Some national studies show that the number can be as high as 70 per cent of women, and that rates of depression, having an abortion, and acquiring HIV are higher in women who have experienced this type of violence compared to women who have not.
• Calls to helplines have increased five-fold in some countries as rates of reported intimate partner violence increase because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted movement, social isolation, and economic insecurity are increasing women’s vulnerability to violence in the home around the world.
• By September 2020, 48 countries had integrated prevention and response to violence against women and girls into COVID-19 response plans, and 121 countries had adopted measures to strengthen services for women survivors of violence during the global crisis, but more efforts are urgently needed.
• 137 women are killed by a member of their family every day. It is estimated that of the 87,000 women who were intentionally killed in 2017 globally, more than half (50,000) were killed by intimate partners or family members. More than a third (30,000) of the women intentionally killed in 2017 were killed by their current or former intimate partner.
• Less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort. In the majority of countries with available data on this issue, among women who do seek help, most look to family and friends and very few look to formal institutions, such as police and health services. Less than 10 per cent of those seeking help appealed to the police.
• At least 155 countries have passed laws on domestic violence, and 140 have laws on sexual harassment in the workplace. However, even when laws exist, this does not mean they are always compliant with international standards and recommendations, or are implemented and enforced.

Children suffer the most in households where domestic violence takes place.

For children experiencing or living adjacent to domestic violence, their development can be deeply impacted by the constant need to protect themselves and other loved ones from the abuser. A child growing up in an abusive environment may struggle to visualize or prepare for the future, leading to challenges in school and problematic behaviors.

Children may also absorb the negative actions of abusive adults in other ways. An abusive parent may manipulate a child into turning against the non-abusive parent, acting as a “spy” or monitor of another family member’s behavior, or feeling that the abuse is their own fault. A child may be spared from direct abuse at a young age but be targeted during adolescence, especially if they try to stand up for loved ones who are already receiving abuse. Any child who experiences domestic violence will benefit from counseling and support to recover from the trauma that has been inflicted.

Source: rawpixel.com

Some children who are experiencing domestic violence may try to hide it, while others may be unable to do so. Common symptoms seen among children subjected to domestic violence include:

• Low self-esteem
• Nightmares
• Apathy
• Hypervigilance
• Regression and withdrawal
• Aggression and disobedience
• Lack of concentration
• Anxiety
• Sleep difficulties

Experiences of domestic violence may also manifest as physical symptoms in both children and adults alike. For instance, anxiety may present in the form of diarrhea, nausea, or hives. Symptoms may also change as children grow. Adolescents who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence may exhibit such symptoms as:

• Poor grades, numerous absences, or dropping out of school entirely
• Eating disorders
• Depression
• Becoming abusive themselves, either to their peers or their parents
• Substance abuse
• Physical injuries sustained from standing up to their abuser
• Running away from home, or looking for excuses not to go home
• Suicidal tendencies

None of the laws or hot lines can be helpful if a woman who is suffering domestic violence is not willing to end this suffering. 90 percent victims hesitate to raise their voice during the first incident. The male partner gets their courage to repeat their behavior after the first win. Women must stop accepting this kind of treatment from their partner at the very beginning otherwise they have to suffer all life. 

Don't accept any kind of violence. Be strong, raise your voice, ask for help, reach out to organization involved in helping victims of domestic violence but don't sit quietly and suffer in silence.

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