...Introduction Gender-based violence is violence against women based on women’s subordinate status in society. It includes any act or threat by men or male dominated institutions that inflict physical, sexual, or psychological harm on a woman or girl because of their gender. In most cultures, traditional beliefs, norms and social institutions legitimize and therefore perpetuate violence against women. Gender-based violence includes physical, sexual and psychological violence such as domestic violence; sexual abuse, including rape and sexual abuse of children by family members; forced pregnancy; sexual slavery; traditional practices harmful to women, such as honor killings, burning or acid throwing, female genital mutilation, dowry-related violence; violence in armed conflict, such as murder and rape; and emotional abuse, such as coercion and abusive language. Trafficking of women and girls for prostitution, forced marriage, sexual harassment and intimidation at work are additional examples of violence against women. Gender violence occurs in both the ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres. Such violence not only occurs in the family and in the general community, but is sometimes also perpetuated by the state through policies or the actions of agents of the state such as the police, military or immigration authorities. Gender-based violence happens in all societies, across all social classes, with women particularly at risk from men they know. (United Nations declaration...
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...Justice An Assessment of the Contribution of Transitional Justice Mechanisms in Addressing Gender-Based Violence in post-Conflict Sierra Leone Introduction Sierra Leone, a relatively small country with a population of just over 6 million people, has been the focus of considerable attention due to the recent Ebola epidemic and, prior to that, the decade-long civil war (1991-2002) (Mills, Nesbitt-Ahmed, Diggins & Mackieu, 2015, p. 4). After the war, the transition from civil war to peace witnessed a number of landmark procedural innovations with widespread implications for gender justice. The decade-long conflict had shattered the West African country, displacing more than one million people and leaving more than two hundred thousand women and girls dealing with the aftermath of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Then, in 1999, the Lomé Peace Agreement traded amnesty for peace, making provision for the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone to work parallel to the Special Court of Sierra Leone (otherwise called the Special Court or the SCSL) in order to prosecute those who bore “the greatest responsibility” for mass atrocities committed during the civil war. While there is a growing consensus that truth and reconciliation commissions as a transitional justice mechanism can be effective tools “in the construction of a post-conflict society that is more democratic and more respectful of human rights” (Wielbelhans-Hrahm, 2010, p. 3), it is...
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...sexual harassment towards women by men, which can range from sexually suggestive remarks, brushing, catcalls, to downright groping and rape. Bollywood movies commonly feature ‘eve-teasing’ as an acceptable form of flirtation for men on the hunt for his special, future wife. Obviously, a tug of a scarf to the tune of a playful Bollywood song is quite different from an uninvited touch on the bus. Sadly, the real evidence of eve teasing comes with unwelcome gestures and comments to Indian women and foreigners alike. The behavior has been a part of masculine Indian culture for many years, but first received attention from the media in the 1960’s. The Effects of Eve Teasing On Locals and Travelers Last December, eve teasing shot right back into public discourse when a female medical student wasbrutally gang-raped on a bus. Since then, more accounts have emerged of Indian women who have been sexually assaulted. Most of these cases go unreported because of the patriarchal attitudes of the police towards the women. What Do We Do Now? While we at GGG are not ones to jump to conclusions due to media sensationalism, deeper reading of various news articles, government advisories, and blog accounts has left me with a concerned and troubled impression. Sexual assaults are still on the rise among the India’s women. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) statistics, a woman in India is raped every 20 minutes. In fact, worldwide violence against women has increased so much that WHO...
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...Society has made it very clear the needs and importance of addressing domestic violence. Especially when it comes to the service that is delivered as it relates to its victims. The 1960’s brought a women’s liberation movement that started to give attention to violence that has been committed against women, this is what actually started the women’s movement. Because of this one of the first Domestic Violence opened in Maine for women of abuse (1967) as time went on the first Rape crisis hotline opened up in Washington D.C (www.usdoj.gov). In 1994 the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) was passed, the Federal Government begun to issue funding to assist with shelters and special training that allowed law enforcement officer, judicial officer (judges); and many other crime preventing programs to aid in addressing crimes against women (www.usdoj.gov). These were the remedies that help bring awareness to society and allowed them to see the violence that a woman has endured was a big problem for many years. I feel that this was a step in the right direction for the United States to step in and realize that this has been and ongoing issue, and issue a remedy that has saved many lives. That allows women to regain the freedom that they fought so hard to get. Within in society firearms and Domestic...
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...Influences within Public Programs Paper Introduction There is a growing epidemic of domestic violence for women and their spouses or significant others that have been a debated issue for decades, one out of every ten women are reporting domestic violence incidents, from urban decay communities across the nation yearly. The minimalist versus maximalist theory’s has been the primary discussion for victimization in criminology where one perspective decides to look at more variations for the violence, and the other takes the crimes to the necessary degree to provide of government legislatures (NCVC, 2010). With today’s society modernized through time, Americans understand the existing problems of sexual exploitation and violence that is an ineluctable dilemma in society. The cases of domestic violence increase to more than fifty thousand lives which are from violent episode reports. Many victims are in urban communities that have subsidized housing that endure the abuse of their significant other to avoid being evicted if the landlord is alerted of any disturbances involving the tenant. This is a requirement of the public housing assistance program that women receive with low income called Section 8. These women fear reporting the violence against them because there are not many places to go, so they stay and, endure the domestic violence. For the women who do have the strength and courage to report these crimes they are forced to search for refuge in local homeless...
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...emotionally, and spiritually injured women, men, and children. According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control in February 2008 (Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) one in four women is abused by a current or former spouse, partner or boyfriend at some point in her life. Another study by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (Intimate Partner Violence in the United States) says that on average more than three women a day, in the United States, are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Domestic violence is just as serious and damaging a problem in Latino communities as it is in other ethnic and racial groups. However, Latinas/os face particular obstacles and challenges to addressing domestic violence and require culturally and linguistically specific services and resources in order to adequately address the problem. The shortage of bilingual and bicultural personnel, in shelters, in police departments, in the courts, and throughout the continuum of services, prevents access and adequate services for Latina survivors and their families. This can pose a further threat to their safety and often results in alienating survivors from the very services they so desperately need. Fear of deportation, jeopardizing their legal status, or having their children removed are also primary concerns for immigrant women, which prevent them...
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...| Domestic Violence | A Personal Account | | Gloria Dickerson | 3/14/2014 | | Domestic Violence: A Personal Account When we think about domestic violence we think of the physically abusive husband and the docile abused women. We may think of the children involved but that is where most of us stop. However, this type of violence has a much further reach then those that live in the walls of the home that the abuse takes place in. During this report we will look at the different perspectives and roles of the media and society as a whole. We will focus on the victim of the abuse rather than the abuser by getting a firsthand report of not only a woman who escaped over fifteen years of abuse. One of the first things we must do is look at what is domestic violence. The very term implies a physical violence, however we know that the term encompasses much more. Physical violence is just one aspect of how a domestic partner can do harm. Verbal abuse is said by some to be more harmful then the physical. Continually being told you are worthless or good for nothing would be very hard for a spouse or child to move past. When looking at today’s view or classification of domestic violence we must look at what the past tells us about society’s perceptions of this crime. (Schaefer). We have to realize one of the problems with solving this problem is that some still do not see it as a crime. Laws prohibiting spousal abuse have been around since the 1600’s, however...
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...Reflection Paper ( Domestic Violence ) Julius Rosario When it comes to the questions: Can batterers change? If so, describe how? What does it take to effectuate that type of change? I believe that they can change if they’re able to pinpoint the right sources and help for guidance on how to be able to find a solution to dealing with their aggression toward their loved ones instead of ending up in an altercation ending with battering. Domestic violence usually occurs due to the men’s domination over women. Batterers usually can’t sustain attachment which results them in being flooded with guilt, shame, and abandonment in which they regulate those feelings with aggression. All it should take for them to be able to change their aggressive behavior is just a healing process. Teaching a batterer that blame is powerless and that compassion is true power can have a great effect on him. Therapeutic sessions which shows them that they should never feel unimportant, disregarded, rejected, powerless, unlovable, etc because those are the usual core factors that motivate abusive behavior. A woman calling the man an offensive name in the event of an argument will remind the man that he is unlovable and therefore will want to punish her, but if he is able to go to the right source and be able to find ways to channel his anger instead of using aggression , he will always be able to think first before acting. All he needs to do is be reminded that no matter what situations they’re in...
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...patients. comprehensive approach – providing medical care within a framework including IEC, psychosocial support, legal assistance and liaison with other women’s organisations who can provide continued material and social support. In contexts without acute problems of violence, MSF employs a horizontal approach. SGBV is part of all our healthcare programmes globally – over 35 projects worldwide. The challenge for horizontal programmes is that SGBV becomes just one issue of many faced by medical staff in their hectic day’s work. The impact of stigmatisation makes it all the more difficult for SGBV to be handled in a general medical structure. One way that MSF counters this problem is by establishing ‘safe spaces’ in every health structure, where women can speak about their health questions and about SGBV with the assurance of full privacy and confidentiality. MSF would ideally like to open separate women’s clinics in all its projects, if availability of female medical staff allows it. SEXUAL VIOLENCE As MSF’s main expertise is medical, both horizontal and vertical approaches rely heavily on the presence of others who can assume responsibility for psychosocial, legal and material/economic follow-up. Due to the complexities inherent in these...
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...deaths refers the deaths of young women who are murdered or driven to suicide by continuous harassment and torture by husbands and in-laws in an effort to extort an increased dowry. Dowry death is considered one of the many categories of violence against women, alongside rape, bride burning, eve teasing, and acid throwing. It is widespread in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal. Sri Lanka and some regions of Africa. Pakistan has the highest reported rates of dowry-related deaths per 100,000 women in the world. India[edit] Most dowry deaths occur when the young woman, unable to bear the harassment and torture, commits suicide. Most of these suicides are by hanging, poisoning or by fire. Sometimes the woman is killed by setting her on fire; this is known as "bride burning", and sometimes disguised as suicide or accident. Suicide and murder are two causes of fatalities in dowry deaths. Death by burning of Indian women have been more frequently attributed to dowry conflicts.[1] In dowry deaths, the groom’s family is perpetrator of murder or suicide.[2] According to Indian National Crime Record Bureau, in 2010, 8391 dowry death cases were reported across India[3] This means a bride was burned every 90 minutes, or dowry issues cause 1.4 deaths per year per 100,000 women in India.[4][5] For contextual reference, United Nations reports a worldwide average female homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 women, and an average of 1.6 homicides per 100,000 women for Northern Europe in 2012.[6] Although...
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...Women policy problem and analysis in Saudi Arabia and USA Name: Institution: Course: Unit: Date: Women policy problem and analysis in Saudi Arabia and USA Executive summary Following the Fourth World Conference on Women in the Beijing Declaration which was adopted in 1995, all the participating countries agreed to that declaration. The aim of the conference was to advocate for equality, development and peace for all women for the advancement of humanity (UNESCO, 200). This policy brief is aimed at assessing the goals advanced in this conference in Saudi Arabia and USA who were among the participants. This policy brief presents women policy problem and analysis both in Saudi Arabia and USA. It highlights the problem faced by women, including basic facts, the policies adopted and the improvements that need to be implemented. It therefore covers several policy measures that are undertaken in these countries and their effects. These problems revolve around women education, work, decision-making, health, violence against women and poverty (Steffensmeier & Allan, 1998). Women in Saudi Arabia are abused physically by men. This problem of abuse is perpetrated by men in the family realm where wives are battered by men. In Saudi Arabia men have the authority to abuse their wives without any intervention from the authority. Men could abuse their wives physically, verbally and emotionally. Women on the other hand have no intervention...
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...Capitalism and Patriarchy’s Effect on Battered Women’s Syndrome and Abuse Introduction Domestic violence has existed for centuries and is still prevalent in present day society (Flowers, 1996: 131). Domestic violence generally involves violence towards women and children (Sev’er, 2007: 235).This generally includes physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional violence directed towards a spouse, girlfriend, wife, or partner (DeKeseredy, 2005: 234). One of the debates surrounding domestic violence is the legitimacy of battered women’s syndrome. There are arguments over whether or not battered woman’s syndrome is a justifiable defence or just an excuse (Fumento, 1996: 158). The aim of this paper is to justify the legitimacy of Battered Women’s Syndrome, or BWS for short. I will look at the history of violence to better understand the credibility of BWS as well as why it is discredited. I will analyze how the patriarchal capitalist society we live in affects the views regarding BWS and abuse. The purpose of this section is to understand how the patriarchal capitalist society attempts to protect male status by discrediting the validity of spousal abuse and BWS. Definition and History Battered women’s syndrome results from a pattern of abuse from a partner (Barnett & LaViolette, 1996: 158). Spousal abuse has had a long history, and has grown since the middle ages (Flowers, 1996: 131). Social scientist Friedrich Engels noted that spousal abuse began “with the emergence of the...
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...empowerment of women, with a focus on economic opportunities, decision making and women’s well- being. In many Pacific island countries, it has taken decades for the enduring view that a women’s place in society is at home in accordance with spiritual beliefs, custom, tradition, and norms. Empowering women represents a diverse range of concepts and may vary widely among individuals, cultures and countries. This essay will examine the benefits of empowering women at an individual level, benefits which can be summarized as economic, political and social. Firstly, economic empowerment is one of the most important driving forces behind economic growth and poverty reduction. Economic empowerment interprets women’s ability to act on their own and make decisions on matters that affect them. In order to increase economic advancement of women, there is an urgent need to formulate the right policies that can allow such an objective to grow unhindered by uncertainty and doubt. Education policies that encourage and offer training opportunities in developing women’s entrepreneurship opportunities and improving women’s access to finance is another major instrument in generating income, reducing poverty and improving the standards of health and so forth. Formal and non- formal education systems are the key foundations for more women participating in the economic arena.. A local example by the Minister for Women, Dr. Jiko Luveni in a statement at the final day of the Pacific Women in Business Conference...
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...PROGRAM PLANNING AND GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING IN HUMAN SERVICES ARLETHA RAY AXIA COLLEGE HSM/270 PROGRAM PLANNING AND GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING IN HUMAN SERVICES DAKIRA STARKS-WALKER February 24, 2013 PROGRAM PLANNING AND GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING IN HUMAN SERVICES Program Scenario Three PEACE Domestic Violence Agency A written grant proposal for PEACE Domestic Violence Agency would start with the purpose of the grant in which the purpose of this grant would be to write a proposal for funding to help support the needs of victims that are abuse and traumatize from some sort of violence. There is a need for therapy, recovery and some assistance that will lead to empowerment for survivors. When getting started to write a grant proposal all the research and information need to be organized. There are many of different areas that need to be covered when writing a grant proposal. The grant starts by identifying the programs critical needs within the program. The best way to write a grant proposal is to follow the steps of going from section to section. A grant proposal should provide details of your background, your contact information, why you need the grant, introduction of your project, your experience and how the project will help the community. I would ask for $100.000 for two years of service, which would help fund the program PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. Proposal Summary *Limit to one page *State the organization making the request and link organizational...
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...Program Planning and Evaluation Paper Kendra Hammond HSM/270 June 16, 2013 William Latta When creating a human services organization, program planning and program evaluation is vital. For a successful organization one can not exist without the other. Program planning entails researching, making goals, setting objectives, and answers who, what, and why questions. The development of program planning helps establish what resources will be needed to achieve the goals and objectives of the human services organization. The finances and budget are also included in program planning. In the program plan it should include what is the problem that is being addressed, why this problem exists, who is the target population, and where the target population is demographically sited. When creating a program plan, it requires logical thinking and a high level of information processing. The plan should be able to provide information on the services that the program wishes to provide to their clients. Throughout the thought process of the plan, the program should consider and include in the plan what obstacles they may encounter and ways to overcome them. The program planning stage in creating a human services organization is essential, because it determines the budget, the timeline, and sets expectations for the entire organization. The heart of this stage is how the organizations product and services will be developed and delivered. Program planning should be done thoroughly and carefully...
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