Violence against women is violent and deliberate behavior directed at women and takes many forms, whether moral or physical, and according to the United Nations definition, violence against women is the behavior against women and motivated by sexual neurosis, resulting in suffering and harm to women in the physical, psychological and sexual aspects, The threat in any form, deprivation and limitation of women's freedom in their private or public life is a practice of violence against women.
Violence against women is a clear and explicit violation of human rights; it prevents them from enjoying their full rights and has serious consequences not only for women but also for society as a whole, with serious social and economic consequences. It is worth mentioning that violence against women does not define a particular culture, religion, country or social class, but is a general phenomenon.
Types of violence against women
Violence against women is not confined to one form, but takes several forms, including:
--Physical violence Physical violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women, usually caused by her husband or a male relative. This type of violence includes physical harm to women, whether by beating or using a machine. Health and psychological well-being of the victim, and may sometimes result in the death of the victim as a result of excessive force and severe beatings. Physical violence also includes honor crimes committed against a woman in case her chastity is suspected by a male member of her family.
--Verbal and psychological violence is the violence against women through offensive words or insults, as well as verbal threats and ill-treatment, including the threat of divorce. Psychological violence has negative effects on women's psyche, although there are no obvious effects. To the injury of women with severe psychological diseases such as depression
--Sexual violence: This violence takes many forms, including sexual harassment or any sexual threat, or any relationship imposed by coercion or rape. This form of violence may be practiced by the same husband at times. Under this type of violence, sexual violence is also involved in conflict situations, which means that women are vulnerable to rape in areas of political instability and war.
--Economic violence is the violence that prevents women from obtaining their economic independence and keeping them as members of their families. This type of violence includes depriving women of education, work and training, which entitles them to enter the labor market and restrict their work within the home only. And limit her freedom to choose what work she likes
Causes of violence against women
--Social factors Social factors are the most important motives for violence against women. Social factors include low level of education and widespread ignorance among members of society, and thus the vulnerability to the erroneous beliefs related to family honor and chastity that spread in society and the surrounding environment. The imposition of masculine power which appears in the form of physical and sexual violence alike.
--Psychological motivations: The psychological factors that have been formed in the personalities of the perpetrators of violence against women in childhood greatly affect their behavior and appear in the form of hostile behavior in the eldest; the most prominent psychological factors that the perpetrator of the victim in any way in his childhood, In which the father attacks the mother in any way, as well as the personality disorders that may lead to the creation of an anti-social personality. Economic factors: Economic factors are the most motivated violence against women in many societies today. This is due to the economic pressures of a large segment of society, low living standards, and widespread unemployment and poverty. Great on the family breadwinners, which often collide with the consumerism of women.
Effects of violence against women
Violence against women has serious consequences not only for women but also for their surrounding family and society, and the most significant consequences of violence against women:
--Health effects: The first victim of violence against women is the woman herself, and women are affected by health problems such as serious injuries, bruises and wounds, which may lead to internal disorders, some digestive problems, affect movement, and low public health. Violence to death.
--Psychological effects: Violence has a number of psychological problems, such as severe depression and mental disorder, which can lead the victim to suicide attempts as a result of the great psychological pressure that falls beneath him, and can cause problems such as alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction, which is reflected in Women's mental health in advanced stages.
--Social effects: Because women are active members of society, all that passes through them is reflected on their family and the community environment significantly, and the problems caused by violence against women, family disorders, which in turn reflected on children and may lead to mental and emotional instability, Which affects their societal behavior in later stages of life.
--Economic problems: Violence against women is a major obstacle to their effective role in society. When women are exposed to violence, women limit themselves to active participation in society and deny them the ability to invest in society. Violence against women also incurs additional economic burdens to the family as a result of the victim's health treatments.
Prevention of violence against women
In order to fully address and stop violence against women, all members of society must be very closely involved. Prevention begins with curricula that must include programs to identify and protect violence against women, to promote health and cultural awareness on this subject, To enhance their role in society and to make it an active member by providing training courses to support the development of their skills and abilities, and to promote national strategies that promote equality between men and women and provide equal opportunities for each, Between couples and promote the concept of relationship based on the principles of respect and understanding to create a healthy family atmosphere for children and the family as a whole
Statistics on violence against women
Agencies and international organizations are intensifying their research and statistical efforts to reach accurate figures on the phenomenon of violence against women. The most prominent statistics of the World Health Organization, the College of Medicine and Tropical Medicine in London and the Medical Research Council of South Africa:
--More than 35% of the world's women have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by a close relative or other person.
--30% of the world's women were subjected to physical violence by their partner in the relationship.
--38% of the murders of women in the world were by men with whom they had a relationship.
--7% of the world's women have been sexually assaulted by someone they do not have a relationship with.
--Women who were subjected to physical violence were at least 16% of the children who had been physically abused, and the probability of depression was twice as high.
