What Is Violence Against Women?

                                    

                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                    

WHAT IS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN?

                                  

    Violence Against Women (VAW) is defined as any act of gender-based violence that results or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women. This gender-based violence includes threats or such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.

Image by: Kiara Bonifacio

Image by: Divico (2021). The Endless Shame Of Violence Against Women

via: https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/human-rights/violence-against-women-1

                                                        

 WHAT ARE THE FORMS OF VIOLENCE?

Violence Against Women includes violence in the family, in the community, and state violence. 

                        VAW in Family                 m   

            VAW can occur in the family. Domestic violence is defined as the violence that occurs within the private sphere, generally between individuals who are related through intimacy, blood, or law. It happens physically, such as hitting with the fist, slapping, kicking different parts of the body, stabbing with a knife, etc. It also takes the form of psychological and emotional violence, which may include intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, public ridicule or humiliation, repeated verbal abuse, and marital infidelity.

        Moreover, women can also be victims of sexual violence, which include rape, sexual harassment, act of lasciviousness, treating a woman or child as a sex object, demeaning and sexually suggestive remarks, and physical attacks on the sexual parts of the victim’s body. In addition to this,  forcing women to watch obscene publications and indecent shows or forcing the woman or her child to do indecent acts and/or make films thereof, and forcing the wife and mistress/lover to live in the conjugal home or sleep together in the same room with the abuser are also considered as sexual violence. 

        Lastly, violence against women can also take the form of economic abuse such as withdrawal of financial support, prevention from engaging in any legitimate profession and occupation, the threat of deprivation of financial resources and the right to use and enjoyment of the conjugal, community or property owned in common, and destroying household property, and control of the victim’s own money or properties, etc. 

               VAW in Community                    

        Violence against women also happens in the community. It may take the form of physical violence such as physical chastisement, trafficking for both the sex industry and the service industry, forced prostitution, battering by employers, and murder. Sexual violence is also prevalent in the community. Moreover, psychological violence in the forms of intimidation, and sanction or isolation by community or cultural norms based on attitudes of gender discrimination is also common.        

   

     

                                    State Violence Against Women                               

        State violence against women also occurs. It includes political violence, custodial violence, and institutional violence. Political violence occurs when there is tolerance of gender-based violence, trafficking, domestic violence, sexual abuse, forced pregnancy, and forced sterilization. On the other hand, Custodial violence includes military and police rape, torture, suppression of the political acts of the women's movement, and abuse of women in refugee, relocation camps, and prisons. Lastly, institutional violence is consists of the enforcement of discriminatory laws and regulations, policies, and programs such as abortion policies, reproduction policies, and matrilineal laws.     

                                                                                                                                           

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF VAW?

Violence against women occurs everywhere and has affected several women of all ages.

Watch these videos to learn more. 

Violence Against Women: Throughout the Cycle

Video by: Asean Secretariat (2015). Violence Against Women Throughout the Cycle

via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIsdFwCCyRU&t=1s

Violence Against Women: Strengthening the Health System

Video by: World Health Organization (2016). Violence Against Women: Strengthening the Health System Response

via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc_GHITvTmI&t=22s

                                                                                                                                           

REFERENCES

1. Department of Health (n.d). What is Violence Against Women (VAW) Retrieved from https://doh.gov.ph/node/1414
2. World Health Organization (2021).Violence Against Women Retrieved from https://www.who.int/.../fac.../detail/violence-against-women
3. Divico (2021). The Endless Shame Of Violence Against Women Retrieved from https://visual.ly/.../human-rights/violence-against-women-1