Realising the problem

Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights. Its impact ranges from immediate to long-term multiple physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls, including death. It negatively affects women’s general well-being and prevents women from fully participating in society. Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and the country at large. It has tremendous costs, from greater health care and legal expenses and losses in productivity, impacting national budgets and overall development.

Decades of mobilising by civil society and women’s movements have put ending gender-based violence high on national and international agendas. An unprecedented number of countries have laws against domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of violence. Challenges remain however in implementing these laws, limiting women and girls’ access to safety and justice. Not enough is done to prevent violence, and when it does occur, it often goes unpunished.

Combating Violence Against Women

A reality in the making

Smita Nayak

Kalpaz

Price : `900     

Pages : 278

A more recent analysis of WHO with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council, based on existing data from over 80 countries, found that globally 35 per cent of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one-third (30 per cent) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner, in some regions this is much higher. Furthermore, globally as many as 38 per cent of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners.

All forms of violence, whether committed or in form of threats, which may occur within home or community or by the state, instil a sense of fear and insecurity ill women’s life. The fear psychosis permanently creates constraints on the mobility of women limiting their access to resources and basic activities. Thus, violence of any form against women with high social, health and economic cost forces women into a subordinate position compared to men. The growing dimension of violence against women has created serious problems for the society. However, to combat violence against women, intervention both at government and non-governmental level appears to be quite inadequate and lack any conviction. Besides, combating crime against women has been greatly affected due to women’s lack of access to legal information aid or protection, redundant laws, failure to reform existing laws, inadequate efforts on the part of public authorities to promote awareness of and enforce existing laws and the absence of educational and other means to address the causes and consequences. Thus, in spite of all that is being said and done in combating violence against women, the plight of women in our society remains deplorable.

The edited volume titled Combating Violence Against Women: A Reality in the Making consists of research articles of a group of authors covering all aspects and dimensions of gender based crimes taking place in our society and the steps taken by the government and also societal interventions used to contain the crisis in order to protect the human rights of women. In a nutshell, this volume with its empirical and theoretical values will be of great use for researchers, policy makers, activists and different enforcement agencies engaged in fighting crime against women.

 by Nilabh krishna