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113. The term “violence against women” means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life. Accordingly, violence against women encompasses but is not limited to the following:
a. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation;
Beijing Declaration (1995)
Violence against women can be seen as a global health challenge – as indicated by Thaddeus Howze in a recent Human Rights Social Interest Group, as this impacts the short- and long-term health and wellness of women, children, families, and communities.
These incidences, very common, are not isolated, can happen to any woman, and reflect gender-based violence. The main forms considered by the international community are physical, psychological, and sexual.
If familiar with some of the research, there are many more forms of violence against women. The main foci for human rights calls have been on physical violence against women. Now, these are moving towards psychological violence around the world and then, likely, transitioning in 2019 into sexual violence against women.
But there are more forms of violence against women including stalking and financial abuse, e.g., withholding funds or money from a woman in order to control her. All these are components to the general phenomena of violence against women. One of the main factors is economic dependence.
The inability to live free from men in the degrees of freedom of choice in society. Within the constraints of a system set for women to have fewer choices, we can see the need for women to be more economically free for a) the right to self-determination and b) the chance to improve the economic well-being of the nation.
But violence against women, financial or otherwise, can hinder the moral and social development of a nation, alongside its economic advancement as well. This becomes, at a minimum, a tripartite duty for the advancement of women based on moral rightness, economic soundness, and wellbeing improvements.
Whether inside of the family unit or outside of the family, there is the fundamental requirement of justice to provide for the women in the society for the improved living conditions of the society.
Fewer women with trauma, while still the main recipients of the burden of the unpaid labor market including childcare and housecare – let alone emotional labor of the families and friends, can better take on the disproportionate burdens of societal responsibilities placed on them.
This comes, as George Carlin noted, ‘without pay, and without a pension.’ This is true. It is part of the issue of women simply taking on the work many men see as, potentially, beneath them or simply not paying enough and, thus, women take them on.
The forms of violence against women from within the homes can be particularly damaging to them and can, in fact, lead to severe forms of damage, or even death, on any imaginable factor of her life. This is the important of dealing with violence against women, whether defined by patriarchal values or fundamentalist theology.
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- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the optional protocol (1993).
- Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), Five-year review of progress (2000), 10-year review in 2005, the 15-year review in 2010, and the 20-year review in 2015.
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), and the UN Security Council additional resolutions on women, peace and security: 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), and 2242 (2015).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
- UN Women’s strategic plan, 2018–2021
- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- 2015 agenda with 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (169 targets for the end to poverty, combatting inequalities, and so on, by 2030). The SDGs were preceded by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 to 2015.
Wednesdays 1 pm EST / 10 am PST
Call-In Details: (701) 801-1220
Meeting ID: 934-317-242
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Led by: Scott Douglas JacobsenTo the socio-political Right, a disclaimer; to the socio-political Left, a trigger warning: the subject matter may be disturbing or triggering for some listeners, speakers, or call members. The statistics on international violence against women is disproportionately more than violence against men. In turn, there is violence against women committed by women against women but more often by men against women. It is the statistical difference, which is the basis for the international emphasis on violence against women in multiple spheres rather than localized differences. Wednesday morning, we will speak on violence against women for one hour or so.
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Photo by Andrii Podilnyk on Unsplash