Defining Gender Based Violence
As indicated by the terms “gender based violence” or “gender based persecution”, there exist forms of violence or persecution that are unique to a gender. However, the term is often used in reference to women, as women are more often the victims of gender-specific violence. Recently, violence against women has been defined by the 1994 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women to include “any act of gender-base violence that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threads of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” The United National Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) elaborated on the acts of violence to include: “acts of sexual violence, family/domestic violence, coerced family planning, female genital mutilation, dowry relation violence and trafficking.”
A Global Perspective
Around the world, gender-related persecution is a universal and long-standing issue. Many studies have reported on the severity of violence against women. A 2006 Human Rights Watch provides a global overview of gender-specific harms by country:
“In Pakistan, officials at all levels of the criminal justice system believe domestic violence is not a matter for criminal courts. In South Africa, the police and courts treat complaints by battered women as less serious than other assault complaints…In Jordan, “honor killings” occur when families deem women’s behavior improper, and, despite some legislative reforms, the perpetrators receive lenient sentencing before courts. In Russia and Uzbekistan, police scoff at reports of domestic violence, and harass women who report such violence to stop them from filing complaints”
The Facts: Domestic Violence by Country
South Korea: 38% of women abused by husband
Egypt: 35% of women have been beaten by husbands
Nicaragua: 52% of women abused by partner at least once
US: 28% of women reported physical violence from partner
(Source: BBC news, report from 2000)
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Volunteer at Harbor House, a shelter open to women and children experiencing domestic violence
LU Contact Kaileigh Arnold kaileigh.arnold@lawrence.edu
Visit http://www.harborhouseonline.org/
