Contextual and Historical Dimensions of Violence Against Women
Victoria Daaor Ph.D
Gender Based Violence
Expert Makurdi
When estimated, one of every three women in the world will be beaten, raped, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. The safety of all women and the stability of their families and communities are put at risk. Violence against women, sometimes also referred to as gender-Based Violence (GBV), specifically to perpetuate male power and control, either by intention or effect. Violence against women is sustained by a culture of silence and denial of the seriousness of the abuse, its consequences on the personal and social level, and its use as a tool of domination. Ultimately, violence against women is a human rights violation that creates obstacles to efforts for peace and gender equality in Nigeria and around the world.
Therefore, through various international conventions, legal instruments, administrations, and systems, a definition of violence against women has emerged. While the language might be different, the essence is the same: violence against women is a tool for undermining the rights and liberties of women and girls around the globe.
The United Nations General Assembly defines “violence against women” as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women noted that this violence could be perpetrated by assailants of gender, family members and even the “State” itself.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women states that “violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that “Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. It can include physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse, and it cuts across boundaries of age, race, culture, wealth, and geography. It takes place in the home, on the streets, in schools, the workplace, in farm fields, refugee camps, during conflicts and crises. It has many manifestations from the most universally prevalent forms of domestic and sexual violence, to harmful practices, abuse during pregnancy, so-called honour killings and other types of femicide.”
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) describes “Gender-based violence both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some instances, results in death.
Violence has been and continues to be a tactic used to target a specific group to maintain the status quo and enforce domination of one group over another. Around the world, the term “violence against women” is used to refer collectively to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. The legacy of violence against women is tied to the history of women being viewed as property and assigned a gender role that is subservient to men and also other women.
Similarly, violence is perpetuated, fostered, and tolerated by institutional practices and social norms (values). For instance, Aa look at the legal system reveals some of the ways that violence against women has been institutionalized for instance before the enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015, the Penal Code Law which applies to State of the Northern Region of Nigeria permits a man particularly Sections 55(d) permits a man to reasonably chastise his wife for the purpose of correcting her. Except the Nigeria Police Regulations, 1968 have been amended; there exists immensely unfair regulations against women which seem to confine them to a great disadvantaged position. According to an Associate Professor of History and gender advocate (who is this professor) “these law were drafted when patriarchy had gained solid roots in the country, and it certainly denied many women the opportunity of rising in their career.”
In 1870s the courts in the United States stopped recognizing the common-law principle that a husband had the right to “physically chastise an errant wife”. While in the United Kingdom, the traditional right of a husband to inflict moderate corporal punishment on his wife in order to keep her “within the bounds of duty” was removed in 1891.
Very recently in 1976, marital rape was legal in every state in the United States. Today, very few reports of rape end in a conviction of rape and many victims face barriers in terms of time and the difficulty of the process when attempting to utilize the criminal justice system to seek accountability.
However the historical dimension changed globally in the early 1970’s when women first organized take back the night marches and formed rape crisis centers and battered women’s programs and shelters in the United State of America. By naming these crimes, these activists exposed the violence that had been relegated to secrecy and too often seen as normal.
Bay and large the anti-violence against women movement grew out of the bravery, resilience, and hope of survivors and the compassion and the dedication of advocates working beside them. When women shared their stories with one another, they were able to name the issues and realize they were not alone.
Over the past forty-plus years, the movement has evolved as we continue to listen to the voices of victims and survivors everywhere. We have equally learned that the experience of violence is both different and the same for women irrespective of race. We often see how people who have physical and cognitive disabilities, live in rural communities, come to urban cities ,experience poverty, are at more risk for abuse and have a harder time accessing services and support.
What then is expected to sustain the campaign from this context of , sexual and domestic violence is that Organizations Private ,Government or Civil Society inclusive should increase reinvigorated their efforts towards prevention of violence against women.
Traditional institutions must also be brought on board as partners in the fight against Gender based Violence. Culture and Traditions were made by man for men and therefore be changed by men when they no longer fit in with the realities of the moment, Traditional rulers must therefore be sensitized on the need for women to be safe and accorded their full rights. Patriarchy is entrenched in many traditional practices which are today considered harmful.
Strengthening advocacy and continuous sensitization towards ending gender-based violence will mean changing cultural concepts about masculinity, and that process must actively engage men, whether they be it policy makers, parents, spouses, or young boys.
It is important to recognize violence against women and also acknowledge that women are not the only ones impacted by sexual and domestic violence. Men and boys are impacted as victims, as perpetrators, and as friends, family and community members.
Finally, in line with Goal Number 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at achieving gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls there is need to adopt a human rights and gender analysis of sexual and domestic violence, let us all stand up for more than an end to individual instances of violence against women. Let us work toward a world without gender inequity on a personal, community, institutional, and societal level. This requires us to look to the margins to identify victims, members, advocates, communities, and populations that may be underrepresented, overlooked, disenfranchised, o or otherwise made invisible.
There is every need to amend all obnoxious, archaic and anachronistic laws militating against the rise of women in their careers in the face of the current realities and make them consistent with full right of persons under Chapter IV of the Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
