Human Rights Framework Will Eventually Alleviate All Forms of Violence against Women
The major main forms of violence against women are battery, rape, domestic abuse among others. Although sex is enjoyable at sometimes it needs to be understood that rape is forced and the consent of the woman is not needed in order to engage in the act. Men are the main abusers of the rights of women and women over the years have had to come together in order to ensure that men do not take advantage of their vulnerability. Although in some countries it has borne fruit, it is worth noting that in most other countries things are not pretty. Different governments across the world have enacted laws that protect the right of women and the girl child but in most instances, the laws are not followed. It is worth noting that, “Violence affects the lives of millions of women worldwide, in all socio-economic and educational classes”. It is evident in different cultures and religions where it infringes on “the right of women to participate fully in society” (Goonesekere & Alwis, 2005, p. 23).
Men tend to be more violent than women and “Unlike men, they (women) kill their male partners after years of suffering physical violence, after they have exhausted all available sources of assistance, when they feel trapped, and because they fear for their own lives (Renzetti & Bergen, 2005, p. 42). Women are a disadvantaged lot in the society because in most cases men try to trample upon their rights. It is worth noting that in most societies especially in developing countries which are commonly referred to as third world countries women rights are not equal to that of men. Men are advantaged in terms of muscles and they tend to use this advantage to beat up women. However, one ought to understand that groups formed by women have gone a long way in ensuring that women have their rights because they have access to legal rights something that was not witnessed before.
The Convention against the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) tries to ensure that all the rights that are enjoyed by men if transferred to women. However, ought to note that not all men are responsible for their acts and they (men) will end up taking advantage of the women who are close to them be it wives or daughters. In addition, several other agencies have been formed across the world with the aim of protecting the rights of women. More importantly, the United Nations acknowledges the importance of protecting women and it has established courts that deal with the rights of women whenever it feels that a given country cannot protect its citizens.
Ellsberg notes “UN declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of violence Against Women (1993) identified three main types of violence against women, also called gender-based violence, namely; violence in the family, the general community, and perpetrated or condoned states” (p. 3). It is pertinent to understand that this violence can be sexual, physical, or psychological.
It is a human right to ensure that all forms of violence against women are eliminated. No one wants to have his or her rights infringed upon at any given time. Men take advantage of women because “Traditional programming tends to perceive women merely as limited to their role as mothers and as conduits to improving the situation of children rather than as a distinct group whose rights must be respected, protected and fulfilled (A parliamentary response to violence against women, 2008). This is the reason why many men view women as objects who have no rights. Violence against women is “a mass phenomenon taking many different forms with disastrous consequences for women’s and girls’ health and survival” (Funk, 2012).
In some instances, it is worth noting that men make rules that will ensure that they have control of the lives of women. In Mexico, for example they used to have a law that ensured that a man could not be jailed for raping a minor if he agrees to marry her. It is of paramount importance to understand that raping a minor endangers a life and may destroy a future. Children should be allowed to school and their education should not be cut hungry men who do not care about the lives of the said minors. However, it is worth noting that the law was enacted in 1993 and offenders are at the risk of ending up in jail (Garcia-Moreno & Krantz, 2005).
The main type of sexual abuse that is reported by women is from their spouses. Amnesty international (2008) notes, Susana, a 24-year-old woman with two children from Sonora State, in Mexico, “faced 10 years of physical and psychological violence. Her husband imprisoned her in her home for long periods, and she suffered broken bones in her hand, a fractured nose, and a dislocated collarbone”. The law is not strong enough in most countries and men take advantage of this to abuse their wives. Although she had been abused for several years she did not have the opportunity to get justice because her husband was viewed as a person who had exclusive sexual rights. In most instances, “Women who find the courage to report the abuse are often treated with indifference and have to prove they are subject to violence. In many cases, officials even ask them to deliver summons to their aggressor (Amnesty International, 2008). This reduces the chances of arrest because the women are afraid of their aggressors for further violence and they are unable to deliver the summons.
According to Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (2010), violence against women is a real problem in Canada. Although Canada is a developed country, violence against women “is a significant problem in Canada and around the world, also including female genital mutilation, child marriage, dowry-related murder, honor killings, female infanticide, and trafficking in women (Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 2010). Minority especially immigrants who suffer violence do not access to justice as their white counterparts. They feel that they are being oppressed by law enforcement officers because their cases are not given importance as those of whites. In Canada, it is important to note that although rich women are assaulted, the poor are the main culprits of violence (Renzetti & Bergen, 2005).
The CEO of YMCA Canada, Paulette Senior, notes that women who are financially dependent on their men have chances of being abused as opposed to those who earn their own money. This implies that the respective arms of governments should ensure that pay equity is implemented across all sectors of economy. The place of women is no longer in the kitchen and they (women) should be compensated for what they do just as men. She Young Women’s Christian Association (YMCA) helps women who are battered in Canada. In order ensure that the violence is reduced it organizes “Week without Violence" that is marked every third week of every year. It emphasizes on creating awareness on the dangers of violence against women. In addition, it reminds the government on the importance of acting on the recommendations that are offered every time a new trend is realized. Many people mark the week in a bid save the girl child and the woman from any form violence. This is unlike in other countries especially the developing world where organizations insist on women reporting their ordeals to the authorities (CAWTCA. Canada, 2008).
Men especially young boys are at the risk of being sexually abused but studies show that women are at a greater risk. This can be attributed to the fact that women are less physically stronger than women are. In addition, some cultures and religions do not allow sodomy. Fighting for the rights of one in a group increases the chances of success as opposed to when one fighting for his or her right alone. This is the reason why women have realized the importance of forming groups that champion for their rights.
Women are in groups are able to fight for their rights with much ease. An organization by the name of Whypoll based in Delhi, India aims at ensuring that women are able to report any chances of violence to the authorities via Twitter and Facebook. It is of paramount importance to note that prior to this arrangements, it was hard for women to access justice because of limitations associated with accessing the authorities.
However, having discovered that Delhi is a very dangerous place for women two women namely; Hindol Sengupta and Shweta Punj decided to establish the organization in a bid to curb the ever-increasing chances of violence against women. In addition, the organization provides legal aid to women who cannot afford lawyers in order to ensure that they receive justice (Roy, 2011). One of the founder members of Whypoll, Punj notes that they grew up together in Delhi where violence against women was an obvious problem Roy. (2011). However, the authorities could do little to curb the problem because of the low chances of reporting by women who are abused by men.
Groups are important in the fight against violence against women because they help the women to come to terms with what has befallen them. They help the women in understanding that having been abused by a man is not end of the world. For example in India, the NCW, which is a government agency, recorded a total of 526 women harassment cases (Roy, 2011). Many women do not report their ordeals because they see the authorities just as the same was as they see the men or man who has abused them. They lose trust in the authorities because n most cases men head the same authorities that women have to report to. However, in a group the aggrieved is encouraged and is able to take the initiative of reporting her ordeal to the authorities.
Groups of women against violence did not start in India. They are a common phenomenon across the world as can be see when “Ms. Punj states that she was inspired said by HarassMap in Egypt, initiated by Rebecca Chiao, an advocate who initiated better ways to report violence (Roy, 2011). Chiao noted that women were not reporting crimes against them and she decided to establish the organization in a bid to encourage women to report their cases. Although the groups cannot solve the problem of violence against women, they give a clear picture of what can be done to stop the problem. This is because the groups are able to collect data from a diverse area and compile as opposed to when very person is working alone (Sorenson, 2010).
Men take advantage of disasters to mete violence to women. However, women grouping provide a shorter way reporting crimes and this goes a long way in ensuring that the problem is addressed before it gets out of hand. In Haiti, women in the camps were desperate and some others could not even get the time of going to the authorities. However, having been given the opportunity to report violence through SMS, the women were able to tell the authorities what was happening to them in the camps that they were living in (Roy, 2011).
Human Rights Framework cannot Alleviate Violence against Women
On the other hand, enacting laws alone will not curb the problem of violence against women. The respective countries in any given country ought to be funded and all the laws enforced in order to ensure that the problem of violence against women is eliminated. In addition, women should be ready to report any cases of violence against them even if they do not trust the ability of the law enforcement officers.
Moreover, officers should be trained specifically to tackle violence against women and stationed in various offices across any country for easy accessibility (Abaayo, 1999). Funk (2012) notes that, despite the fact that measures are put in place that will ensure that women groups can fight for one another’s rights, violence against women happens because women are still vulnerable. It is of paramount importance to note that, most of the things that people do are based on their cultures. Women rights without the support of the government will be useless.
In most countries especially developing countries, women do not report cases of violence against them to the authorities because the dependent on the men who abuse them. Women have to be finically stable if they are to reduce violence meted against them by men. This is because men take advantage of their financial dependency on them (men) to abuse. This implies that groups alone cannot tackle the problem if the women are not finically empowered.
Law enforcement officers and agencies need to be trained on the importance of tackling women affairs. Some officers are negligent when it comes to issues affecting women because they believe that women should be mistreated by men especially in cases of husbands to their wives. These law enforcement officers believe that men have the right to abuse their wives. This perception has to be changed if violence against women is to be checked.
Effective ways have to be implemented that prevent violence against women. This is because “Effective strategies for prevention challenge the beliefs and values which promote men’s power over women and which support violence as a legitimate way to resolve conflict” (Abaayo, 1999). Men ought to be told the importance of treating women as equal human beings but not as their subjects. Rather than embark on forming groups for fighting for women rights, three steps can be used to eliminate violence against women. These are providing several funded programs for discouraging boys and men from abusing women.
Providing funded programs for fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable women in their societies. This can also be used to reduce the chances of the abuses recurring or progressing. Tertiary prevention which is “Increasing and funding services to respond after violence has occurred to minimize its impact, restore health and safety, and prevent further victimization. These services include crisis care, counseling, and advocacy” (UN Secretary General, 2006).
Conclusion
Women should be allowed to enjoy all the rights that are enjoyed by men. Everybody should be equal before the law and men who abuse women should be severely punished. It is of paramount importance to note that ignoring what goes through the lives of women under the hands of women results in a dented economy. Some women who could be important in the development of a country a denied chances of attending school because of violence. This should be stopped by the respective authorities. Moreover, women should be proactive and ensure that they are able to fight for their rights aggressively without giving men the chance to domineer their lives. In some cases, men abuse their spouses because they feel that they (women) are dependent on them men. This means that in order to curb the problem respective governments should ensure that pay equity is implemented in order to reduce the chances of women depending on their husbands.
References
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