Assessing the Impact of the Violence Against Women Act

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Leigh Goodmark
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Violence Against Women Act ◽  
Legal Response ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Criminal Legal System ◽  
The Impact

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been hailed as the federal government's signature legislation responding to gender-based violence. VAWA, passed in 1994 and reauthorized three times since then, has created several new programs and protections for victims of gender-based violence. VAWA is, however, primarily a funding bill and what it primarily funds is the criminal legal system. But the criminal legal response to gender-based violence has not been effective in decreasing rates of gender-based violence or deterring violence. A VAWA that discontinued funding for the criminal legal system and instead focused on economics, prevention, and community-based resources—a noncarceral VAWA—could better meet the needs of victims of gender-based violence and target the underlying causes of that violence.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AMONGST WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES: A CASE STUDY OF MWENEZI DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwa Rugoho ◽  
France Maphosa
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Community Perceptions ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Women With Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Disabled Women ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

This article is based on a study of gender-based violence against women with disabilities. The study sought to examine the factors that make such women vulnerable, to investigate the community’s responses to gender-based violence against women with disabilities, and to determine the impact of gender-based violence on the wellbeing and health of women with disabilities. The study adopted a qualitative research design so as to arrive at an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study. The study sample consisted of 48 disabled women living in marital or common law unions, selected using purposive sampling. Of the 48 women in the sample, 16 were visually impaired while the remaining 32 had other physical disabilities. Focus group discussions were used for data collection. The data were analysed using the thematic approach. The finding was that women with disabilities also experience gender-based violence. The study makes recommendations whose thrust is to change community perceptions on disability as the only guarantee towards eradicating gender-based violence against women with disabilities.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on the Prevalence of Spousal Violence Against Women in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199792
Author(s):  
Kazhan I. Mahmood ◽  
Sherzad A. Shabu ◽  
Karwan M. M-Amen ◽  
Salar S. Hussain ◽  
Diana A. Kako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spousal Violence ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

There is increasing concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown’s social and economic consequences on gender-based violence. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence by comparing the prevalence of spousal violence against women before and during the COVID-19 related lockdown periods. This study was conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a self-administered online questionnaire survey after the COVID-19 lockdown period in June 2020. Data were collected from a sample of 346 married women about the occurrence, frequency, and forms of spousal violence before and during the lockdown period. Significant increases in violence were observed from the pre-lockdown period to the lockdown period for any violence (32.1% to 38.7%, p = .001), emotional abuse (29.5% to 35.0%, p = .005), and physical violence (12.7% to 17.6%, p = .002). Regarding emotional abuse, humiliation (24.6% to 28.3%, p = .041) and scaring or intimidation (14.2% to 21.4%, p < .001) significantly increased during the lockdown. For physical violence, twisting the arm or pulling hair (9.0% to 13.0%, p = .004) and hitting (5.2% to 9.2%, p = .003) significantly increased during the lockdown. Forcing to have sexual intercourse also significantly increased during lockdown (6.6% to 9.5%., p = .021). The concerned authorities and women’s rights organizations should collaborate to enhance the prevention of violence against women. An effective prevention strategy should emphasize recognizing and acknowledging the extent of the problem, raising awareness about the problem and the available resources to address it, and ensuring social and economic stability. Lessons learned about the increased prevalence of spousal violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent and address it will be valuable for similar future crises.

Violence against Women

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqui True
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Local Community ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Honor Killings ◽  
Violence Against Women Act ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
United Nations Declaration

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a longstanding problem that has increasingly come to the forefront of international and national policy debates and news: from the US reauthorization of the Violence against Women Act and a United Nations declaration to end sexual violence in war, to coverage of gang rapes in India, cyberstalking and "revenge porn", honor killings, female genital mutilation, and international trafficking. Yet, while we frequently read or learn about particular experiences or incidents of VAWG, we are often unaware of the full picture. Jacqui True, an internationally renowned scholar of globalization and gender, provides an expansive frame for understanding VAWG in this book. Among the questions she addresses include: What are we talking about when we discuss VAWG? What kinds of violence does it encompass? Who does it affect most and why? What are the risk factors for victims and perpetrators? Does VAWG occur at the same level in all societies? Are there cultural explanations for it? What types of legal redress do victims have? How reliable are the statistics that we have? Are men and boys victims of gender-based violence? What is the role of the media in exacerbating VAWG? And, what sorts of policy and advocacy routes exist to end VAWG? This volume addresses the current state of knowledge and research on these questions. True surveys our best understanding of the causes and consequences of violence against women in the home, local community, workplace, public, and transnationally. In so doing, she brings together multidisciplinary perspectives on the problem of violence against women and girls, and sets out the most promising policy and advocacy frameworks to end this violence.

Male and Female Perceptions and Experiences of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in South Kivu, Eastern DRC

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052098330
Author(s):  
Elyse J. Thulin ◽  
Andrew Lustig ◽  
Violette Perrotte ◽  
Marx Lwabanya ◽  
Tyler Evans
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
South Kivu ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Conflict settings are often the context of some of the highest rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Although women are disproportionately the victims of SGBV, they are not the only victims. Indirect impacts of SGBV also impact men, families, and communities. Examining SGBV as only a woman’s concern reinforces the hegemonic gender-binary view that SGBV somehow does not include men, who can be direct victims of SGBV, family members of female victims of SGBV, and/or perpetrators of SGBV. This qualitative study seeks to fill a gap by exploring the impact of SGBV on individuals, families, and communities, and potential options to ameliorate those issues. Data were collected in 2019 from community-based discussions in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Women described being direct victims of SGBV, as well as the burden of being at constant alert to the possible threat of violence. Men talked more about SGBV being perpetrated against women, and the indirect effect on men’s perception of their social husband and/or father role to protect and provide for their family. Taken together, women and men describe three types of violence: sexual violence by an unknown assailant who is often associated the rebel groups or the military; sexual violence from a known assailant within one’s community; and sexual or physical violence within intimate partnerships (i.e., intimate partner violence). Women focused more on community-based solutions to reduce their exposure to violence, while men discussed the government’s responsibility to end the long-standing conflict that has severely disrupted lives. Practically, these findings support the need to specify different types of SGBV, and the opportunity to tailor interventions by type.

scholarly journals ‘A woman’s place…’: community-based approaches to gender-based violence in Malawi

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-272
Author(s):  
Niamh Gaynor ◽  
Máirtín Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Field Research ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Local Power ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Causal Factors ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Successes And Challenges

Abstract One in five women has experienced gender-based violence (GBV) in Malawi and its incidence is reported to be increasing. The importance of cultural norms, practices, discourses and behaviours in both driving and addressing such violence is now well recognized. So too is the attendant need to involve men as well as women in community interventions to address this. In this context, this article draws on field research conducted in 2016 in two districts in Northern and Southern Malawi exploring the successes and challenges posed by community-based approaches (CBAs) to tackling GBV. We find that CBAs have yielded a number of successes – notably a reported reduction in GBV as communications between couples have improved and economic stresses within households reduced. However, we also find that these same CBAs have raised a number of challenges. These centre around resource distribution; the impact on local power dynamics; and CBA’s ability to challenge and interrogate dominant norms, ideologies, identities and practices. Overall, we argue that, while CBAs appear successful in transmitting the message to both women and men that GBV is unlawful and wrong, their impacts on the principal underlying causal factors remain weak.

scholarly journals The role of Circle women in curbing violence against women and girls in Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Owusu-Ansah
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
African Women ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

The article looks at the role Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (the Circle) have played in the struggle to end or reduce the rate at which violence against women and girls occurs in West Africa by highlighting the contributions of older Circle women, especially the initiator of the Circle, Mercy Amba Oduyoye. The initiator of the Circle and other older Circle women have left a remarkable legacy that needs to continue by the current and future generations of the Circle. The background information examines the leadership and mentorship of Mercy Amba Oduyoye and the impact she has made in the lives of African women. The essay then looks at the types of violence that women face in West Africa with the specific contributions of Circle women in the struggle to end violence against women and girls. It then argues that Circle women have played very significant roles both in setting the pace and giving the platform for women activities to minimise gender-based violence against women and girls. Circle women have written and presented papers that have addressed many challenges including HIV and/or AIDS, Girl Child trafficking, Marriage of Minors, and almost all kinds of violence against women and girls. Currently, religious violence threatens the fabric of African nations causing insecurity and panic, women and girls being the most vulnerable. The challenge to the present and future Circle members is to contribute in significant ways towards religious harmony in Africa and beyond. The Circle acknowledges the leadership role of women and encourages them to spearhead the liberation of women as well as empower them to be able to aspire to get to the top or become independent. No one understands what someone else feels better than the person experiencing the ordeal. Women can better understand what they go through and also have the passion to strive towards liberation.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In this article, the discipline of practical theology combines with elements of social science and Gender Studies, bringing out the Circle�s contribution towards the eradication of religious and cultural and gender violence against women and girls in Ghana and Africa.Keywords: Circle; Theology; gender-based violence; Mercy Amba Oduyoye; West Africa

scholarly journals Resilience in a Kenyan informal settlement during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-142
Author(s):  
Stephen Vertigans ◽  
◽  
Natascha Mueller-Hirth ◽  
Fredrick Okinda
Keyword(s):  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Global North ◽  
Financial Safety Nets ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Controlling Measures ◽  
The Impact

Informal settlements have been identified as locations both where the spread of COVID-19 has generally been slower than within the Global North and measures to restrain the pandemic have further intensified local peoples’ marginality as income decreases without welfare or financial safety nets. In this paper, qualitative fieldwork is detailed which commenced in Korogocho, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, immediately prior to national COVID-19 restrictions. This March 2020, pre-COVID phase of the fieldwork focused on a community-based project and the basis for resilience in transforming local lives. During the next 12 months of the pandemic fieldwork continued, exploring experiences and reactions to restraining policies. These findings reinforce concerns about the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions on marginalised peoples’ income, food security, health, safety and gender-based violence. How the local people reacted to these effects highlights their creative resilience and adaptability. The paper concludes by examining the impact of, and responses to, the controlling measures on the social relationships and cohesion that underpins the community resilience.

The Impact of Adjacent Laws on Implementing Violence Against Women Laws: Legal Violence in the Lives of Costa Rican Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-459
Author(s):  
Erin Adamson ◽  
Cecilia Menjívar ◽  
Shannon Drysdale Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Social Violence ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Legal Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Implementation Gaps ◽  
Forms Of Violence ◽  
The Impact

Most scholarship addressing implementation gaps of violence against women (VAW) laws focuses on countries with high levels of violence in the lives of women—accompanied by weak policing and judicial responses. These studies tend to argue that the most egregious forms of political or social violence explain this gap. However, there has been little attention to countries with lower levels of gender-based violence and relatively responsive state institutions. We analyze the application of VAW laws in Costa Rica, with a focus on the impact of adjacent laws, or laws that are seemingly unrelated to VAW laws but are applied in tandem with and often in conflict with VAW laws. Based on a decade of fieldwork in Costa Rica, we argue that adjacent laws on land, labor, and immigration can be leveraged in ways that undermine the interpretation and implementation of VAW laws. These failures constitute legal violence: the normalized but cumulatively injurious effects of laws that can result in various forms of violence. While legal violence causes implementation gaps in almost every country, our case study reveals that the underlying sociolegal system upon which these laws rest contributes to a significant gap between VAW laws and practice.

scholarly journals Ni Una Menos, czyli feminizm po argentyńsku

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-58
Author(s):  
Magdalena Lisińska
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Feminist Movement ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

The article addresses the problem of violence against women in Argentina in the context of the rise of the feminist movement Ni Una Menos. The text is based on the hypothesis that the creation of Ni Una Menos has been a watershed in the social perception of violence against women in Argentina. The article outlines the characteristics of gender-based violence in Argentina –primarily its historical, cultural, and social conditions. It discusses actions taken by Ni Una Menoscollective as a mean of fighting for women’s empowerment. The text also covers the impact of Ni Una Menos campaigns, including the extent to which the collective influenced Latin American and global women’s rights movements.

Exploring Transitional Justice’s Impact Pathways on Gender Justice: Trends in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Women from Thirteen African Cases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxine Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Gender Justice ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Impact Pathways ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Core Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The main element of gender justice addressed in transitional justice processes has been sexual and gender-based violence against women (SGBVAW). This article explores if particular dimensions (core characteristics) of transitional justice processes are more likely to positively contribute toward measures taken by the state to address SGBVAW outcomes. Empirical evidence from 13 African cases suggested that transitional justice processes that had autonomous, gender-hinclusive, and reparative dimensions were more likely to see positive SGBVAW outcomes. Pending further research, the results suggest that using these dimensions of transitional justice to unpack the impact pathways of transitional justice helps to clarify the ways that transitional justice can benefit societies. The findings also suggest that impact pathways between transitional justice and SGBVAW outcomes exist, but the nature of these pathways is varied and often indirect.

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