Break the taboo:Expose domestic violence
Nov 22, 2006
DOMESTIC violence against women is not a new phenomenon. Nor is it relegated to only one corner of the world. Intimate partner violence (IPV) has become so integrated into the fabric of society that it is often treated as both commonplace and taboo, to be discussed in hushed, discreet tones in the p
By Alexis Okeowo
DOMESTIC violence against women is not a new phenomenon. Nor is it relegated to only one corner of the world. Intimate partner violence (IPV) has become so integrated into the fabric of society that it is often treated as both commonplace and taboo, to be discussed in hushed, discreet tones in the privacy of women’s living rooms.
IPV is defined as abuse, whether emotional, physical, sexual or economic, by a person against his or her partner. More often than not, it refers to violence by a man against his female partner.
In Uganda, IPV is a pervasive plague that refuses to go away.
November 25 marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism, a global campaign against gender-based violence.
It is an intensive time for activists to promote women’s rights in Uganda, the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) says.
Before the 16 days of activism, the Centre will host a public dialogue, “Young Women’s Vulnerability to Violence and HIV/AIDS†on November 24 at Kampala International University.
A survey done this year by CEDOVIP found that 76% of male respondents in the east and north of Uganda admit that there is violence in their homes. 82% of women in the north say the same.
CEDOVIP recently hosted two scholars, Charlotte Watts and Lori Heise from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, to provide insight into this endemic beahviour.
“No matter where you are this is a significant problem,†Heise says.
She helped draft the World Health Organisation (WHO) Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women, which surveyed 24,000 women in over 10 countries. Researchers chose the capital city and a rural province in each nation to study physical, sexual and emotional violence against women. In Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Namibia were examined.
In nearly every case, women were more likely to be beaten or raped by their husbands or partners - between 60 and 95% of women - compared to violence against women by parents, neighbours and strangers. Rates varied according to place.
In Ethiopia and Tanzania, between 30 - 54% of women experienced violence within 12 months prior to the survey, placing the countries on the high end of the spectrum.
But universally, between 20 and 60% of domestic violence cases were hidden before the WHO study - an alarmingly large amount of unreported incidents.
“We need to start the conversation,†Heise says.
The focus of communities must be on preventing violence rather than on waiting to deal with the aftermath. Watts agreed that great potential exists at the community level.
From 2001 to 2005 in Limpopo province, South Africa, Watts studied a grassroots project designed to exploit the educational and support power of women. The rural area was the site of a micro-finance initiative that facilitated group-based lending to the poor women for income generation.
Training on gender violence and HIV was also provided in a 12-month component in the hope that IPV rates would decrease.
A total of 860 women enrolled in the program and 1,750 loans worth $290,000 were disbursed with a repayment rate of 99.7%. Of the women, at least 25% had experienced domestic violence.
Although there was initial resistance to the sexual education and violence training due to societal taboos over publicly discussing the issues, participants warmed to the idea.
“You can have money and still not be empowered,†a Limpopo woman told Watts.
At the end of the four-year project, 55% of the women surveyed reported a decrease in intimate partner violence defined by the project as being pushed, hit and forced or pressured to have sex.
Perhaps most importantly, women also said they found support and solidarity at the loan centres, places where they finally found an open space to talk.
In that sense, micro-finance merely served as an entry point for discussing pressing violence issues — a position that could be filled by other “basic needs†programmes such as literacy drives, Watts explains.
CEDOVIP has, since 2000, used both male and female activists as its entry point for raising awareness about IPV in Uganda.
In Kawempe Division, a suburb of Kampala, the centre implemented preventative domestic violence training of over 100 volunteers to mobilise the community.
“There is no way you can eradicate domestic violence without including men as a solution to the problem,†Hope Turyasingura of CEDVIP says.
Twenty male activists were selected to raise awareness among the men in the suburb.
With the guidance of the WHO study, the CEDVIP also selected 20 health workers in Kawempe to train them in treating domestic violence as more than just physical injuries. The health professionals are advised to refer patients for further counselling.
Reductions in violence have taken more than five years, Turyasingura says.
Even now, by relying on women’s testimonials, the Centre can only say that violence occurs at a “lesser extent.â€
CEDOVIP is currently working on putting the Domestic Relations Bill onto the Parliament agenda. The bill would address domestic violence as being a legitimate underlying issue of poverty, health and development.
“We are dealing with behavioral and social change. It does not happen overnight,†Turyasingura cautions.
Women all over the world simply hope that change will not take forever.
DOMESTIC violence against women is not a new phenomenon. Nor is it relegated to only one corner of the world. Intimate partner violence (IPV) has become so integrated into the fabric of society that it is often treated as both commonplace and taboo, to be discussed in hushed, discreet tones in the privacy of women’s living rooms.
IPV is defined as abuse, whether emotional, physical, sexual or economic, by a person against his or her partner. More often than not, it refers to violence by a man against his female partner.
In Uganda, IPV is a pervasive plague that refuses to go away.
November 25 marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism, a global campaign against gender-based violence.
It is an intensive time for activists to promote women’s rights in Uganda, the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) says.
Before the 16 days of activism, the Centre will host a public dialogue, “Young Women’s Vulnerability to Violence and HIV/AIDS†on November 24 at Kampala International University.
A survey done this year by CEDOVIP found that 76% of male respondents in the east and north of Uganda admit that there is violence in their homes. 82% of women in the north say the same.
CEDOVIP recently hosted two scholars, Charlotte Watts and Lori Heise from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, to provide insight into this endemic beahviour.
“No matter where you are this is a significant problem,†Heise says.
She helped draft the World Health Organisation (WHO) Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women, which surveyed 24,000 women in over 10 countries. Researchers chose the capital city and a rural province in each nation to study physical, sexual and emotional violence against women. In Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Namibia were examined.
In nearly every case, women were more likely to be beaten or raped by their husbands or partners - between 60 and 95% of women - compared to violence against women by parents, neighbours and strangers. Rates varied according to place.
In Ethiopia and Tanzania, between 30 - 54% of women experienced violence within 12 months prior to the survey, placing the countries on the high end of the spectrum.
But universally, between 20 and 60% of domestic violence cases were hidden before the WHO study - an alarmingly large amount of unreported incidents.
“We need to start the conversation,†Heise says.
The focus of communities must be on preventing violence rather than on waiting to deal with the aftermath. Watts agreed that great potential exists at the community level.
From 2001 to 2005 in Limpopo province, South Africa, Watts studied a grassroots project designed to exploit the educational and support power of women. The rural area was the site of a micro-finance initiative that facilitated group-based lending to the poor women for income generation.
Training on gender violence and HIV was also provided in a 12-month component in the hope that IPV rates would decrease.
A total of 860 women enrolled in the program and 1,750 loans worth $290,000 were disbursed with a repayment rate of 99.7%. Of the women, at least 25% had experienced domestic violence.
Although there was initial resistance to the sexual education and violence training due to societal taboos over publicly discussing the issues, participants warmed to the idea.
“You can have money and still not be empowered,†a Limpopo woman told Watts.
At the end of the four-year project, 55% of the women surveyed reported a decrease in intimate partner violence defined by the project as being pushed, hit and forced or pressured to have sex.
Perhaps most importantly, women also said they found support and solidarity at the loan centres, places where they finally found an open space to talk.
In that sense, micro-finance merely served as an entry point for discussing pressing violence issues — a position that could be filled by other “basic needs†programmes such as literacy drives, Watts explains.
CEDOVIP has, since 2000, used both male and female activists as its entry point for raising awareness about IPV in Uganda.
In Kawempe Division, a suburb of Kampala, the centre implemented preventative domestic violence training of over 100 volunteers to mobilise the community.
“There is no way you can eradicate domestic violence without including men as a solution to the problem,†Hope Turyasingura of CEDVIP says.
Twenty male activists were selected to raise awareness among the men in the suburb.
With the guidance of the WHO study, the CEDVIP also selected 20 health workers in Kawempe to train them in treating domestic violence as more than just physical injuries. The health professionals are advised to refer patients for further counselling.
Reductions in violence have taken more than five years, Turyasingura says.
Even now, by relying on women’s testimonials, the Centre can only say that violence occurs at a “lesser extent.â€
CEDOVIP is currently working on putting the Domestic Relations Bill onto the Parliament agenda. The bill would address domestic violence as being a legitimate underlying issue of poverty, health and development.
“We are dealing with behavioral and social change. It does not happen overnight,†Turyasingura cautions.
Women all over the world simply hope that change will not take forever.