Women and Violence: Realities and Responses Worldwide

THIS EDITED VOLUME looks at the issue of violence against women in countries as diverse as Tibet, Pakistan, Argentina, Chile, the former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, France and Australia and, in so doing, points to the universality of the phenomenon. Clearly spelt out is the fact that violence against women - or what some of the contributors term “gender violence” - is by no means confined to particular classes, cultures, age or ethnic groups but is pervasive throughout all sections of society. The numerous case studies and country experiences set out in the book are wrapped around a clear conceptual framework. This is that gender violence is a structural rather than an incidental phenomenon, embedded in unequal power relations between men and women, and serves as a means of domination and control of women as subordinates. Gender violence is perpetrated at a number of different levels, whether in the home, within the wider community or via state legal or other institutions and takes a variety of forms such as domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment in the workplace and within society more generally, child sexual abuse, and the use of rape and torture in war and by military governments and other repressive regimes. The term applies equally to physical and psychological violence, involving on the one hand various acts of battery and, on the other, verbal abuse thus instilling in women a fear of violence or involving various forms of deprivation such as control of women’s mobility, privation of food or other forms of stimuli including isolation from friends and other contacts. The hidden nature of gender violence is a theme that recurs throughout the text. The inclusion of case studies from around the world draws attention to the fact that socio-cultural and other contextual differences often affect the way in which violence is manifested.

The contributions within Women and Violence are ordered thematically, reflecting the different levels at which gender violence is perpetrated. Part one examines the issue of domestic violence with case studies from Northern Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Brazil and India. Part two moves beyond the family to look at sexual harassment in Tanzania, France and the Czech Republic, the maltreatment of female domestic servants in Kuwait, and how women’s organizations have organized around rape in India and child sexual abuse in the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Part three relates violence against women to issues of health and sexuality and includes case studies on domestic violence and reproductive health issues in Central America, coercive birth control policies introduced by the Chinese government in Tibet and militarism and the sex industry in the Philippines. A final chapter in this section looks at legislation against female genital mutilation in Africa and in Europe. Part four examines the use of rape and torture in war or by repressive regimes with reports on Bosnia and Latin America. Part five looks at government measures and legal provisions relating to gender violence. After an informative overview chapter, case studies report on the impact of the Zina Ordinance in Pakistan and the lobbying work of US activists to improve the response of state and federal criminal justice systems to gender violence.

Part six switches to a more optimistic note by outlining the diverse strategies adopted by grassroots organizations working on gender violence. While some of these organizations concentrate on lobbying activities, others specialize in providing a range of support, rehabilitation and self-help services for abused women and their children, and others still focus on various forms of education for change. Illustrations of cartoons, posters and leaflets used in grassroots campaign work are included throughout the text and bring to life both the scope of work undertaken and the crucial role that these organizations play in changing public perceptions of gender violence. Finally, the book