Any act of gender-based violence that leads to physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring publicly or in private life is known as violence against women. Any sexual or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using force, by other person irrespective of the relation they hold, is known as sexual violence.
Violence against women can occur in public and private spheres of life and at any time of their life span. Many women are terrified by such violence threat and they are not able to exercise their human rights, and they are not able to contribute wholly to development of their communities socially, economically and politically.
Globally, 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners and 6% of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than partner, although, data for non-partner sexual violence is more limited.
Lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic and its impact have increased the exposure of girls to abusive partners and limiting their access to services and that they are unable to save themselves from such partners.
Violence can be of many types. It includes rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, acid throwing, dowry violence and forced marriage, etc.
Risk factors for both intimate partner and sexual violence include the following:
• Lower level of education.
• History of exposure to child maltreatment.
• Witnessing family violence.
• Antisocial personality disorder.
• Harmful use of alcohol.
• Having harmful masculine behavior, which includes multiple partners.
• Community norms which gives high status to men and lower status to women.
• Low level of women’s access to paid employment.
• Gender inequality.
Health Consequences
Intimate partner and sexual violence cause great loss to women’s life. It also affects their children’s health and well-being. Such violence can lead to:
• Homicide or suicide.
• Injuries
• Unintended pregnancies, induced abortions, gynecological problems, and sexually transmitted infections (like HIV).
• Miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term delivery and low weight birth babies.
• Depression, post-traumatic stress, and other anxiety disorders, eating disorders, sleep difficulties, and suicide attempts.
Children who grow up in families where there is violence are more likely to suffer emotional and behavioral disturbances. Women, who are victim of sexual violence, may suffer isolation, inability to work, lack of participation in regular activities, and limited care for children and themselves.
RESPECT
R: Relationship skills strengthening
E: empowerment of women
S: services ensured
P: poverty reduced
E: enabling environments created
C: child and adolescent abuse prevented
T: transformed attitudes, beliefs and norms
RESPECT highlights that successful interventions are those that makes their priority safety of women, whose core elements involve challenging unequal gender power relationships.
Role of health sector:
• They can advocate making violence against women unacceptable.
• The can provide comprehensive services, sensitize and train health care providers.
• Prevent violence by getting information of victim and her children at the earliest
• Comprehensive sexual education to young people.
In conclusion, sexual violence results in obstacle to peace and security. Many women lose their health, livelihoods, families, children, husband, and support network as a result of rape. Thus, it can result in shattering interests and life of women.
Aishwarya Says:
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
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