Governments Through Human Rights Institutions: the Society of Gender - Research Paper Example

 Machismo is an English word which has been derived from Spanish and it refers to excessive display of masculinity. Women in Spain and South America are suffering day in, day out because of domestic violence and it is high time to put an end to their suffering. This paper will expansively present the concept of Machismo and it will also throw light upon how the suffering of the women in Spain and South America can be put to an end. Machismo also referred to as extreme male chauvinism has had a telling impact on the lives of women in Spain and South America; the women in Spain are beaten up by their spouses and intense pain is inflicted on them more often than not. In countries like Brazil this practice is very frequent and even the UN has been urged to come to the rescue of these poor women. “Spain plans to introduce pan-European measures to combat domestic violence when it takes over the EU presidency on 1 January, the government announced Tuesday. The Socialist government, which has made fighting violence against women one of its priorities, plans to promote three initiatives, Equality Minister Bibiana Aido said.” (Domestic Violence) There are many steps that are being taken in Spain and South America to bring this heinous practice to an end. There are several telephones that have been installed to receive calls from women who are the victims of domestic violence. These telephone numbers are shown on television and published in the newspapers. This change has brought a lot of new changes; many oppressed women have acknowledged that after lodging a complaint, they no more get beaten up by their counterparts. Another way of stopping this practice is to introduce punitive laws, men get away easily by doing whatever they want to but this should change and this should change sooner rather than later. Once punitive laws are in place, this would no longer remain an issue in Spain and South America. “In 2008, the government passed a measure ensuring that all men served with a restraining order by their former partners would be fitted with electronic tags. Two special phone numbers were also set up: one for men who want "to channel their aggression" and another for women who have been assaulted by their partners. Despite the efforts to reduce domestic violence at least 76 women in Spain were killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2008, according to the government.” (Domestic Violence) Domestic violence is widespread. Almost one out of every three women across the world is abused, coerced to sex or violently battered. Rape and physical abuse is reported almost every 2 hours. Though cases of men abused by women are also increasing, research directs its efforts on violence against women. Gender based violence violates women rights to enjoy life. However, gender based violence has to be reviewed since it affects both men and women. Actually, gender based violence reinforces the inequities between men and women. It explains the violations of human rights. The root cause of these human rights violations has been a subject of interest. Spanish authorities have reported gender based violence and domestic violence. South American human rights institutions have mentioned the same (Gutman, 2005). The context of machismo character is believed to play a significant role in gender based violence and domestic violence. South America blames domestic violence to machismo. Machismo is described as strength. The candid feelings of the South American men are that they are the symbol of power and strength. This self-centered attitude towards other genders prompts men to find their female counterparts as inferior. Inferiority translates to indirect slavery. It’s this context that has over the year culminated to a rapid increase in cases of domestic violence and gender based violence. Attachment Theory Abusive relationship is very common these days, men are twice as likely to abuse than women, abusive relationship can knock the stuffing out of an individual and it is not advisable to continue being in an abusive relationship. “Majority of abusive cases occur in a situation of conflict.” (Adult Attachment Theory) Maltreatment of children is another instance which reflects the attachment theory, when these children are subjected to abuse day in, day out they change for the worse and suffer dire consequences. “Disorganized attachment is very common amongst children subjected to maltreatment.” (Treatment of Maltreated Children) Gender Violence Gender based violence has been termed as a threat to women in Latin America. The machismo complex, which is borrowed from Spanish culture, promotes the subjecting of women to submission. Women are deemed as a weaker sex and are entirely dependent on their male counterparts. The same has been reported in Spain. Spanish men have the habit of excursing aggressive behavior towards women. Researchers have explained this behavior as a veil worn by men to hide their weakness. A closer look at the meaning of machismo explains this context. Machismo translates into strength. Experts have warned that machista attitudes are an armor men wear to hide their weakness. In Mexican movies, the men hide their weakness but show aggressiveness and strengths to their women. In private, these men will cry and even, open up about their fears. This weakness is an inferiority complex. It is a sense that causes men to react violently towards women. This sense is like impotence. This impotence is prompted by various factors. Experts have pointed out that, this problem of inferiority, hidden through machismo is exacerbated by unemployment, ethnic disorientation, poverty, alcoholism and depression. The tradition set by machista has become a trend borrowed throughout generations. Boys who grew up in violent backgrounds borrow these attributes, hide in machismo through violent behavior, domestic violence, and gender violence (Kitchener, 1984). Governments through human rights institutions are working hard to rid the society of gender based violence and domestic violence. This is through swift prosecutions and uplifting women through social economic empowerment. Creation of employment for each member of the society regardless of gender will play a significant role in reducing gender based violence and domestic violence. Though societal value pose as significant risk to these efforts, educating the society about human rights and gender values will promote efforts to eradicate this problem. In spite of all the efforts this menace is growing with each passing day and it is time to put it to an end. It can be out to an end by making the women aware of their rights and by asking them to rebel against anything that seems unjust. It is very important to safeguard the women against domestic violence and equally important is to put this practice to an end. Works Cited Adult Attachment Theory (2005). Sex Roles, Vol. 52, Nos. 11/12, June 2005 (Accessed on 13 December 2009) Domestic Violence (2009). Expatica http://www.expatica.com/es/news/local_news/Spain_s-EU-presidency-to-fight-domestic-violence_58182.html (Accessed on 13 December 2009) E. Gutman (2009)Latin America Sexual Exploitation. Women Say no to machismo, domestic violence; No to machismo! No to domestic violence. Honduras this week Online. Retrieved on 13 December 2009 from http://www.libertadlatina.org/Latin_America_Machismo_p4.htm Kitchener, K. S. (1984). Intuition, critical evaluation and ethical principles: The Foundation for ethical decisions in counselling psychology. Counselling Psychologist, 12(3), 43-55. Treatment of Maltreated Children (2004). Health Sciences Attachment & Human Development Vol 6 No 3 (September 2004) 263 – 278 (Accessed on 13 December 2009) Read More