Discrimination and Domestic Violence against Women in America - Essay Example

Extreme Revision Research Paper on Discrimination and Domestic Violence against Women in America Tyler Edmond Daniels Miller (May 17, 1989- June 11, 2001) committed a suicide because he could not bear the pain of his mothers’ murder by his father. The boy was 12 years old. Joshua Lee Lupson-Holden (November 10, 1992- June 9, 1993) the three, Mother and two sons, perished in a fire started by Gina’s husband, who doused the home with gasoline, lit a match and walked away. Janice Marie Jones (March 5, 1952- April 8, 1985) was stalked, raped, and murdered by an ex-boyfriend. The murder took place in front of her two children, ages 11 and 13 at the time. The killer served 18 months and is now free. (Domestic Violence Memorial) Domestic violence is the major cause of injury to women; 85-95% of all domestic violence victims are female. Every year 1232 women are murdered by an intimate partner and 5.3 million are abused. (American Institution on Domestic Violence) Violence against women cannot be justified by neither political, nor religious or cultural claims. Gender based violence is global and varies from one society to another only in scope; the United States is not an exception. The United Nations Declaration on Violence against Women defines gender based violence as: “Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life" (Article 1) The scope of forms of discrimination is huge and includes, though is not limited to forced abortion, forced pregnancy, prostitution and sterilization, rape, domestic and community violence, sexual abuse of female children, sexual harassment, intimidation at work and social institutions, marital rape. All these forms can be grouped to broader sections: socio-cultural discrimination and violence, discrimination at work, and, finally, home abuse. The dramatic influence on women and society in general of any type of discrimination can hardly be overestimated, while the reasons underneath and direct course of actions to be taken are still not clear and hardly will ever be. When it comes to speaking about socio-cultural discrimination, the majority does not realize to what extent beliefs termed “culture” shape women’s lives and the understanding of personal role in society. Cultural values rooted in unequal distribution of power between women and men limit, subordinate and discriminate female population; traditions formed for centuries become a justification for denial of basic human rights, the principle of equality is challenged when it comes to women. Cultural discrimination that women experience in the USA can hardly be compared to India or Iraq: “Kajal Khidr was accused of adultery by her husbands family and held hostage by six family members in Iraqi Kurdistan. Kajal Khidr was tortured and mutilated; family members cut off part of her nose and told her she would be killed after the birth of her child.” (Amnesty International USA) Even though in the USA such brutal violations are rare, women still have less access to education and employment, own less property then men. Abuse of women’s human rights is usually complicated by other factors: race, age, religion, class, disability. Particular attention should be given to women with disability. Beauty and sexual attractiveness is the image usually attributed to women by society; motherhood alongside with housekeeping are generally considered to be their primary functions. Women with disabilities are usually viewed as asexual, unable to fulfill the role given to them by nature. In such way, they experience not only usual discrimination being representatives of a “weaker” gender, but also suffer from stereotypes created by society. Discrimination at work takes various forms. Even at the stage of recruitment the types of discrimination in selection are numerous: in the job criteria adopted, in tests, in differences in treatment between the candidates, by failing to inform women on maternity leave of vacancies. (Equal Opportunities Commission) However, the two major types addressed to the publicity are sexual harassment and discrimination based on pregnancy. Even though theoretically an employer has no right to refuse to hire a pregnant woman, unfortunately, this principle is not followed very often. Only in 2004 EEOC1 received 4,512 charges of pregnancy-based discrimination. (EEOC) Pregnancy is to be treated as any other temporary disability; employer must provide modified tasks, alternative assignments, opportunity to leave without pay. An unsatisfied human hunger for money is the source for this type of discrimination, even though partially pregnancy discrimination can by justified with the idea of democracy, equal opportunities and free competition. Obviously, pregnant women and mothers with infants cannot devote themselves to work as much as men, however, where does an instant fight for material goods end and humanism begins? Sexual harassment is repeated and unwanted sexual attention at work, when a woman has to put up with this to keep the job. Even though about 97% of companies have a written sexual harassment policy, approximately 15,000 cases are brought to EEOC every year. (EEOC) Sexual harassment is not something a woman should put up with, however, still often does to keep the job. Sexual harassment at work can largely be attributed to economic instability and financial dependence of women. About 31% of female workers claimed to be harassed at work and 100% confirmed, that the harasser was a man (EEOC), but how many pass the issue by in silence? A family is a place where men and women seek shelter, love, and understanding. Domestic violence in the form of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse is something that the majority of women have at least once in their lives gone through. And the most dramatic is that sexual and psychological abuse, rape cannot be easily proven, as this type of abuse rests on an assumption that when a woman gets married, the husband has an unlimited sexual contact to his wife. Domestic violence is a vicious cycle, once the process has begun and no preventive actions have been taken, abuse becomes a habit and has a negative impact on working environment of women. About 96% of women experience problems at work due to abuse. (American Institution on Domestic Violence) Abused women fail to perform well at work, become more and more dependent on their husbands and, consequently, have to put up with violence. What are the reasons for discrimination and domestic violence against women and what are the right ways to address the issue? Unfortunately, there is no either a single factor, nor a single solution; the reasons for violence are complex and interconnected. On one hand, lack of economic resources, lack of legal protection, socio-cultural factors contribute to women’s vulnerability. On the other hand, experiences of men during childhood, such as witnessing domestic violence as means of resolving a conflict, excessive alcohol consumption and drug usage, the idea of ownership of a woman result in aggressive behavior towards female population. The role of women themselves should be stressed, as drug and alcohol consumption are applicable to them as well. Ability of women to stand up to violence, overcome fear protecting own interests can be a determining factor in prevention of abuse. “Today, what unites women internationally-transcending class, race, culture, religion, nationality and ethnic origin-is their vulnerability to the denial and violation of their fundamental human rights, and their dedicated efforts to claim those rights." (Amnesty International, Human Rights are Womens Right) Injury, unwanted pregnancy, miscarriage, chronic pelvic pain, asthma, self-injurious behavior, homicide, suicide, AIDS, fear, depression, sexual dysfunction, low self-esteem, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, heart or circulatory conditions, central nervous system disorders are only a few consequences of violence against women. However, the most crucial one is violation of basic human rights of female population. The concept of human rights is rooted deep in core issues of economic survival and health protection not only of a Mother, but also her children. Anna Mae Cox (July 12, 1935- December 1, 1975) was beaten to death by the hands of her own husband in the presence of 5 of her children. Anna’s seven children were left motherless. Marty Williams, the killer, was released after one year of prison. (Domestic Violence Memorial) Children who witnessed domestic violence or were abused experience both behavioral and health problems. They are unable to develop close relationships, have suicidal tendencies, often have sleeping or eating disorders, finally, can display aggressive behavior being grownups and the story starts all over again… The socio-economic costs of abusive behavior include treatment from sexually transmitted diseases, expenditures on psychological counseling and medical treatment, police services, criminal justice expenditures, shelters for abused women. Non-direct costs can hardly ever be calculated. Can someone tell how much does a human life cost? There is no single strategy that will be effective in all domestic violence and discrimination issues. Taking into consideration the interconnectedness of all factors causing domestic violence, a strategy addressing the issue on a global scale has to be worked out and applied. Rising awareness, shelter and service provision to the victims, community mobilization, and legal reform are the areas that can and should be influenced. However, there will never be any significant changes as long as the roles of men and women in society are not re-evaluated, as the problem is rooted in distribution of power between men and women. Men have to fully realize the idea of responsibility for own actions, consequences of aggressive behavior and learn ways to communicate in non-violent ways. It is widely know, that the longest journey begins with a single step. “There is nothing immutable about the violent oppression of women and girls. It is a construct of power, as was apartheid, and one that can be changed. But because it has been so deeply ingrained, for so long, in virtually every culture remaining on earth, the effort to dismantle the societal structures that tolerate it, or patently refuse even to see it, will require creativity, patience and action on many fronts.” (Bunch, C. 1997) Frankly speaking, discrimination and domestic violence against women not only in the USA, but all over the world, will hardly ever become insufficient enough to be ignored. As long as we all are individualities, there will never be equal opportunities and equal treatment for all human beings. The principle is centered in our very essence. Even though government undertakes numerous projects on prevention of violence, actions will be effective only to some extent. Everything eventually depends on the final choice of a victim – whether to be abused and let things flow or to stand up and fight back… References American Institute on Domestic Violence. (2001). Domestic Violence in the Workplace Statistics. Retrieved: October 1, 2005, from American Institute on Domestic Violence Web site: http://www.aidv-usa.com/Statistics.htm Amnesty International USA. (2005). Fact Sheet: Women’s Human Rights. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from Amnesty International USA Web site: http://www.amnestyusa.org/stopviolence/factsheets/humanrights.html Bunch, C. (1997) The intolerable status quo: Violence against women and girls. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from The Progress of Nations 1997 Web site: http://www.unicef.org/pon97/women1c.htm Equal Opportunities Commission. (2005) Discrimination in recruitment methods. Retrieved: October 1, 2005, from Equal Opportunities Commission Web site: http://www.eoc-law.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=2799 Rivera, S. Domestic Violence Memorial. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from Stacy Rivera personal webpage Web site: http://www.angelfire.com/pa4/dvmemorial/index.html United Nations. (1993). Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women G.A. res. 48/104, 48 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 217, U.N. Doc. A/48/49 (1993). Retrieved: October 1, 2005, from Human Rights Studies at Harvard Web site: http://www.humanrights.harvard.edu/resources/undocs/violence.html Read More