Poverty and Household Abuse - Essay Example

Roll Poverty and Household abuse: A literature Review Introduction The purpose of this paper is look into the impact ofpoverty over the condition of a household especially women and children. It has concentrated on domestic violence and different household abuses with main cause being poverty. Though civilized and much more intelligent than other creation of god, there is a section in the society which is living in condition which is just inhumane. They are called as "Poor". And for higher class and ever growing middle class, these poor are a scar on modern urban society destroying the beauty of big cities and metros with their dingy slums. But when the civilization gets out of its narrow mindedness, it realizes growth of the whole race requires a defined research of different issues related to poverty and the effect it causes. Through these processes only those living on the edge can be brought into mainstream of the society contributing their fullest in the development of the nation. When issues like the diseases that have gripped this civilized world in this 21st century are discussed then the discussion will zero in to the seven different causes. They are Substance abuse, Homelessness, Prostitution, HIV, Violence, Poor Parenting and Poverty (Bloom, 5). But when the whole issue is delved into with greater care, each of the above stated causes has its roots or a part of it into Poverty. Poverty has its effect not only on the standard of living and social condition of an individual or the family but also on the psychological condition and mental state of the people. These people are more vulnerable towards some social abuse like alcohol abuse, substance abuse and economic abuse. The insecurity level is so high that sometimes it may lead to physical and sexual abuse. The condition of both male and female are critical and most of the time the life is on the edge. But females' lives in particular are more on tip of the knife. With slightest of mistakes they have to face domestic violence like beating, thrashing and sometimes forced intercourse. In the words of Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights "For women, gender is itself a risk factor threatening human security; the secret violence of household abuse, the private oppression of lack of property or inheritance rights, the lifelong deprivations that go with lack of schooling and the structural problem of political exclusion." (6). Literature Review Being intelligent is a gift. The ability of analyzing things differentiates us from rest of the creatures. This ability has led humans to transform themselves from a nomad to a civilized one. But this civilization and development have been achieved with some cost which caused a gap between countries, societies and finally families. Some people are rich while rests are poor. If we talk of poverty as one of many reasons behind the evil of abuses especially household abuses then economic insecurity among women and children are very much the main factor causing all sorts of household abuses. The absolute poverty has nothing more than the scarcity or lack of things. They lack money, education, and self respect and have to face the indignity and humiliation of being homeless or living in a slum that is nothing more than a shelter above or near dirtiest drain with no life and happiness (Robinson, 6). The household is basically controlled by senior male members who don't give any say to female members over things leading to financial and economic condition of the family. They are mostly illiterate or have working knowledge of things which gives them some opportunity to earn money. All this laced with habits of alcohol or drug abuse makes up a very dangerous combination which ultimately gives way to exponential rise of household abuses. With mostly females and children at the receiving end, they are an easy target or prey. Alcohol abuse and drug abuse have long lasting effects which culminates to loss of health and aggravation of poverty. Persons with the habit that of usage of illicit drugs is more violent and aggressive in nature (National Survey of Drugs Use and Health, 2). A family is always talked of being a unit of social system but in some part of western world and almost whole of Asia and Africa, the life of women and children is miserable because of conditions in the family itself. There have been some cases that family is rich. The male part comprising of father and son are financially sound but females' condition is not just bad rather it is miserable. The family is seldom a unit. Distribution of resources is rarely equal. Females are given less food. All this leads to a condition where women are poor while their husbands or brothers or sons are not. But this is not the end of all sorts of oppressions. The newly searched form of household abuse is men afflicting their wife with HIV/AIDS virus. In most of the poor families, males migrate to cities in search of work and money. They get themselves affected with virus because of unprotected sex. And when they return they finally transmit it to their wives. Due to this, number of innocent sufferers of this deadly virus is on increase with potential high enough to cause an epidemic (Jacobson, 41). Poverty and continuous domestic violence has its effect not only on current generations but also on next generation because of children being regularly exposed to violent behavior. This actually opens a cycle of oppression and aggression with those children becoming more volatile and aggressive. Their chances of economic and academic successes get diminished to another low and will become another source of family and household abuse (Bloom, 16). In the paper by Vincent J. Bolt and Kate Bird, lack of resources and asymmetrical power relations often result in the discrimination of resources of the intra-household resources which include food, health care and education (13). Even if the females manage to earn some money, their income is being considered as the household income and again they have face discrimination when it is being distributed (Bolt, 14). Poverty and lack of education has prevented any possible social renaissance. The birth of a male child is still considered as very important phenomena. This sometimes led to the birth of a number of girls when parents go on giving birth to babies till the birth of a male child. With already poor household and lots of mouth to feed and a male child, the female members are forced to sacrifice their share in every possible resource sharing (Bolt, 20). The Helsinki Process in its report has stated that families suffering with persistent poverty and hunger are more prone to disease and violence especially domestic violence (11). The report also states that these people perform badly on health index too. They are in continuous chain of disease, conflict and with poverty contributing a lot to epidemics of infection with all access to health care being blocked (Helsinki Process, 15). So it's not a surprise if world wide more than 500,000 women die annually in pregnancy with 99% being a part of developing but poor countries (Helsinki Process, 15). Sexual abuse is no longer considered apart from household abuse. Females, especially young girls are often an easy prey to thus menace. Living under poverty right from the childhood has made a big mark on the male psyche. This has caused an alarming increase in violence both physical and sexual towards females in the household. The protectors have now become predators with females living in fear through out their life (Kvinna Till Kvinna, 23). So houses are no longer a secure place. It's not the case that that poverty creates situation which promotes abuse but it is actually a trap with getting out of it being more complex than getting into. Prolonged illness or migration can be some of the reason causing poverty and finally escalation and sufferings of women. But this abuse makes one more vulnerable and thereby chances of getting out of the hell created due to poverty get diminished. More abused and especially by near ones creates insecurity of highest level with no one to console (Now Legal and Education Fund, 1). Abusers' atrocity not only ends with abuse only. They try their best to prevent all sorts of help and any attempt of abused to attain economic independence. These males are poor and are thrashed all over their lives initially during childhood and now by their employers. Their level of frustration is extremely high which finally lead to their wives and children who are now at the receiving end of their frustration. They are alcohol abused and finally abuse their family members (Bloom, 13). Wife beating is a regular feature in those families. These people are very much prone to high risk sex and they finally transmit all this to their wives (Bloom, 23). The wives have more in their life left. They can only hope some thing better in next life only. With most of these cases being a part of developing nations and war torn ones, the chances of getting justice is the least. They are abused on every possible ground and finally become mentally unstable with effect being faced by the child they have born. These children are abused and are a regular viewer of violence against their mothers. They grow in that environment only become either a new abuser or a target of getting abused. The chain goes on with main cause being unequal development of society and rise of poverty. Conclusion The paper has been undertaken with a purpose of underlining the face that Poverty is the main reason behind all sorts of domestic abuses. Every child and women are a potential candidate for getting battered. With females condition is even bad and their gender itself has become a reason for all sort of sufferings they have to face in the household (Robinson, 6). In the recent past there has been an exponential increase in cases related to household abuses with only reason being rising awareness (family studies, 3). The menace is actually present in our world since beginning with females having least control over everything. Even in the process of giving birth to a child is not performed with their consent. They are abused not by strangers or oppressors but their own husband or other male relatives who should be a protector but has turned into a predator (Kvinna Till Kvinna, 23). The main reason behind all this is nothing but their dependence on economic ground. They are poor not only when they belong to a poor family but because of their gender. Even females in well to do families have to face same discrimination and are being abused as well. Bibliography Bloom, Sandra L., "The PVS Disaster: Poverty, Violence and Substance Abuse in the Lives of Women and Children". September 2002. A Review of the Recent Literature Women's Law Project, 2002 . "Empowering People at Risk: Human Security Priorities for the 21st Century". Helsinki Process. Robinson, M., "Advancing the Human Development Agenda: A Shared Responsibility", January, 2005. Third Forum on Human Development Cultural Identity, Democracy and Global Equity, Paris. "Poverty and Violence". Bolt, Vincent J. & Bird, Kate. "The Intrahousehold Disadvantages Framework: A Framework for the Analysis of Intra-household Difference and Inequality", July 2003. Chronic Poverty Research Centre. "Security on Whose terms If Men and Women are equal". Kevinna Till Kevinna Foundation. "The NSDUH Report: Youth Violence and illicit Drug Abuse", 2006, National Survey on Drug Use and Health "Surviving Violence and Poverty: A Focus on the Link between Domestic and Sexual Violence, Women's Poverty and Welfare" 2002. Now Legal and Education Fund Read More