Violence against women commonly known as gender-based violence refers to violent acts ‎committed against women with the victims gender as a primary motive. ‎Violence against women is very common especially in developing third world countries and even ‎in countries with over suppressed societies for example in many regions of the Middle East. ‎Even in developed and modern nations still today gender- based violence is not totally ‎eliminated and still exists though comparatively the rate is lower than the underdeveloped and/ or ‎developing countries. ‎

It is like a plague that has engulfed and destroyed many homes and families and a situation that ‎needs to be addressed with complete focus as a healthy society produces healthy generations ‎which in turn results in healthy and prosperous nations. For years the problem has never been ‎addressed seriously and so far has ruined families and disturbed the society at large majorly due ‎to lack of awareness among the individuals.‎

The ever increasing day to day mechanical lives and expensive living cost is causing more stress ‎and depression in individuals, the matter instead of being curtailed by various relevant law ‎enforcing agencies, NGO’s and concerned state organizations the occurrences of violence ‎incidents against women is on high increase. ‎There is a dire need to find ways to stop this as crises intervention cannot only address and ‎simplify the situation rather more serious steps are needed to curtail the devastating effects that it ‎has on children and families.‎

Every year millions of women are affected world over and majority of cases do not come on ‎record nor handed lawfully and this ignorance results in gradual increase in such unacceptable ‎acts against women. We will all agree here that such violence against women leads to physical ‎and psychological harm both, and at times the psychological scars are impossible to treat thus ‎damaging the personality of the subject woman for life time.‎

If a woman suffers such physical and emotional harm the whole society suffers and the final ‎impact is the suffering of the entire society. Thus this raises serious health concerns and requires ‎immediate action and prevention from violence from those who are the policy makers and various ‎agencies responsible for stopping this violence. ‎

The affected suffers from loss of trust, loss of dignity and a deeply compromised self – esteem ‎that needs to be addressed along with factors like housing, economic support, social welfare and ‎legal issues being an integral part of the health promotion strategy. ‎The most common form of violence experienced by women globally is physical violence inflicted ‎by an intimate partner, with women beaten, forced into sex or otherwise abused.‎ In a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) it was found that between 15% ‎and 70% of women experience physical and/ or sexual violence by a partner. ‎

According to a United Nations report at least one out of every three women around the world ‎has been abused some way or the other in her lifetime and that too by someone known to her.‎ According to a WHO report the impact of this gender- based violence on the society is deep and ‎directly burdens the health care services as women suffer serious physical injuries, death, sexually ‎transmitted diseases, miscarriages, acute depression and many other psychological health issues ‎resulting in weak and low physical health. And the states have to bear heavy economical costs in ‎billions per year.‎

A 2003 report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the ‎costs of intimate partner violence in the United States alone exceed US$5.8 billion per year: ‎US$4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account ‎for nearly US$1.8 billion.‎ We can have an idea of existence of this gender-based violence in various parts of the world ‎from the figures collected by the WHO while carrying out a study in 11 countries and according ‎to this study; ‎

The percentage of women who had been subjected to sexual violence by an intimate partner ‎ranged from 6 per cent in Japan to 59 per cent in Ethiopia. ‎Several global surveys suggest that half of all women who die from homicide are killed by their ‎current or former husbands or partners. ‎In Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, 40 to 70 per cent of female ‎murder victims were killed by their partners, according to the World Health Organization.‎

In Colombia, every sixth day one woman is reportedly killed by her partner or former partner. ‎Psychological or emotional violence by intimate partners is also widespread.‎ Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime, according to country data ‎available.‎Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car ‎accidents, war and malaria, according to World Bank data. ‎

Female genital mutilation (FGM), defined by WHO as the partial or total removal of the external ‎genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs WHO estimates that between 100 to 140 ‎million girls and women have undergone some type of FGM. Most of those affected live in 28 ‎countries in Africa, although there are some in the Middle East and it also happens among ‎immigrant communities in some countries in Western Europe.‎

Rape and dowry related violations are also very common resulting in harassment of brides and ‎also dowry related deaths, particularly in certain parts of India and other southern Asian ‎countries. This violence is exercised not only by the husband but also by the husbands’ close ‎relatives (mother, brothers, and sisters). ‎

Acid throwing in some Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, the disfiguring ‎of women by throwing acid or burning them are forms of violence rooted in gender inequality, ‎but the immediate reason for this is often disputes concerning marriage and dowry. While this is ‎not one of the most prevalent forms of violence against women, its consequences are dire for ‎those women subjected to it. ‎

‎ ”Honor” killings this is the murder of a woman, usually by a brother, father, or other male family ‎member, because she has allegedly brought shame to her family. This phenomenon is rooted in ‎the notion of male honor and female chastity that prevails in many countries in the Eastern ‎Mediterranean region. It means a man’s honor is linked to the perceived sexual purity of the ‎women in his family. If a woman engages in sex outside marriage or even if she is raped, she is ‎thought to disgrace the family honor. In some societies, the only way to cleanse the family honor ‎is by killing the woman/girl.‎

This kind of violence against women and girls is exercised also in western European countries ‎within immigrant families. It is generally referred to as ”honor” killings-a rather misleading ‎term as the connection with honor is difficult to understand in most cultures. The term ”murder ‎in the name of honor” has been suggested. ‎

There was this case of honor killing of 3 daughters and their mother who was murdered in ‎Canada and bodies dumped under a bridge by their own father with the help of his second wife ‎who were immigrants there and belonged to an Asian country. ‎

In Saudi Arabia where I used to visit frequently almost every year as my spouse was working in ‎Jeddah I witnessed many cases where in men when going for work locked their wives from ‎outside till the time they were back home in the evenings the reason being lack of trust on their ‎spouse and during one such incidence the house caught fire due to short circuit and the wife, ‎maid and an infant child were rescued by the neighbors through apartment windows as the door ‎to the house was locked from outside by the husband who had left for work. I left the site ‎wondering how much black smoke these three must have inhaled especially the infant child and ‎what effect it would have had on their lungs?‎

With the passage of time and increasing awareness especially in girls / women due increasing ‎literacy rates among women such violation is now getting well recognized as a public health ‎problem and human rights violation of worldwide. ‎

The states and working organizations for prevention and betterment of societies are now realizing ‎how this relates directly to the public health sector.‎

More and more need have arise to take appropriate measures and proper trained health workers ‎are being placed close to the victims of such violation who are also well acquainted with the ‎community they work for and its inhabitants.‎

The local health services and communities need to play their role and create awareness among the ‎public to prevent such incidents. ‎

The Central and Federal government bodies need not only to make strict laws for the prevention ‎of gender-based violence but ensure effective implementation as well.‎

The most effective way to reduce tolerance towards violence against women is to openly debate ‎the subject as still there is limited knowledge regarding most workable interventions for the ‎prevention of gender- based violations.‎

References

• ‎ www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/hpkit/index.htm

• http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/‎

• http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/suppl_1/25.full

• Violence Against Women – the United Nations

‎ www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/…/UNiTE_TheSituation_EN….‎

• Violence against women – Gunilla Krantz, Claudia Garcia-Moreno

• http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/Violence_against_women