Violence against women

Violence against women is one of the most shameful human rights violation that can occur. Violence against women also known as gender based violence, are violent acts the victims of which are primarily or exclusively women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime, committed against women or girls specifically because they are females and can take many forms. It is a serious and insidious problem and is also one of the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of culture, geography or wealth. It is a persistent problem and we cannot claim to progress until and unless we stop this appalling human rights violation. It is reported that one in three girls around the world is coerced into sex, beaten or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her. This information about violence against women is atrocious and sheds light on how ignorant the world has been towards this human rights violation and how little we have progressed.

Violence against women has many forms like rape,marital rape, domestic violence, honour killings, dowry violence, forced marriage and many more. There are lots of challenges faced by woman in accessing justice and limitation of measures. The main issue is lack of criminalization. In many countries acts of abuse are not punished but are instead widely tolerated with laws against the perpetrators rarely enforced. Not only this this but there are also instances where crimes  against women have been treated as minor offences. The attitude of the police also plays a major role in access of justice by women. Mostly victims of violence come in contact with the police first. If the police create a negative environment and have a hostile attitude towards victimized women, these women are prevented from obtaining justice. There are also various challenges in making a court case and the burden of proof can be placed on the victim. For example in Bangladesh a women’s past sexual experiences is taken into consideration when giving a verdict on case. Bangladesh has also been heavily criticized for its employment of the  ‘the two finger test’ which has been called demeaning by many doctor, lawyers, activists and police officers who signed a joint statement for it to be abolished.

We still live in the day and age where being abused or raped is considered the women’s fault. For example, in a criminal trial in Ireland a lacy underwear worn by a women was considered as a sign of consent by the lawyer of the man who was accused of her rape. By hearing information like this one cannot help but ask how heroic should a women be to pursue a trial and when will we as a society start to believe her?