Violence Against Women: Violence Against Women - A Gross Violation of Human Rights That Hinders Development

Governance and Democracy Division
Violence against Women

Violence against women - a gross violation
of human rights that hinders development
International framework and definition Forms and facets of violence against women
Violence against women is no longer regarded as a private matter, There are many forms of violence against women, including sexu-
but as a serious violation of human rights. This is the result of the al, physical, or emotional abuse by intimate partners, family mem-
1994 International Conference on Population and Development bers or others; sexual harassment and abuse by authorities such as
as well as the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. More- teachers, police officers or employers; trafficking for forced labour
over, a 1994 mandate established a Special Rapporteur on Violence or sex; and traditional practices such as female genital mutilation,
against Women. or forced or child marriages. Violence against women often ends
with fatalities, such as in the case of honour killings. Systematic
The United Nations defines violence against women in the Decla- sexual abuse during conflict situations is another pervasive form
ration on the Elimination of Violence against Women as “any act of violence against women.
of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats Violence against women happens in both the private and in the
of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occur- public sphere. It is a widespread and multi-faceted problem with a
ring in public or in private life” (United Nations 1993). variety of persons in the roles of perpetrators and victims. Howev-
er, to combat the phenomenon, other
relevant factors such as health and edu
cation must be considered, as well as
involving other actors such as police
personnel, social workers and educa-
tors as well as politicians and legal
authorities.
Magnitude and costs of

the problem
Violence against women and girls is
a problem of pandemic proportions.
Worldwide, an estimated one in five
women will be a victim of rape or
attempted rape in her lifetime. One in
three will have been beaten, coerced
into sex or otherwise abused, usually
by a family member or an acquain-
tance. The perpetrators - more often
than not - go unpunished. Each year,
hundreds of thousands of women and children are trafficked and
enslaved; millions more are subjected to harmful practices such as Enhancing women's rights in Cambodia
female genital mutilation. Violence kills and disables as many Domestic violence is a widespread problem in Cambodia,
women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer does. And its toll which has weak prosecution rates because victims rarely
on women’s health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria bring their cases to court. The Ministry of Women's Affairs
combined (See UNFPA 2005). (MOWA) implemented a law that focuses on protection
against violence. Beyond the improvement of the legal situ-
The social and economic costs of violence against women are ation of women, this process changed the general attitude
enormous and have significant ripple effects throughout society. towards domestic violence. To accomplish this change of at-
Violence against women not only causes suffering and poor titude, MOWA also worked with men. By offering services
health for those directly involved through individual effects such such as refuges and legal advice for battered women, the si-
as an inability to work, loss of wages, and lessened ability to care tuation for victims of violence was improved.
for themselves and their children. But it also leads to major finan-
cial strains on all of society with regard to medical care, the judi-
cial system, social services, social insurances, and unemployment,
as well as productivity losses. The ILO estimates losses from stress Raising awareness through a music video on
and violence at work consume between 1 to 3.5 per cent of the violence against women in India
gross domestic product (ILO 2001). Hence, the existence of vio- In cooperation with popular Indian singers, the non-govern-
lence against women remains a significant obstacle to reducing mental organisation “Breakthrough” developed a song and
poverty, achieving gender equality and meeting the Millennium music clips as part of a multimedia campaign. The song
Development Goals (MDG). “Mann ke Manjeeré”, dealing with HIV and violence against
women, reached more than 26 million households and trig-
gered a broad public debate on the issue. It was on top of the
Factors that perpetuate violence against women MTV Charts for five months. In addition, it won the 2001 Indi-
There is no one single factor to account for violence against women. an Screen Award and was nominated as the best Indipop mu-
Several complex and interconnected institutional, social and cultur- sic video for the MTV Award.
al factors have kept women particularly vulnerable to the violence
directed at them. In many countries women are discriminated
against culturally, economically, legally and politically. These discri Literature & links
minations promote an environment in which women are subjected GTZ: www.gtz.de/gender
to violence. GTZ has developed an exhibit on gender-based violence,
which can be ordered as a travelling exhibit.
GTZ: Ending violence against women and girls. 2005.
Successful approaches ILO: The cost of violence/stress at work and the benefits
www.gtz.de/gender
to combat violence against women of a violence/stress-free working environment. 2001.
Research has shown that preventive interventions to stop violence UN: In-depths study on all forms of violence against women:
against women cost less than financing the costs that result from Report of the Secretary General. 2006.
violence against women. The 1994 Violence Against Women Act, UNPFA 2005: State of the world population 2005 and its
for example, “resulted in an estimated net benefit of $16.4 billion” multimedia exhibition at:
(WHO 2004). Considering the various factors responsible for vio www.unfpa.org/endingviolence/home.html
lence against women, strategies and interventions should be UNIFEM: www.unifem.org and its Global Platform
designed within a comprehensive and integrated framework. The for Advocacy and Action: www.unifem.org/campaigns/vaw/
German Development Cooperation supports approaches to com UNICEF: Domestic violence against women and girls. 2000.
bat violence perpetrated against women in the fields of prevention WHO: The economic costs of interpersonal violence. 2004.
and lobbying for improved legal frameworks as well as the training
of relevant actors and networking as illustrated in the following
examples.
Imprint: November 2009
Published by: Fur further information please contact: Photo:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Christine Brendel © UN/Christopher Herweg
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Programme Director ‘Promoting Gender
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5 Equality and Women’s Rights’
65760 Eschborn/Germany T: +49 (0) 61 96-79 -4121
T: +49 6196 79 - 0 F: +49 (0) 61 96-79 -80 4121
F: +49 6196 79 - 11 15 E: christine.brendel@gtz.de
E: info@gtz.de I: www.gtz.de/gender
I: www.gtz.de

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Governance and Democracy Division

Violence against Women

Magnitude and costs of

Imprint: November 2009

Published by: Fur further information please contact: Photo:

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