The Global Domestic Violence Epidemic

Since we're in the middle of the 16 Days Campaign Against Gender Violence, I thought today I'd take a look at domestic violence. It's certainly not something to be proud of that a quarter of American women are victims of domestic abuse, or that only half of such incidents get reported to the police. Or that an estimated 15-25% of married women have suffered marital rape -- which was legal in every single state until 1976, and even today is still treated by many states as less serious than "rape-rape," to use the words of Whoopi Goldberg. And what exactly is Obama's domestic violence czar doing with her time?

Of course, it's a sad fact that many women in the rest of the world are a lot worse off. Take Iran, where two-thirds of women have suffered from domestic violence at least once in their lives, and where there is a high prevalence of domestic abuse against pregnant women. Hop on over to Afghanistan, where 87% of women report having been subjected to domestic abuse, and women protesting a law legalizing marital rape and child marriage were spat on and stoned in April.

And don't forget Turkey, where 4 out of 10 women are beaten by their husbands, and T.V. personalities advise women to "carry this pain within you and keep living with your husband," promising rewards in the afterlife. Meltem Agduk, Gender Project Coordinator for UNFPA Turkey, points out, "Men believe that when they marry a woman, they possess her. They see a woman just like a car." Actually, that might not be a great comparison ... I see a lot of cars that get treated better than some women.

This list of depressing statistics about global rates of domestic violence could go on and on from country to country. The perspective of women as possessions, and the sexism and misogyny still found in all parts of the world, comprise massive structural issues we must tackle in order to put an end to domestic violence (and all violence against women).

But in terms of smaller, practical suggestions, a report just released in England by the Hestia Fund, a women's charity, calls for funding for independent domestic violence advisers (IDVAs). The support provided by these caseworkers has been shown to stop severe instances of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in two-thirds of cases, and the cost is relatively cheap compared to the legal and health fees incurred for these women if the abuse continues. (And I'd like to say you couldn't put a price on something so vital ... )

There are plenty of small steps (that can lead to big results) to be taken in defense of women's domestic safety in the United States, from opposing laws that are soft on marital rape, to securing funding for domestic abuse caseworkers, to volunteering at a local shelter. As bad as things are around the world, I find it hard not to be inspired by the Afghan women who stood up for themselves and their fellow countrywomen. And I don't even have to worry about being stoned for speaking up.

Update: please sign here to ask your representative to support the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence's "Voices Against Violence" campaign.

Photo courtesy of heraldpost's Flickr photostream