One in four women suffers from violence

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, May 28, 2000 | by Kathleen Nutt

ONE in four women in the UK has been physically attacked by her husband or boyfriend, according to a study by the United Nations Children's Fund.

The report, to be released this week, also reveals that an estimated 60 million women throughout the world have been killed by violent partners or family members.

Researchers prepared the report in advance of a meeting of global leaders in New York next Monday to assess progress made by countries in introducing legislation to curb domestic violence.

Five years ago, pledges were made at a UN conference on women's rights in Beijing, but the study says little progress has been made in addressing the problem faced by millions of women and girls on a daily basis.

As with previous studies, Unicef researchers found that the violence cuts across boundaries of culture, class, education, income and age.

The report adds that domestic violence is one of the most pernicious denials of human rights because it is carried out by people in positions of trust, threatens the financial security of women, undermines their self-esteem and often leads to murder and suicide.

Researchers working on the study uncovered a horrifying catalogue of types of violence perpetrated against women of all ages by family members, including sex-selection abortion, physical beatings, acid throwing, forced malnutrition, forced prostitution and bonded labour.

The report urges governments to boost the security of women and girls by improving female literacy as well as providing greater access to education and better employment opportunities.

It also calls for legal reforms throughout the world to improve the chances of prosecuting perpetrators, and the training of judges, lawyers, social workers and police officers to be more sensitive to issues surrounding domestic violence.

Gil Paterson, SNP MSP for Central Region and convener of the proposed cross-party Scottish parliamentary group on violence against women and children, said he was shocked to hear that 25% of women in the United Kingdom were victims of domestic violence.

He added that the government's decision to allow US boxer Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, to come to Scotland to fight next month sent out a depressing message that violence towards women was acceptable.

"I knew we had a problem, but I never realised it was so deep- seated," said Paterson. "I think politicians need to come up with remedies and get the message to young people that real men don't attack women."

Dr Mairead Tagg, of Greater Easterhouse Women's Aid, said she was not surprised by the figures, which she described as "shameful".

Dr Tagg added that millions of women were killed in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan by family members, with the crimes often not being reported to the authorities and the bodies never discovered. "In many instances it is a historical problem in countries where women were married because of dowries and then seen as commodities and the property of men.

"We have reckoned that one in 10 women are experiencing some kind of domestic abuse and that over the course of their lives, one in four women will be affected."

Dr Tagg also called for governments to ring fence resources to groups dealing with domestic abuse rather than matching funding received from the voluntary sector. She said: "More than 30% of our time is devoted to fundraising. that is time that we would better spend helping women who have suffered domestic abuse."