Domestic violence in Tajikistan

Last updated

Domestic violence in Tajikistan is very high, due to traditional Tajik muslim [1] [2] [3] family values, as well as a reluctance by the authorities to intervene in what is viewed in Tajikistan as a "private family matter". [4]

Contents

Extent

More than 40% of Tajik women have been subjected to physical, psychological, or sexual violence by their husbands or in-laws, with rates higher in rural and low income families. One woman told Amnesty International that during her five years of marriage, she was not allowed to leave her husband's home, while another reported that she had been raped by her boyfriend, who threatened to kill her if she told anybody, and continued to coerce her into sex for four months. [5] The law prohibits rape, which is punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment. There is no separate statute for spousal rape. [6]

Many women are subjected to harsh treatment by husbands or in-laws upon marriage. Most Tajik women, especially those in the lower class leave school early to be wed, leaving them without an adequate education, and are often pushed into the lowest paying jobs, leaving them economically dependent on their husbands.

In 2013, Tajikistan enacted the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, its first law against domestic violence. [7]

Tajik social attitudes

Domestic violence is often seen as justified by society: a UNICEF survey found that 62.4% of women in Tajikistan justify wife beating if the wife goes out without telling the husband; 68% if she argues with him; 47.9% if she refuses to have sex with him. [8] Another survey also found that women and men largely agreed that it was justifiable for a husband or mother-in-law to beat a wife/daughter-in-law who had "talked back", disobeyed, left the house without permission, had not prepared dinner on time, or had not cared for the children properly. [9]

Police are often unwilling to intervene in domestic violence incidents. The de facto policy of the authorities is to promote reconciliation. The police often blame the women for their abuse, and sometimes insult women trying to report abuse. Women trying to report cases of abuse to the police are often told to file a complaint, or are sent away. Judiciary, police, and medical staff are not trained to deal with cases of domestic violence. Abusive husbands are rarely arrested or prosecuted. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and need not involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Although, historically, sexual intercourse within marriage was regarded as a right of spouses, engaging in the act without the spouse's consent is now widely classified as rape by many societies around the world, repudiated by international conventions, and increasingly criminalized.

Gender equality Equal access for all genders to rights, resources, opportunities and protections

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

Violence against women Violent acts committed primarily against women and girls

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime, committed against women or girls specifically because they are female, and can take many forms.

Statistics on rape and other sexual assaults are commonly available in industrialized countries, and have become better documented throughout the world. Inconsistent definitions of rape, different rates of reporting, recording, prosecution and conviction for rape create controversial statistical disparities, and lead to accusations that many rape statistics are unreliable or misleading.

Domestic violence is a severe issue in Russia. According to Human Rights Watch, citing RIA Novosti, as many as 36,000 women and 26,000 children faced daily abuse at home in 2013. According to official MVD data, in 2015 around 1060 people died of domestic violence in Russia. Of them, 756 were men and 304 women. According to an independent study of 2,200 women in fifty cities and towns in Russia, 70% have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence in the home—physical, psychological, economic, or sexual.

Islam and domestic violence Islam and domestic violence

The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed. Even among Muslims, the uses and interpretations of Sharia, the moral code and religious law of Islam, lack consensus. Variations in interpretation are due to different schools of Islamic jurisprudence, histories and politics of religious institutions, conversions, reforms, and education.

Women in Tajikistan Overview of the status of women in Tajikistan

This page examines the dynamics surrounding women in Tajikistan.

The role of women in Egypt has changed throughout history, from ancient to modern times. From the earliest preserved archaeological records, Egyptian women were considered equal to men in Egyptian society, regardless of marital status.

Domestic violence Abuse of members of the same household

Domestic violence is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. Domestic violence is often used as a synonym for intimate partner violence, which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It can assume multiple forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, or sexual abuse. It can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other violent physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that may result in disfigurement or death, and includes the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk or hack. Domestic murder includes stoning, bride burning, honor killing, and dowry death, which sometimes involves non-cohabitating family members.

Criticisms of marriage are arguments against the practical or moral value of the institution of matrimony or particular forms of matrimony. These have included the effects that marriage has on individual liberty, equality between the sexes, the relation between marriage and violence, philosophical questions about how much control can a government have over its population, the amount of control a person has over another, the financial risk when measured against the divorce rate, and questioning of the necessity to have a relationship sanctioned by government or religious authorities.

Honour killings in Pakistan are known locally as karo-kari. Pakistan has the highest number of documented and estimated honour killings per capita of any country in the world; about one-fifth of the world's honour killings are committed in Pakistan. An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. The death of the victim is viewed as a way to restore the reputation and honour of the family.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a constitutional parliamentary democracy with an estimated population of 6,187,591. Police brutality, provincial power struggles, violence against women, and government corruption all contribute to the low awareness of basic human rights in the country.

Women in Peru Overview of the status of women in Peru

Women in Peru represent a minority in both numbers and legal rights. Although historically somewhat equal to men, after the Spanish conquest the culture in what is now Peru became increasingly patriarchal. The patriarchal culture is still noticeable. Women receive less pay than men, have fewer employment and political opportunities, and are at times abused without repercussion. Contraceptive availability is not enough for the demand, and over a third of pregnancies end in abortion. Maternal death rates are also some of the highest in South America.

Domestic violence in the United States

Domestic violence in United States is a form of violence that occurs within a domestic relationship. Although domestic violence often occurs between partners in the context of an intimate relationship, it may also describe other household violence, such as violence against a child, by a child against a parent or violence between siblings in the same household. It is recognized as an important social problem by governmental and non-governmental agencies, and various Violence Against Women Acts have been passed by the US Congress in an attempt to stem this tide.

Domestic violence in India

Domestic violence in India includes any form of violence suffered by a person from a biological relative but typically is the violence suffered by a woman by male members of her family or relatives. Although Men also suffer Domestic violence, the law under IPC 498A specifically protects only women. Specifically only a woman can file a case of domestic violence. According to a National Family and Health Survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for sexual violence among women aged 15–49. A 2014 study in The Lancet reports that although the reported sexual violence rate in India is among the lowest in the world, the large population of India means that the violence affects 27.5 million women over their lifetimes. However, an opinion survey among experts carried out by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as the most dangerous country in the world for women.

Rape is a criminal offence in Pakistan. Punishment for rape in Pakistan under the Pakistani laws is either death penalty or imprisonment of between ten and twenty-five years. For cases related to gang rape, the punishment is either death penalty or life imprisonment. DNA test and other scientific evidence are used in prosecuting rape cases in Pakistan.

Domestic violence is prominent in Nigeria as in other parts of Africa. There is a deep cultural belief in Nigeria that it is socially acceptable to hit a woman as a disciplinary measure. Cases of Domestic violence are on the high and show no signs of reduction in Nigeria, regardless of the age, tribe, religion or even social status. The CLEEN Foundation reports 1 in every 3 respondents admitting to being a victim of domestic violence. The survey also found a nationwide increase in domestic violence in the past 3 years from 21% in 2011 to 30% in 2013. A CLEEN Foundation's 2012 National Crime and Safety Survey demonstrated that 31% of the national sample confessed to being victims of domestic violence.

Violence against women in India Public health issue of violent acts against women

Violence against women in India refers to physical or sexual violence committed against a woman, typically by a man. Common forms of violence against women in India include acts such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, and murder. In order to be considered violence against women, the act must be committed solely because the victim is female. Most typically, these acts are committed by men as a result of the long-standing gender inequalities present in the country.

Violence against women in Fiji is recognised to be "pervasive, widespread and a serious national issue" in the Pacific Island region. Fiji's rates of violence against women are "among the very highest in the world". The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre reports that 64% of women who have been in intimate relationships have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner, including 61% who were physically attacked and 34% who were sexually abused.

Since the early 1980s, rhetoric on violence against women (VAW) has started to become acceptable in the everyday discourses of Malaysians. Independent women activists in Malaysia first started to come together to organise against VAW. Their objective was to create a violence-free society. Physical and sexual violence against women can occur in various forms such as domestic violence, sexual violence, and emotional violence. In Malaysia, government departments and NGOs such as the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Women's Aid Organisation provides help for women.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "The Advocates for Human Rights" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Exposing the darkness within: Domestic violence and Islam". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 23 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "Amnesty: Nearly half of Tajik women 'regularly abused'". BBC News. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  5. 1 2 "Document | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  6. ↑ "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014". State.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ "Tajikistan : Monitoring the situation of children and women" (PDF). Childinfo.org. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  9. ↑ "DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN TAJIKISTAN" (PDF). Stopvaw.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.