Gender-based Abuse Research Articles

Patterns of harassment and violence against women in Central and Eastern Europe: the role of the socio-economic context and gender norms in international comparisons

ABSTRACT We use data from an international survey conducted in eight countries of Central and Eastern Europe and apply the method of multivariate reweighting to study the role of socio-economic characteristics and gender norms for the extent of underreporting of the prevalence of more discreet forms of gender-based abuse and harassment. We find that gender norms and attitudes towards abuse are responsible for a large part of the underreporting of harassment in Georgia and Russia, while differences in socio-economic characteristics are the key driving factors behind the underestimated levels of harassment in Belarus. We argue that a better understanding of the cross-country variation in the scale of discriminative behaviours against women needs to be based on a careful methodological design of internationally comparable surveys. In countries with high gender inequalities there is a clear need for policies aimed at increasing awareness and sensitivity towards more discreet abusive behaviours towards women.

Health service providers experience of psycho-emotional violence and associated factors among urban hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.

Psycho-emotional violence, a type of workplace violence targeting healthcare workers, varies across countries, occasions, and professions in the healthcare sector. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of comprehensive studies focusing on violence against healthcare workers in Ethiopia, which may also encompass psycho-gender-based emotional violence against healthcare workers. Therefore, there is a compelling need for in-depth research to address this gap and develop effective strategies to mitigate psycho-emotional violence in the healthcare sector in Ethiopia, especially in the eastern region. Hence, we aimed to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with workplace psycho-emotional violence against healthcare providers in eastern Ethiopia. This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 744 health professionals working in urban public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia. Multistage stratified random sampling was used, and data were collected using a standardized structured tool adopted from the WHO workplace violence assessment tool. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with psycho-emotional workplace violence. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported, and a p-value of 0.05 was used as the cut-off point to declare significance. Workplace psycho-emotional violence was reported by 57.39% of the healthcare workers. The absence of guidelines for gender-based abuse [AOR = 35.62, 95% CI:17.47, 72.64], presence of measures that improve surroundings (class lighting and privacy) [AOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.98], training on workplace violence coping mechanism [AOR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.26, 0.98], spending more than 50% of their time with HIV/AIDS patients [AOR = 1.96, 95%CI:1.05, 3.72], and spending more than 50% of their time with psychiatric patients [AOR = 1.92, 95%CI:1.08, 3.43] were factors significantly associated with workplace violence against health professionals. The prevalence of workplace psycho-emotional violence against health professionals in eastern Ethiopia was relatively high. Improving the working environment decreases the chance of workplace violence; however, there is a lack of guidelines for gender-based violence, the absence of training on coping mechanisms, and spending more time with psychiatric and HIV/AIDS patients' increases workplace violence. We recommend that health institutions develop gender abuse mitigation guidelines and provide training on coping mechanisms.

Music as Magic

Music as Magic

How to help women with learning disabilities who experience gender-based abuse

How to help women with learning disabilities who experience gender-based abuse

Same threats, different platforms? Female journalists’ experiences of online gender-based violence in selected newsrooms in Namibia

Concerns about the disproportionate levels of online gender-based abuse experienced by female journalists when compared to their male counterparts have attracted sizeable scholarly attention in the last few years. Extant studies have highlighted that female journalists experience online forms of harassment such as name calling, body shaming, trolling, verbal abuse, sextortion, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, manipulation of photos, cyberstalking, doxing, hacking, receiving unwanted, offensive sexually explicit emails or messages, and inappropriate advances on social media platforms, in the line of duty. Although these findings are true in some of the newsrooms in the global North, there is a disconcerting absence of systematic studies looking at the experiences of female journalists in selected newsrooms in Africa in general and Namibia in particular. This article seeks to fill this lacuna by empirically investigating the extent to which online gender-based violence is deep-seated social problem in selected Namibian newsrooms. It deploys the intersectional approach to analyze the online gender-based violence experienced by female journalists in Namibia. Drawing our data from interviews with female journalists in selected Namibian newsrooms, overall, our findings suggest that cases of online gender-based violence against female journalists are still negligible when compared to other contexts, it is happening, nonetheless. This emerging phenomenon is largely underreported. Furthermore, it is occurring in an environment devoid of legislative, institutional, and newsroom-specific mechanisms aimed at ensuring the safety of female journalists. Namibian female journalists are facing unique online gender-based violence, which contributes immensely towards self-censorship and retreating from the public sphere.

Gender differences in stalking, threats and online abuse reported by Victorian politicians

This study sought to estimate the frequency of harassment, threats, assault and stalking faced by Victorian Members of Parliament (MPs), with a focus on gender and experience of online abuse. 46 of 128 MPs completed an online survey (36%). 82% reported experiences of harassment, 85% reported threats of harm, and 35% reported stalking, with most reporting lifestyle changes in response. Female MPs were more likely than males to report all these experiences. Almost 100% of MPs using social media reported online abuse. Abuse about political positions or general defamatory statements were most common (95% and 87% respectively) and were experienced equally by male and female MPs. 50% reported gender-based abuse, with 85% of female MPs reporting such abuse. Results highlight the frequency and impact of abuse and harassment of MPs by the public, and support the need for increased awareness of, and accessibility to, expert advice, threat assessment and interventions.

Assessing menstrual equity amongst BAMER women fleeing gender-based abuse in Sheffield (UK): A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesMenstruation is not openly discussed in numerous Black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee (BAMER) communities. Consequently, it is unclear if transitioning between cultures impacts BAMER women’s menstrual health. This study aimed to evaluate menstrual equity and sanitary protection preference amongst BAMER abuse survivors displaced to Sheffield (UK). MethodsFifty participants were recruited from women’s support services between December 2018 and May 2019. Selection criteria required participants to menstruate, identify as BAMER, be displaced, and have experienced gender-based abuse. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (IBM, USA) to assess menstrual equity. ResultsMany struggled to afford products (86 %), changed them infrequently (68 %) or improvised sanitary wear (40 %). Financially restricted women often changed products irregularly (p = 0.02) or used proxy items (p = 0.02). Participants disliked reusable pads (48 %) and vaginally inserted products (tampons 46 %, cups 78 %) without having tried them. Negativity surrounding reusable pads (p = 0.01) and cups (p = 0.04) was linked to menstrual taboo. Few women knew of menstruation prior to menarche (28 %). These participants were more likely to accept male doctors (p = 0.04), unlike those that regarded menstruation as taboo (p = 0.02), unclean (p = 0.02) or shameful (p = 0.001). ConclusionWe provide key information regarding the menstrual health status of marginalised women. Our findings suggest limited menstrual-health education at menarche and negative belief-systems may compromise access to products and healthcare in adulthood. This study advises policymakers to unify distribution of hygienic absorbents and menstrual-health education to normalise menstruation, thereby reducing menstrual shame and empowering women to make informed sanitary protective choices.

Gender-based violence in South Africa: A narrative reflection

The pervasiveness of gender-based violence (GBV) against women and children constitutes the most severe expression of discrimination and dehumanisation of women and children in South Africa. Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic came, domestic violence was already one of the greatest human rights violations. Women for centuries suffered different forms of violation and continue to struggle in subtle forms in the 21st century. This article investigates the sociocultural theories, narrative reflections and COVID-19 pandemic challenges associated with the prevalence of GBV in South Africa. The article argues that patriarchal culture, religion, gender norms, lockdown and violence in South Africa perpetuate gender-based abuse. Therefore, the article unfolds this research through a literature review and narrative approach which is used to allow the co-researchers to share their stories. The article embarks on sociocultural experiences, the scourge of GBV in South Africa, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative interviews and theological reflections and concludes by suggesting future possibilities to fight GBV.Contribution: This article contributes to an understanding that abafazi nabantwana baphefumla ngenxeba [women and children are breathing through the wound] amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. It discusses the prevalence of GBV, the intersection of religious cultural effects, social sciences, gender inequality and the continued oppression of women and children.

Experiences with obstetric violence among healthcare professionals and students in Spain: A constructivist grounded theory study

BackgroundObstetric violence appears to be a worldwide concern and is defined as a type of gender-based violence perpetrated by health professionals. This violence undermines and harms women’s autonomy. In Spain, 38.3 % of women have identified themselves as victims of this type of violence. AimTo explore current information and knowledge about obstetric violence within the Spanish healthcare context, as well as to develop a theoretical model to explain the concept of obstetric violence, based on the experiences of healthcare professionals (midwives, registered nurses, gynaecologists and paediatricians) and nursing students. MethodsA constructivist grounded theory study was conducted at Jaume I University in Spain between May and July 2021, including concurrent data collection and interpretation through constant comparison analysis. An inductive analysis was carried out using the ATLAS.ti 9.0 software to organise and analyse the data. ResultsTwenty in-depth interviews were conducted, which revealed that healthcare professionals and students considered obstetric violence a violation of human rights and a serious public health issue. The interviews allowed them to describe certain characteristics and propose preventive strategies. Three main categories were identified from the data analysis: (i) characteristics of obstetric violence in the daily routine, (ii) defining the problem of obstetric violence and (iii) strategies for addressing obstetric violence. Participants identified obstetric violence as structural gender-based violence and emphasised the importance of understanding its characteristics. Our results indicate how participants’ experiences influence their process of connecting new information to prior knowledge, and they provide a connection to specific micro- and macro-level strategic plans. DiscussionDespite the lack of consensus, this study resonates with the established principles of women and childbirth care, but also generates a new theoretical model for healthcare students and professionals to identify and manage obstetric violence based on contextual factors. The term ‘obstetric violence’ offers a distinct contribution to the growing awareness of violence against women, helps to regulate it through national policy and legislation, and involves both structural and interpersonal gender-based abuse, rather than assigning blame only to care providers. ConclusionsObstetric violence is the most accurate term to describe disrespect and mistreatment as forms of interpersonal and structural violence that contribute to gender and social inequality, and the definition of this term contributes to the ongoing awareness of violence against women, which may help to regulate it through national policy and legislation.

COVID-19 AND THE ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH: SOCIOECONOMIC AND HEALTH IMPACTS ON WOMEN AND ADOLESCENTS

COVID-19 has exacerbated the existing crisis that the vulnerable refugee population faces. More than a million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh. COVID-19 has affected both males and females. It is critical to understand how this population group is coping during this trying period. They are constituted by 52% women and 55% adolescents. The socioeconomic and physiological repercussions of the pandemic on the Rohingya people are contextualised in this study. The socioeconomic and health impacts of COVID-19 on Rohingya women and adolescents in Bangladesh are investigated. Because of the restrictions imposed, over 63% of Rohingya adolescent females suffered from food scarcity. The vast majority of respondents (87%) stated that they had reduced their meal frequency, resulting in a protein deficiency. Since their arrival in Bangladesh, they have had limited access to medical and educational facilities. The pandemic has further exacerbated the situation. Girls are more vulnerable to sexual and gender-based abuse, early marriage, school dropout, and pregnancy. This research aims to add to existing knowledge on refugees, Rohingya, women, and adolescents.

Violence against women (VAW) in Bangladesh and its mental health repercussions

• 53 out of 64 districts of Bangladesh found that 4,622 women had been subjected to mental torture, 1,839 had been physically abused, and 203 had been sexually assaulted. • Adaptation of how services are given, such as the use or increase of remote services, telemedicine, outreach, and group interventions, must also be ensured. • Telepsychiatry's role has become even more critical during Bangladesh's COVID-19 crisis, as telepsychiatry services provide psychological support to victims of gender-based abuse.

Created Mother For Able Technology And To Protect Children From Sexual Abuse With The "Hai Dia" Application

The development of the industry towards the 5.0 era and triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic made the use of online media rampant. Many parents are aware of the dangers of online media for children, but the lack of mastery of technology is an obstacle for parents in protecting their children. This activity aimed to increase the knowledge of mothers in protecting their children from the risk of sexual violence both by contact and online through the mobile-based application “Hi Dia”. The method used was the community education method through counseling. The educational materials provided were the socialization of the underwear rules, parenting materials on Online Gender-Based abuse, and technology lecture materials for mothers. Twenty-five mothers participated offline in this activity. Mothers' knowledge about protecting children from the dangers of online sexual abuse was measured before and after the paired t-test was carried out. The results obtained p-value 0.005 concluded that there was an increase in the knowledge of mothers in protecting their children from the dangers of sexual abuse. This activity should be made a routine agenda considering the rapid development of technology triggers the need for technology-savvy mothers to protect their children from the dangers of online media.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN PAKISTAN: TO WHAT EXTENT PAKISTAN FULFILLED ITS INTERNATIONAL PLEDGE

According to a guidebook published by Sarsabz Foundation, "Sexual preference violence has been the most common and least acknowledged abuse to the women rights in Pakistan." Gender-based abuse, according to Sarsabz, "takes numerous shapes and tints and is prevalent across all strata." During every point in life, women are vulnerable to assault." Violence against women is a major issue in Pakistan, according to statistics collected by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in 2010. In 2010, around 1,790 women were murdered, with 1,076 being slain by their spouses, fathers, siblings, children, in-laws, and other families. These are not just large figures, but they also exclude a large number of cases that never get recorded or exposed publicly. It is also made apparent in the HRCP report. The Aurat Foundation's results, which are based on the HRCP's statistics, are a forerunner organization in Pakistan that focuses on issues impacting women. Women's and girls' violence is exhibited in layers of multifaceted, interconnected, and repeating forms. Physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and financial abuse and exploitation can occur in both private and public areas, and is based on situational and socio-cultural circumstances. Women are subjected to violence in many forms and settings throughout their lives. Girls are frequently subjected to various sorts of assault. The effect of abuse against females is viewed as a societal pandemic with implications that extend beyond the victim's physical and psychological traumas. The Pakistani government is fully aware of the problem's long-term effects on the direct family, community, and civilization as a whole. Keywords: Women issues, Domestic, Violence, Violence against Women, Pakistan.

Women’s agency and re-alignment of the cultural tradition of ukungena or ukungenwa in Nelisiwe Zulu’s play, Isiko Nelungelo

The women of South Africa have their rights enshrined in the Constitution of 1996. However, in a patriarchal society, women’s rights are often viewed as conflicting with cultural beliefs and practices. This article discusses women’s agency and realignment of the cultural tradition of ukungena or ukungenwa (levirate marriage) in a post-1994 democratic South Africa. The article is framed by the principles of African feminism which guide the argument that this cultural practice can be at turns oppressive or liberating to women, or indeed both. The isiZulu play, Isiko Nelungelo (‘Culture and Rights’) by Nelisiwe Zulu, challenges the tradition of ukungena or ukungenwa and the way in which it infringes on the rights of women to choose who they want to marry if their husbands die. The play also presents the perspective that if women’s agency about whether or not they desire to stay in a posthumous marriage is respected, this custom cannot then be viewed as oppressive. The events in the play introduce a debate over whether the instigators of gender-based violence and abuse are always men, and how women are sometimes ignored as active players or pawns used by men to undermine the emancipation and empowerment of women.

Phycological Distress Among University Students of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the hardest-hit countries of the SARS-CoV-2 "COVID-19" outbreak. Evidence suggests the whole nation is facing a range of mental issues due to COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the level of psychological distress that emerged due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic among university students of Bangladesh. The study comprised quantitative data from 815 university students and qualitative data from 6 in-depth interviews of university students and 2 key informants specialized in education and medical anthropology. The quantitative data transcribed using the Kessler K-10 distress scale. In terms of psychological stress findings, 19.02% of students did not have any psychological distress, 29.20% reported moderate psychological distress, 33.01% reported high psychological distress and 18.77% reported very high psychological distress. The findings indicated those who have shown moderate to severe psychological distress have faced some degree of gender-based violence, economic crisis, and digital deprivation. Based on the findings, the research advocates multifaceted initiatives to reduce gender-based abuse and bridge the digital gap.

Domestic Violence Policy: A World of Change

The second wave of the feminist movement brought unprecedented changes in awareness of criminal legal system (CLS) responses to domestic violence (DV). The seemingly feminist “success” in the harsher CLS responses, however, resulted in the disparate criminalization of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and poor individuals, among both DV defendants and victims. Therefore, feminist support for anti-carceral/abolitionist feminism, recognizing the cooptation of feminist ideals within a neoliberal CLS system, has grown. Colonial policing, however, has only tangentially been applied to DV (and other gender-based abuse offenses’) CLS responses. This article advocates for significant changes to policing DV.

Perception of Elementary School Heads and Teachers on Child Protection Policy in Private Schools in Tanauan City Division

Child-friendly schools dramatically minimize or remove frequent physical threats and other types of violence occurring in and around schools and learning spaces, such as teachers' corporal punishment, student-on-student abuse, gang wars, bullying, sexual assaults, other forms of gender-based abuse and external group school assaults. Schools that are child-friendly need to collaborate with parents and local groups to avoid abuse. To protect children from physical damage and mental, physical, emotional and sexual violence, simple, transparently implemented policies and procedures and firm measures must be in place. The study's main objective was to evaluate the awareness rates of principals and educators’ engagement on the Child Protection Program at Tanauan City Division's Private Schools, Batangas. The argument is that officials in child-friendly schools should be vigilant in recognizing child violence and neglect, and should be prepared to act in compliance with national laws and policies on child safety, including compulsory reporting to police or other legal authorities. The school's position in serious child protection matters is not to investigate them but to identify cases that need attention and refer them to appropriate child care agencies. The descriptive method of research was used in this study using a survey questionnaire as the main instrument to gather data. The respondents of the study were 15 principals and 185 educators in the said Private Schools in Tanauan City Division. Statistical tools like weighted mean were used in determining the extent of implementation of Child Protection Program and level of perceptiveness of principals and educators. The non-significant differences between their perceptions were established using the t-test formula. Meanwhile, the Pearson r product-moment correlation and r-test were used to resolve the nonsignificant relationship between the extent of implementation of Child Protection Program and level of participation of principals and educators. The result indicated that the views of the two groups of respondents were not substantially different, although both stated that there was intense observance of involvement in the execution of the school manager's duties and responsibilities. It further revealed that there was no shared agreement between the heads of school and teachers about the school manager's roles and responsibilities in enforcing child protection policy. Child-friendly schools should be prepared to recognize, refer and evaluate vulnerable children, especially those who have suffered, suffered or are at risk of serious harm.

Ending gender violence: An antiracist intersectional agenda for churches

Churches can do better than offering hypocritical messages about tolerating gender-based intimate abuse and violence in family, church, and community life. Churches need culturally disruptive approaches that enable them to address this abuse and violence more consistently and systemically. Influential heteropatriarchal church values that promote deceptive theological generalizations about the inescapability of human suffering and sinfulness can merge with resonant values given expression in broader social and political practices that breed tolerance for the targeting of certain social groups for stigma and exclusion. This dynamic merger can inform our cultural understandings of gender, sexuality, and power in a manner that hinders our capacity to address the root causes of gender violence. For instance, the duplicitous ethos and practices of churches regarding gender-based intimate abuse and violence can mirror white supremacist denial that is also prevalent in US culture. Churches can, however, also play a unique role in helping to withdraw their own and other communal supports for the abuse and violence. Developing an antiracist approach can aid in producing the Christian moral imagination needed to awaken from a tolerance of everyday traumatic consequences for those who experience intimate violence and abuse or the ongoing threat of it, especially the most socially marginal community members.

Gender-based vulnerability in women who inject drugs in a harm reduction setting.

Background and aimsIn comparison with men, women who use drugs (WWUD) have considerably more frequent and intense experiences with interpersonal violence, sexual abuse and trauma. The aim of this study was to identify issues related to gender-based vulnerability in a group of WWUD attended in a harm reduction facility in Madrid, Spain.Material and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted during a screening of blood borne infections. We included WWUD (smoked or injected heroin/cocaine) who were actively screened for HIV, HBV and HCV in a harm reduction setting in Madrid (Spain) from January to December 2017. WWUD were interviewed for gender-based abuse or violence using a face-to-face questionnaire by a trained interviewer. Aspects related to their social-epidemiological condition and gender-based vulnerability were collected.ResultsWe included 109 women who were actively using drugs. The median age was 39 (IQR 35–47) years, 84.4% were Spanish born, 22.9% were homeless, 43 (41.7%) had ever used injected drugs, 29 (26.6%) were currently using injected drugs, and 27.1% had mental health disorders. Aspects related to gender-based vulnerability were collected. Among those surveyed, they reported having ever suffered emotional or psychological damage (88%), having experienced at least one incident of serious physical injury by a male partner (71%), and having ever suffered sexual abuse (49%). In addition, 28% had ever exchanged sex for money/drugs. When compared to women that did not use injecting drugs, those who injected drugs had more frequently exchanged sex for money/drugs (55% vs 21%, p = 0.003).ConclusionsA high proportion of WWUD suffer psychological or physical violence by partners denoting gender-based vulnerability. Interventions in harm reduction settings with a multidisciplinary and gender-based approach should be implemented.

Developing and Analyzing a Spanish Corpus for Forensic Purposes

In this paper, the methods for developing a database of Spanish writing that can be used for forensic linguistic research are presented, including our data collection procedures. Specifically, the main instrument used for data collection has been translated into Spanish and adapted from Chaski (2001). It consists of ten tasks, by means of which the subjects are asked to write formal and informal texts about different topics. To date, 93 undergraduates from Spanish universities have already participated in the study and prisoners convicted of gender-based abuse have participated. A twofold analysis has been performed, since the data collected have been approached from a semantic and a morphosyntactic perspective. Regarding the semantic analysis, psycholinguistic categories have been used, many of them taken from the LIWC dictionary (Pennebaker et al., 2001). In order to obtain a more comprehensive depiction of the linguistic data, some other ad-hoc categories have been created, based on the corpus itself, using a double-check method for their validation so as to ensure inter-rater reliability. Furthermore, as regards morphosyntactic analysis, the natural language processing tool ALIAS TATTLER is being developed for Spanish. Results shows that is it possible to differentiate non-abusers from abusers with strong accuracy based on linguistic features.