Marital Violence Research Articles

Domestic Violence in India- Issues and Challenges

Domestic violence is violence or abusive behaviour which is used by one partner to control another partner in any relationship. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological or any pattern. For example, it may take the form of sexual assault psychological abuse or verbal abuse to anyone. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused, but also affects family members, friends, co-workers, other witnesses, and the community at large. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 2019-2021, 29.3% of married Indian women between the ages of 18 and 49 have experienced domestic or sexual violence in India. That is only the number of cases reported by women, there are frequently many more that never make it to the police. According to NFHS data, 87% of married women are victims of marital violence. The National Commission for Women said in 2020-21, it received 26,513 complaints from women, an increase of 25.09%, compared with the 20,309 complaints registered in 2019-20. The Indian legal system has formed Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code according to the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 1983 (46 of 1983), especially for dealing with domestic violence. 498A IPC states that “Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty. —Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to a fine. Sec 498A IPC is cognizable, non-compoundable and non-bail able. Even though the law provides for the security of women, there is a big loophole; a lack of awareness among the victims, most of whom do not know that they have the option to approach the law. In this paper, the researchers have tried to explore the issue and challenges for stopping domestic violence in India.

Exploring Gender Constructs in Media Narratives

This paper seeks to examine the discourse of women who have experienced marital violence as depicted in Moroccan media. Specifically, we will investigate how these women justify their discourse through authorization, aiming to construct arguments that portray them as victims and vilify their abusive husbands. Our analysis focuses on content from Medi 1TV, particularly the talk show "Qesset Nnass" (the story of people), where women articulate their viewpoints through authorization, conveying messages that require contextual understanding for interpretation. Our research is guided by the premise that the interaction between media and audience is intricate and significant, serving as a platform for women to validate their experiences while challenging the actions of their abusers, and providing Moroccans with an avenue to express their perspectives on these issues. Consequently, we aim to assess the effectiveness of these women's persuasive efforts within the show. Given the nature of our topic, our research employs a combination of methodologies. While we utilize a qualitative approach to analyze the discourse of the women subjected to violence through direct observation, we also employ a quantitative method to examine audience comments. This methodological approach enables us to explore the relationship between media content and public opinion, shedding light on the extent of its mutual and direct influence.

Socioeconomic and Demographic Determinants of Marital Violence Against Women in Palestine

Socioeconomic and Demographic Determinants of Marital Violence Against Women in Palestine

Understanding the interplay of marital violence and reproductive health: a comparative analysis of northeast India and the Philippines.

Understanding the interplay of marital violence and reproductive health: a comparative analysis of northeast India and the Philippines.

Marital violence among university teachers

Marital violence among university teachers

Marital violence affects reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes in Northeast India.

As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16) report, 40% of women aged 15-49 in India experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), with emotional abuse significantly associated with negative reproductive health (RH) outcomes. The study uses secondary data from the NFHS-4 and conducts statistical analysis based on information gathered from 8766 married women aged 15-49years in Northeast India. Bivariate analysis followed by multiple logistic regression analysis is performed to understand the relationship between IPV and its effects on women's RH. The findings indicate that ever-married women in Northeast India have faced physical violence (25.1%), sexual violence (11.8%), emotional abuse (6.4%) and severe violence (5.3%). Among all women who participated in the study, 6.9% had experienced non-live births, 4.2% miscarriages, 2.4% abortions, 0.3% stillbirths, 16.9% terminated pregnancies and 2.1% sexually transmitted infections (STI). Sexually abused women (SAW) showed higher likelihoods of non-live births, STIs, miscarriages, abortions and pregnancy terminations. SAW had a 65% higher risk of miscarriages, while those experiencing physical violence had a 64% increased risk of abortions. IPV significantly impacts women's RH in Northeast India. This study presents evidence from surveys on sexual and RH among married women affected by IPV in Northeast India.

Fenomena KDRT dan Praktik Mahar di Kampung Ndilek Lamba Leda, NTT

Fenomena KDRT dan Praktik Mahar di Kampung Ndilek Lamba Leda, NTT

The politics of emotion and domestic violence in northern Vietnam

AbstractChanging social, political, and cultural processes in Vietnam are reshaping people's emotional and social responses to domestic violence on multiple levels. Socioeconomic reforms instituted in the 1980s, the related state revival of Confucian gender ideologies, and the influences in recent decades of international and local nongovernmental organizations’ approaches to domestic violence are significant shifts that have influenced these emergent responses. Using the framework of feminist critical medical anthropology, I explore how different emotional experiences of violence provide insight into patterns of help‐seeking and interventions addressing marital violence. I suggest that Vietnamese state discourses and laws shape people's feelings in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways. State actors, for one, are particularly influenced to express and experience emotional responses in support of the nation. On the other hand, abused women, community members, and professionals experience more ambivalent feelings toward state discourses and practices as they engage moral emotions of care, love, and concern, prioritizing abused women's health and safety. Complicating this is some state actors grappling with their own ambivalent and tangled feelings as they assist abused women. Awareness of the diverse cross‐cultural range of emotional complexity can aid feminist anthropologists and activists in attempts to understand and prevent domestic violence.

Marital violence and religiosity/spirituality

Religiosity/spirituality exerts an influence over conjugal relations and may represent a resource for coping with domestic violence. This study sought to identify and understand the religious and spiritual elements that play a significant role in combating domestic violence. Through qualitative interviews, comprising open questions and narratives, carried out in digital format, involving 10 Brazilian couples aged between 40 and 60, married for more than 15 years and who claimed to have some religious affiliation. The results of this study showed that religiosity/spirituality plays an important role in dealing with marital violence, mainly by highlighting the importance of social groups and in providing and motivating relational elements between spouses that generate Family Social Capital, such as: respect, belonging, tolerance, dialogue, persistence, perseverance, love, among others, enhanced and justified by what is sacred and by members of religious groups, while also taking into consideration the risk factors that these may generate.

Violence in intimate relationships: Symptomatology and motivation for change.

This study aimed to analyze the experiences of victims of violence in intimate relationships (VIRs) who remain in, return to, or abandon the abusive relationship, as well as examine the type of violence suffered, the existing symptoms, and the motivation to change as explained by the Transtheoretical Model of Change. The participants were 38 victims, three males and 35 females, who completed an online questionnaire comprising a section on sociodemographic data, and three instruments, the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20), Marital Violence Inventory (MVI), and the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA). Data analysis has shown that psychological violence was the type of violence most frequently experienced followed by physical and verbal violence, the house of the victims was the local where the violence mostly took place, the help-seeking behaviors were mostly directed to the family and attempts to leave from the abusive relationship is related to the experience of family violence in childhood. Participants were all in the action stage of the change, but aggressor's expectation/promise to change, the existence of children and maintaining the family or marriage, as well as economic difficulties are the main factors that contribute to both remaining in, or returning to, the abusive relationship. We will reflect on the social, clinical, and legal implications for the future of research with victims of VIR. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

‘A Prisoner on the Rack’: Marital Rape, Consent, and the Gothic in Late-Nineteenth-Century Colonial Women’s Writings

ABSTRACT This article explores how marital rape was represented in the fiction and non-fiction writings of four colonial female authors – Barbara Baynton, Ada Cambridge, Louisa Lawson, and Rosa Praed. It examines how these women conceptualised marital rape as a form of domestic violence or ‘cruelty’ in marriage, intrinsically linked to other forms of marital violence such as physical and mental abuse, and with marital rape representative of the unacceptability and immorality of a husband’s total control over his wife’s body. It also analyses how these literary representations differed from discussions about marital rape and domestic violence by suffrage agitators such as Rose Scott and Maybanke Anderson. The article argues that Baynton, Cambridge, and Lawson used the language and tropes of the Gothic in order to generate understanding for and empathy with wives and their inability to consent in the marital bed. This article therefore illuminates the intersecting conversations by both female authors and suffrage agitators in late-nineteenth-century Australia about married women’s right to consent, domestic violence, and acceptable marital masculine behaviour, highlighting how access to Gothic tropes allowed colonial female authors to foreground women’s bodily autonomy and depict marital rape in the level of graphic detail that suffrage agitators could not.

Marital violence in the focus of sociological research

The article analyzes the phenomenon of marital violence. The empirical object of the study is the population of the Republic of Mordovia. The purpose of the study is to assess the current situation and identify the main factors and causes of domestic violence against spouses. The authors consider the types and forms of marital violence, the level and frequency of abuse, and the determinants of family violence. As part of the sociological research, a survey of residents aged 18 and older was conducted. The sample size was 384 people, the representative features were gender, age, place of residence. The gender and age structure of the respondents corresponds to the structure of the region's population. A quantitative method was used as a tool for collecting primary information — an individual face-to-face interview at the respondent's place of residence using a paper questionnaire (PAPI) and a CAWI survey using an interactive questionnaire in the proportion of 30 to 70 %, respectively. It was revealed that more than half of the residents have not experienced domestic violence and categorically deny spousal violence, considering it unacceptable and unacceptable. It is determined marital violence in most cases manifests itself in various forms of mental violence: withholding, verbal aggression, aggressive dominant behavior, manifested in a ban on communication with friends or girlfriends. Economic abuse manifests itself in the infringement of the opportunity to purchase clothes, food and have personal running expenses. Physical and sexual violence is less common between spouses and partners. Based on the study, it was found that marital violence is caused by subjective factors (family interaction practices, financial status, and alcohol consumption) that contribute to the reproduction and spread of abuse

Identity Crisis of the Characters Escalate Protagonist’s Doom: A Psychoanalytical Reading of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge

The current research endeavors to provide a psychoanalytical analysis of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. The interaction of Id, Ego and Super-Ego, the theoretic components of Freud’s Psychic Apparatus, brings forth various conflicts among the characters of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. These conflicts imply most of the characters are confused, uncertain, biased or devious. Mainly the protagonist, Eddie, is aberrant of his supposed social, relational and familial roles. Even though, occasionally, Eddie’s ego drives him to act rationally, most of the time, he is id-ridden, which becomes one of the major reasons of his identity crisis. Erikson’s psychosocial theory of identity crisis also provides means to analyze the reasons of Eddie’s tormented identity. Moreover, nearly every character in the play is driven either by pleasure principle, reality principle, or morality principle. This invites psychoanalytical criticism for the exposition of the main concerns of the play, like: decreased marital intimacy, incest, irrationality, aggression, conspiracy and violence. These concerns are likely to be rooted in the behaviour of the characters who seem to be either careless of what they do, or hold some self-created justifications for their actions. The imbalance in their psychic apparatus worsens the odds against Eddie. In almost all the cases, they tend to escalate tragedy for the protagonist, who, himself, appears to be a victim of wrath, obsession, fears, apprehensions, inferiority complex and broken self-image etc

Social policy of the Scandinavian countries in relation to women victims of domestic violence

The article examines the issue of domestic violence against women as a widespread global social problem of modern society. Many countries are taking various measures to prevent and mitigate this problem. The scientific work presents the experience of solving such a problem in the Scandinavian countries, where an effective model of social policy is implemented in relation to women victims of marital violence. It is highlighted that the importance and relevance of this problem has increased in recent years during the global Covid-19 pandemic, when universal social isolation was introduced. The purpose of the scientific article is to study the state of the social policy of the Scandinavian countries in relation to marital violence against women. The main directions of the family policy of the Scandinavian countries are defined, which is based on the formation of a safe environment for creating a family and raising children. Within the framework of this study, the main programs for the prevention of family violence and the treatment of its victims, social services provided and support systems by social, psychological and medical services are presented. It was also revealed that the support programs are mainly aimed at protecting and establishing the security boundary, restoring the self-esteem of victims of domestic violence.

Moral Policing and Gender-based Violence: Portrayal of Honour and Shame in Poile Sengupta’s Mangalam

Thesis. The article aims to study Poile Sengupta’s play entitled Mangalam to analyse how the play raises a voice against society’s enforced models of masculinity and femininity, and sexual and psychological violence and its impact on women in the domestic sphere. Concept. The study foregrounds the impact of moral policing via the notions of honour and shame in Sengupta’s Mangalam and analyses that family, a micro-unit of patriarchy is the primary location of violence inflicted on women. The present study further attempts to examine interpersonal violence perpetuated through the institution of marriage through a study of the portrayal of marital violence in Sengupta’s Mangalam. Results and Conclusion. Sengupta presents contemporary social issues and interrogates moral policing and violence perpetuated by patriarchy through the discussed play. It presents a dramatic piece written by a woman, thus challenging the male-dominated narratives through a voice of protest and addressing violence inflicted on a woman’s body and psyche. Originality. The originality of the study relies on examining the underlying causes of gender-based violence within the institution of marriage and family as the smallest unit of patriarchy while also understanding the relevance of literary representations by women dramatists as resistance literature.

Gendered Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Study of General Population, Students and Professionals’ Beliefs

Domestic violence is a worldwide crime recognized as a severe violation of Human Rights, which includes Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The studies remark that the asymmetries in the social relations between men and women result in domination dynamics. Thus, this study analyzed the relationship between gender and IPV beliefs in the general population, university students, and healthcare/safety/justice professionals by comparing IPV legitimization between men and women and with age. The sample was composed by 3413 Portuguese participants, 1551 men (45.4%) and 1826 women (54.6%), aged 18 to 100 (M = 37.97; SD = 18.09), 1936 participants from the general population (56.7%), 866 university students [e.g., healthcare students] (25.4%) and 611 healthcare/safety/justice professionals [e.g., doctors, psychologists, police officers, lawyers] (17.9%). The sample filled out the Scale of Beliefs about Marital Violence (ECVC), a self-report scale on beliefs about IPV. Results confirmed our hypothesis that men have significantly higher levels of IPV legitimization than women. In accordance with our second hypothesis, significant positive correlations were found between age and IPV beliefs. As age increases, older people tend to be more tolerant of IPV, and young people tend to be less endorsing such IPV beliefs. Finally, we found the hypothesis that university students and healthcare/safety/justice professionals have lower levels of beliefs compared with other participants in the general population. Findings show that we need to work hard with the social evolution in men’s and women’s beliefs on IPV, reinforcing the importance of targeting IPV prevention by gender and age in the general population but also in students and professionals.

Violence against Women: Attachment, Psychopathology, and Beliefs in Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a violation of women’s human rights. Attachment is an IPV risk or vulnerability factor, in part because of the role that it plays in interpersonal relationships. An insecure attachment can predispose women victims to psychological maladjustment, which can reflect psychopathology. Likewise, our general society reveals beliefs that support and legitimize IPV. Thus, this study examined the relationship between adult attachment, psychopathology, and IPV beliefs. Our sample comprises 158 women IPV victims, aged between 18 and 73 years old. The psychological assessment tools Experiences in Close Relationships, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Scale of Beliefs about Marital Violence were used. All ethical issues had been taken due to the sensitive nature of the involved data. The results showed that most victims had a secure attachment style, and it may be an indicator that these women possibly had safe experiences with an attachment figure leading to reduced anxious state attachment in adult relationships. The results show a positive association between adult attachment and psychopathology, as well as between attachment and beliefs about violence. Globally, attachment is related to psychopathology and IPV beliefs. These results allow aid professionals and institutions to have deep knowledge about adult attachment as a risk or vulnerability factor for IPV and the adverse consequences of this phenomenon. IPV requires urgent attention since is the greatest threat to the health and safety of women around the world.

Exploring the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan African countries

ObjectiveThe present study examines the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence (IPV) using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan countries.SettingWe use data from the most recent...

Forms of marital violence directed by husbands towards wives: An applied study

The aim of this paper is to find out what types of violence that husbands inflict on their wives are most common among married women in the city of Ha'il, Saudi Arabia, and what causes it. The study used both descriptive and analytical methods. The descriptive method was used to achieve the objectives of the study, and the analytical method was used to show how the variables in the study are related to each other. The study relied on a questionnaire to collect primary data, including personal and social variables. The study relied on a comprehensive survey of all the studied abused women (130 women who visited King Khaled Hospital and the Civil Protection Center from September 2019 to December 2019). The results of the study indicate that psychological violence and economic violence are the most common types of violence. Physical violence ranked third. The findings also suggest that working women are less affected by violence in all its forms than non-working women and that women who have children are more affected by psychological violence than women who do not have children. The results suggest that there is a relationship between the husband's religion and his tendency to be violent. While there is a negative association between the husband's violence and the level of education and the three types of violence, there is no association between the age of the battered woman, the level of education, and exposure to all forms of violence The study recommends that there should be rehabilitation centers for those seeking marriage, especially young people.

The Wounded Body of Christ, the Church and Perennial Escalation of Gender-Based Violence and Its Implications for Pastoral Care

It is a known fact that gender-based violence is an infringement on human rights. Gender-based violence takes place all over the world in almost every place. It is experienced in homes, workplaces, communities, and in the Church as well. Today, church members, as well as pastors are wounded, fragmented, and hurting as they suffer serious abuses in silence. Christian children have fallen victim to sexual abuse that is perpetrated by their parents. Parents too, have become victims of violence; sometimes maimed by children who have become violent enough to kill their Christian parents in their homes. Furthermore, many Christian couples have continued to experience intra gender violence in their families that is often attributed to marital infidelity. Beyond that, there is also a common secretive kind of abuse in the form of marital sexual violence which is a serious form of violence against women. This is a hidden type of abuse that has been perpetrated behind closed doors for too long by members of the body of Christ. Due to its prevalence sometimes the victims themselves, often pretend that the problem in not present by keeping a deafening silence. This article, therefore, makes an in-depth investigation into the causes of the pervasive forms of gender-based violence that occur in some Zambian Christian homes, with particular emphasis on the ways in which this multifaceted phenomenon is very much hidden. This article expounds on how Christian couples have continued to suffer silently as their voices are suppressed due to fear and shame. In the conclusion of the article, it is suggested that, unless the church, in its pastoral care role, awakens from its slumber and begins to address issues of gender-based violence in the church with sincerity, honesty, and openness by admitting that indeed, the body of Christ is yearning to be healed, gender-based violence shall remain a perennial occurrence.