essay on domestic violence in pakistan

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• v.36(4); May-Jun 2020

Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Hina hussain.

1 Mrs. Hina Hussain, M.Phil. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan

Sadiq Hussain

2 Dr. Sadiq Hussain, PhD. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan

Samar Zahra

3 Mrs. Samar Zahra, M.Phil. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan

Talib Hussain

4 Dr. Talib Hussain, PhD. Department of Business Management, University of Baltistan, Skardu, Pakistan

To assess the prevalence of domestic violence, associated risk factors, and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan.

This is a sequential explanatory strategy that is a mixed-method research design was conducted at Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University Gilgit from January 2017 to June 2018 on 160 married women. Quantitative data were collected using Karachi domestic violence screening scale and mental health inventory and qualitative data were collected through interview guides. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were applied to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Married women in GB reported higher levels of domestic violence (88.8%; psychological (69.4%), physical (37.5%) & sexual (21.2%). Abused women reported lower levels of mental health ( t =3.19, p =0.00); psychological wellbeing ( t =2.03, p =0.04), general positive affect ( t =2.09, p =0.03), and life satisfaction ( t =2.39, p =0.01) and higher levels of psychological distress ( t =3.27, p =0.00), anxiety ( t =3.06, p =0.00), depression ( t =2.60, p =0.01), and loss of emotional/behavioral control ( t =3.05, p =0.00) as compared to non-abused women. Risk factors behind domestic violence were identified as; poverty, the influence of in-laws, second marriage, stepchildren, forceful intimate relationships, husband’s irresponsibility, and addiction, and handicapped children.

Conclusions:

We found higher level of domestic violence, associated risk factors, and poor mental health of abused women in GB.

INTRODUCTION

Domestic violence as the supremacy exploited by one adult in a relationship to control another is not simply an argument, but the abuser uses physical and sexual violence, emotional offences, and economic denial against women. 1 It is a global issue, which is prevalent throughout nations, socio-economic classes, cultures, and race. 1 According to the World Health Organization report, 35% women globally have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence. Globally, around one third of all women experienced either physical or sexual violence, and in some regions, the figure increased to 38%. 2 The worldwide prevalence of non-partner sexual violence only in 2010 was 7.2%. The highest prevalence was in African countries and lowest in Asian countries while limited data were available regarding Europe, Middle East, Asia pacific, and high-income countries. 3

In Pakistan, domestic violence appeared in different forms, which, ranged from shouting to the use of weapons, including nonconsensual sex and only 3.2% women did not report any type of domestic violence. 4 In rural Pakistan, the prevalence of physical abuse against women was 56% while in urban settings, the lifetime prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse were 57.6%, 54.5%, and 83.6% respectively. 5 , 6 Another study that reviewed empirical studies published from 1998 to 2008 found that 30% to 79% of women reported intimate partner violence in Pakistan. 7

Distressing impacts of domestic violence are limited not only to physical injuries but contribute to the ill health of women and weak psychological and emotional wellbeing. 1 Victims of intimate partner violence reported the increasingly adverse effects on their mental health; depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety as compared to those who never experienced intimate partner violence. 8 Findings of a meta-analysis revealed that the weighted mean prevalence of mental health issues among abused women were; 47.6%, 17.9%, 63.8%, 18.5%, and 8.9% for depression, suicidality, PTSD, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse respectively. 9 Other researchers claimed that domestic violence is linked with many mental disorders such as; anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, and even psychosis. 10 In rural Pakistan, 98% of women reported mental tension due to the maltreatment by their husbands. 5

Keeping in view, the unrelenting negative consequences of domestic violence on women’s mental health, researchers have identified a number of risk factors such as cultural and social norms, religious practices, and economic and political circumstances. 1 Specific to the Pakistani context, the identified risk factors associated with domestic violence against women were; women’s low education and low empowerment, miss concepts of Islamic reflections and customary norms such as justifying honor killing, and poverty and the prevalent custom of the undue-traditional dowry system in the society. 7 Another study reported in-laws, disobedience and arguments with husband, husbands’ addiction, extra marital relationship and infertility as risk factors of domestic violence. 11 In rural Pakistan, risk factors of domestic violence against women were; age, education, and income of women while in urban Pakistan different risk factors for different types of violence were classified, i.e. husband’s low education, unskilled work, and five or more family members in the family for physical violence, wife’s low education, low socioeconomic status, and five or more family members in the family for sexual violence, and husband’s unskilled working status and low socioeconomic status of the family for psychological violence. 5 , 6

The reviewed literature shows that the prevalence, causes, and the consequences of domestic violence against women are well-studied globally as well as within Pakistan, but an actual condition in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has not been studied. GB, the region of Pakistan, with difficult access, being far-flung, and lacking basic necessities of life remained unexplored in terms of the prevalence of domestic violence, its risk factors, and impacts on women’s mental health. Therefore, this first scientific study was conducted with objectives to assess the prevalence, risk factors, and impact of domestic violence on women’s mental health in GB.

This is a sequential explanatory strategy that is a mixed-method research design was conducted at Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University Gilgit from January 2017 to June 2018. In the first phase of study, after approval of research protocols from institutional ethical review committee (KIU-IMARC/2019/252 dated July 19, 2019), quantitative data were collected from 160 married women age ranged from 18-50 years. Karachi domestic violence screening Scale-Urdu and mental health inventory were used to assess domestic violence and mental health respectively. 12 , 13 In the second phase, 142 (88.8%) women were included who were characterized/screened as abused based on the result of the first phase. A self-constructed interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) to identify risk factors of domestic violence. Demographic information form was used to collect participants’ demographic information like age, education, family system, married years, occupation, and monthly income of respondents.

In the first phase, collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. In this phase, respondents were classified into two groups; abused and non-abused women based on their scores on KDVSS-U. Then using independent sample t-test compared both groups’ mental health by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v-20). In the second phase, qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to identify the underlying risk factors of domestic violence. 14 Level of significance p ≤0.05 was considered significant and effect sizes of associations were also calculated “ d ”.

Out of the total participants, 120(75.0%) belong to age rang 18-33 years, 73(46.8%) have reported more than 10 married years, 75(49.9%) have obtained graduation and above education level, 85(53.1%) were housewives, 82(51.3%) were from joint family background, and a good number of them 72(45.0%) reported less than ten thousand monthly incomes ( Table-I ).

Demographic characteristic of participant.

According to overall KDVSS scale scores 142(88.8%) women were found abused. Physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse were found among 60(37.5%), 111(69.4%) and 34 (21.2%) women respectively ( Table-II ).

Abused and non-abused women on KDVSS.

Abused women reported lower levels of mental health, psychological wellbeing, general positive affect, and life satisfaction and higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and loss of emotional/ behavioral control as compared to non-abused women. The effect size was medium for mental health and psychological distress and small for psychological wellbeing, general positive affect, life satisfaction, anxiety, depression, and loss of emotional/behavioral control ( Table-III ).

Comparison of mental health between abused and non-abused women.

Based on qualitative data, seven major themes have been generated while exploring the risk factors of domestic violence. Among the most frequent responses, poverty comes out to be the major bone of contention (89%). Second, most frequently reported category (67%) was the influence of in-laws in exacerbating disagreements among spouses. The second marriage was another major risk factor of quarrel among couples (50%); either husband went for second marriage, or the wife herself was the second wife and step children creates issues. Therefore, 42% reported stepchildren as a reason for the quarrel. The forceful intimate relationship (25%) along with irresponsibility of husband (15%) and addicted husband (15%), handicapped children (7%), husband’s demand of financial assistance from wife’s family (6%), and husband reluctance for children (6%) were also found risk factors of domestic violence in GB ( Table-IV ).

Risk factors of domestic violence.

The current study shows higher prevalence of domestic violence in GB (88.8%). Among different types of abuse, psychological (69.4%) one was found to be highly prevalent among the study sample followed by physical (37.5%) and sexual violence (21.2%). These results are in accordance with the findings of other studies conducted in Pakistan but inconsistent with those reported from other contries. 6 , 12 , 15 Another research conducted in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan that is more similar to GB from sociocultural perspective revealed that the psychological violence was found to be higher among women than physical violence. 16

Finding that women who experienced domestic violence reported lower levels of mental health, psychological wellbeing, general positive affect, and life satisfaction and higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and loss of emotional, behavioral control. Researchers from different socio-cultural and religio-political milieus reported similar findings i.e. domestic violence against women leads to their poorer psychological and emotional wellbeing, overall wellbeing, poorer mental health including depression, PTSD, anxiety, suicidality, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, eating disorders, psychosis, psychological distress, and psychological illness. 1 , 8 , 10 , 17 - 19 Similar findings are reported by researchers from Pakistani context where different types of domestic violence; physical, psychological, and sexual strongly associated with higher levels of negative states of mental health including depression, mental tension, and hysteria. 5 , 20

In the present study, the risk factors behind domestic violence were found as; poverty, the influence of in-laws, second marriage, stepchildren, forceful intimate relationships, husband’s irresponsibility, and addiction, handicapped children, husband’s demand of financial assistance from wife’s family, and husband’s reluctance for children. Similar findings were reported by Hossain from Bangladesh, i.e. more similar with Pakistan from religio-cultural perspectives, where role of in-laws and other family members, polygamous husbands, husbands’ addiction, husbands’ demand for dowry from in-laws, husbands’ cognitions that wives are product for their sexual enjoyment (nonconsensual sexual union), and giving birth to the female child were risk factors of domestic violence against women. 21 Within Pakistani context, Bibi, Ashfaq, Shaikh, and Qureshi reported in-laws as perpetrators (30%) along with husbands’ drug addiction and extra marital relationship as risk factors. 11 According to Shaikh, Shaikh, Kamal, and Masood, 21.1% women in Pakistan reported that their husband forced them to have nonconsensual sexual relationship supports our findings, i.e. forceful intimate relationships. 22 Lois, David, and Zachary reported unwanted pregnancy by perpetrator along with lower socio-economic status as a risk factor of abuse is in line with our findings, i.e., the husband did not want children. 23 However, we found poverty as a dominant risk factor of domestic violence in the present study, also endorsed by other researchers. For example, lower socioeconomic status was found as an important risk factor of domestic violence against women in Pakistan and elsewhere. 6 , 7 , 24 Ali and Gavino grouped all risk factors of domestic violence in Pakistan into two major categories: intrinsic factors (income, substance abuse etc.) and extrinsic factors (socio-economic, political, & cultural system of Pakistan along with the influence of neighboring countries). 25

Limitations of the study

The present study documented only the wives’ perspective. Secondly, the sample was small and represented only a single province of Pakistan (GB).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of domestic violence in GB was at an alarming level, and it has significant impacts on women’s mental health. Poverty, the influence of in-laws, and second marriage were found as dominant risk factors behind domestic violence. To address the alarming level of domestic violence promulgation of legislation and community-based awareness programs against domestic violence and the establishment of rehabilitation centers with mental health services for the victims of domestic violence are strongly suggested. Despite vital contributions, the present study is not free from limitations like other scientific studies.

Author`s Contribution

HH & SH conceived, designed and did data collection and statistical analysis & editing of manuscript. Both authors are responsible and accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

SZ & TH did manuscript writing, review, and final approval of manuscript.

Grant Support & Financial Disclosures: None.

Dreaming of escape: The Pakistani women fleeing domestic violence

Pakistani women who fled abusive relationships share the dreams that inspired them to leave.

When my mother was two years old, she was given as a “gift-child” to a wealthy widowed aunt who did not have any children of her own. Three years later, her birth mother, who was just 26 at the time, died of leukaemia.

My mother rarely saw her siblings or father, who eventually remarried, and – looking back now at my own upbringing in Odense, Denmark, I can trace the trauma I absorbed from my mother back to her own childhood.

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But, as a child, I did not know why my mother was so cold and strict; why she never showed me any love or warmth. I did not know about her childhood or the feelings of loss and rejection she carried with her and passed on to me. I did not know any of this because feelings were not something we shared or discussed in my family. In fact, the only emotions my mother seemed capable of expressing were anger and sadness.

As a teenager, I rebelled against this, as I rebelled against so many of my family’s plans and expectations – the Quran lessons, the restrictions on my freedom, but none more so than my father’s plan to move us all to Pakistan, the country both he and my mother were from.

He had built a large house there that he intended for us all to live in with his ailing mother. Instead, aged 15, I ran away. At first, I stayed with a friend, before making my way to Copenhagen.

After a few weeks in the capital, I moved into Freetown Christiania, a commune that was established by squatters on the site of a former military barracks in 1971. The year I spent there in 1991, changed my life forever.

I met artists and activists, people who looked out for me and helped me whenever I needed it, and a photographer who introduced me to what would become my profession.

During this time, I also began to look back on my childhood and understand that it had been shaped not only by the anger and guilt I had been raised with but by the ways in which I had used dreams as a means of escape from it.

My dreams, which often involved me flying through the sky like a bird, seeing places that felt safe and meeting people who seemed loving and kind, had helped me to stay afloat and given me hope. They had become my safe place.

I remembered how my mother and her friends had often interpreted their own dreams, believing they had seen in them visions and predictions for their futures.

In Islam, there is a practice called “Istikhara”, in which someone will say a particular prayer before sleeping when they have an important decision to make. They consider their dreams to be a form of guidance from God, helping them to make the right decision.

As I learned photography and spent countless hours in a darkroom, seeing the images I had captured being revealed on paper, it felt like watching dreams come to life.

I was drawn to taking photographs of the people I called the “unseen” – those overlooked and living on the fringes of society. I photographed homeless children and transgender people in Argentina, Indigenous people in Bolivia and Columbia, residents of the favelas in Brazil. The most important thing for me was always to see and capture people as they are – so that their inner personality shines through their photographs.

As I travelled the world doing this, visiting places I had seen in my childhood dreams, I realised that my dreams had become my reality. It renewed my interest in dreams and the subconscious and I decided to train as a psychotherapist, specialising in dream interpretation.

Just as I wanted my photographs to capture the truth of who someone was, I wanted to establish a similar understanding of those I worked with as a psychotherapist. I found it fascinating to learn how a person’s trauma and dreams intersect and how, if treated right, dreams can help someone heal.

It reminded me of a documentary I had watched about Pakistani women who had endured domestic violence and sought refuge in a shelter.

The shelter called Dastak was located in a quiet neighbourhood of Lahore and had been started by AGHS Legal Aid Cell in 1990, a legal aid organisation co-founded by sisters Hina Jilani and the late Asma Jahangir, both renowned human rights activists and lawyers.

It provides free temporary accommodation for women and their children, as well as legal, financial and psychological support.

I was curious to know more about these women. So, in 2004, I travelled to Lahore for three weeks to photograph some of the women at Dastak, for a project with Amnesty International.

It was my first visit to Pakistan since I was five years old, and I was surprised at how easily I could immerse myself in the culture and relate to the women at Dastak.

For years I had distanced myself from my Pakistani roots, but when I had my own children, it suddenly became important for me to understand my culture and where I came from.

More importantly, I was keen to explore what I had been carrying inside of me. As a psychotherapist and a young mother, I wanted to make sure to not pass on any of my trauma to my children.

The photographs that I took of the Pakistani women during that visit were displayed in an exhibition in cities across Denmark, highlighting the abuse they had suffered.

From the moment I first met the women at Dastak, I had felt an instant connection with them.

As the years passed, and I gained more experience as a psychotherapist, I often thought of returning. But this time, I wanted to explore the lives of the women from a different angle – that of the dreams they had had before leaving their abusive marriages.

Eventually, on March 11, 2020 – the same day the Danish prime minister held a news conference asking all Danes to return home as soon as possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic – I made it back to Pakistan.

I stayed for as long as I could, having long and intense conversations with the women at the shelter about the dreams they had had after performing Istikhara, before leaving on the very last plane out of Pakistan on March 18.

The stories they shared with me touched me deeply. Here are some of them.

‘I dreamt of a safe place with kind people’

Mariam* has an effortless elegance as she moves around her room on the first floor of the shelter. She invites me to sit on the bed beside her and smiles when she hears me speak Urdu. She had been expecting a foreigner, not someone who would speak her language, albeit with a bit of an accent.

She seems relieved and is curious about my family background. Telling her about my life in Denmark helps break the ice, and I feel an instant connection with her.

As she begins to share her own story, her voice is calm and her gaze strong. She left her abusive husband with her four young children in the summer of 2019, she explains. She had endured years of beatings and being burnt with cigarette butts. Some nights her husband would tie her to an electric heater and electrocute her, she says. Sometimes he would beat the children, Mariam adds, her voice cracking as she starts to sob.

We take a break from the interview to talk about other things. I am conscious that my questions could retraumatise her.

When we continue, she tells me: “My husband would drink a lot. I was earning money working in a sewing factory. He would take all my salary and sometimes my children and I didn’t have food for many days.

“It was an arranged marriage. I was in love with another man, but my family didn’t approve of him.”

One day her husband beat her up so badly that she could barely walk. She managed to make it to a rickshaw and returned to her family home. There, she told her brothers that she wanted a divorce.

“My brothers wanted to go to my house and beat up my husband. I told them not to. It would just cause more violence and bloodshed,” she recalls.

“Then my brothers said I could stay with them and keep working in the factory but I must leave my children with my husband. I couldn’t do that.

“A cousin had told me about Dastak so I came here to seek advice.”

A few days later, she returned to the house she had shared with her husband to take her children. When she arrived, her husband and brother-in-law attacked her. But she was determined not to leave without her children.

She told them that if they did not stop beating her, she would report them to the police. They finally relented and let her leave with the children.

“I never learned to read or write. All I want for my children is that they get to study and make something of their lives,” she says, explaining that that is why she has sent her seven-year-old daughter to a boarding school run by Dastak.

“I know she gets a good education and I get to see her every week,” she says, adding: “My husband didn’t allow my children to go to school.”

While we are talking, her youngest daughter, who is just four, comes into the room and hugs her mother.

“She never lets me out of her sight. Witnessing the violence has affected her a lot,” says Mariam.

Mariam also has two sons, aged eight and nine. They are still affected by the violence they witnessed, but they are attending an informal school at the shelter and are doing better, she says.

“My eldest son has frequent nightmares that his father has come to kill his mother. And he is afraid of what will happen to him, who will take care of him?” she explains.

As for the dream Mariam had after doing Istakhara and before leaving her marriage, she says: “Before I even heard about Dastak, I dreamt of a safe place with kind people. I saw this house. The dream came true [and] I felt as if God had given me [the] strength to escape and find this place.”

She still has recurrent nightmares in which her husband comes to kill her, but she says: “I feel strong, and I want to take care of my children. I feel safe here and I am not afraid of him any more.”

‘I’m running, escaping’

Laila* is 23 but seems much younger. She rubs her hands together nervously as we talk.

Her family forced her into marriage a year earlier, she explains.

“I didn’t want to marry this man, but my mother and brothers arranged it. I told them many times, ‘I don’t want to get married’ but they had made their decision,” she says

“When I got married and moved into my husband’s family house, my in-laws blamed me for not bringing enough dowry. I told them I didn’t want to get married to their son in the first place and I didn’t want to stay with them.”

When I ask Laila what life was like with her husband and his family, she looks down at her hands. I notice she is holding a small needle that she keeps pricking herself with.

She seems reluctant to share the details but eventually tells me that she fled their house after just eight days. Her aunt, who used to live at Dastak, had told her she could find refuge there.

After leaving her husband, she started praying a lot and doing Istikhara.

“I dreamt that my sister brought me to a burial yard and put me on a chair on an unknown grave. She watched me from a distance and then laughed and laughed at me,” she says of the dream she had soon after leaving her marriage. “My sister and I are not talking to each other in this dream. I ask myself in the dream, ‘This is strange, why am I here, what is it?’ I felt really scared after this dream.”

Laila says she is not very close to her sister but that she misses her mother and brother. “They have refused to talk to me since I decided to get a divorce,” she explains.

Laila has had another dream since moving into the shelter. “I’m running into the forest, and I hide under the huge trees,” she says. “It’s as if I am running, escaping.”

Her body language changes as she remembers it. She looks up and smiles, hopeful.

‘I can’t stop looking at the water, it’s so beautiful’

Yasmeen* insists we eat breakfast before we begin. She smiles and laughs a lot, particularly when discussing her daughters.

She is only 25 but her face strikes me as that of someone older.

When she was 13 years old, her father arranged her marriage to a much older man.

“The first year of our marriage went ok,” she says. “Then he started to yell at me and would become very angry.

“When our eldest son was born, and then the other children came, I thought it would get better with time, so I put up with it for many years but it didn’t get better. It got much worse. He would often be physically abusive and threaten to kill me. I felt that one day he would actually kill me. It was as if my mere existence triggered his anger and violence.”

When they married, Yasmeen’s husband worked as a rickshaw driver but would give all the money he earned to his parents.

“He’d come home with all kinds of excuses to me like, ‘My rickshaw broke down’, leaving me with no money to buy food for the children. So, I decided to find work. I started cooking for a family, but my husband would take all of my salary,” Yasmeen explains.

The woman she worked for suggested she leave him and take her children to a shelter. When Yasmeen finally felt ready, her employer drove her and her daughters to Dastak. But she had to leave her two sons, aged 10 and 2, behind with their father.

She explains why: “I know they will get a good education. When they get older, they will come back to me. I wanted to make sure that all my children including the girls get a good education, not like me.”

Some women leave their sons behind because they feel their husbands and in-laws will take better care of boys than they would of girls, who are often treated as a burden.

Yasmeen’s eight-year-old daughter wants to become a doctor while the seven-year-old would like to join the army.

“My daughters stayed with me here for two months. Now they have moved to a boarding school, where they have much better school facilities. They like it at their new school and have already made new friends,” she says.

Yasmeen, who gets to visit them once a week, says it is important to her that her daughters remain safe and get educated. Still, she has found it difficult to be without them. Her family, she adds, has not supported her decision to leave her husband.

“They even came here to Dastak to take me back to him. ‘He won’t beat you again’, they said. I know for a fact, that I can’t go back. He would kill me,” she says.

Since she came to the shelter she has had the same nightmare twice. “I dream that my father is coming to get me,” she says. “We fight and eventually he beats me up and cuts me into small pieces.

“That dream scares me a lot. After a nightmare like that, I pray a lot and it gives me comfort. I ask to see some sign that I have made the right decision,” Yasmeen adds.

The nightmare prompted her to do Istikhara, in the hope that she would receive a sign that she had made the right decision.

“Recently, I began dreaming of water. I’m sitting at the sea, just sitting there and thinking ‘this is immense’. I can’t stop looking at the turquoise blue water, because it’s so beautiful and it makes me happy,” she says. “I’m filling my bottle with the water several times – and I keep drinking the water.”

She has felt at peace, she says, since having this dream and feels it has given her the strength to hope for a positive outcome.

‘I’m dying here, please let me out!’

Assia* is 18 years old and her hands are decorated with intricate henna patterns.

When I ask her questions, she answers promptly and precisely.

“Our families arranged a marriage between me and my first cousin,” she says. “Soon after the wedding, I found out that he was in a relationship with a woman who lived next door.

“I confronted him and asked him to stop. He got angry and started beating me up. He said that he would keep us both. For six months I stayed and watched him seeing the other woman. The beatings continued.”

She told her family about the affair and the abuse, and that she wanted a divorce.

“They didn’t believe me. He is my uncle’s son, he is family. So, a divorce was not an option,” she tells me.

Her family convinced her to return to her husband. When she did, he beat her up again. She endured a further two months of abuse before she left for Dastak, where her cousin had stayed a few years earlier.

“My family still tells me to go back to my husband,” says Assia.

When she was still with her husband, she did Istikhara. Her body stiffens as she remembers the dream she had. “I dreamt that my parents locked me up in a closet in their house. I screamed, ‘No, I can’t live in a closet, I’m dying here, please let me out!’ I faint because I can’t breathe, and then I wake up.”

Assia tells me that she prays a lot and it gives her comfort. Back when her family were arranging her marriage, she says she had dreams about witches.

More recently, she has had a dream that gives her hope for the future.

“I dream I’m running, and the witches are coming for me. I’m scared and I’m screaming. I see a tent and I go inside. There is someone good there. I hug him as I cry. He asks me, ‘What is wrong my child? Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you’.”

“It is like evil has been left behind and something good will come my way. Now I understand this dream. My family is behind me. I’m not going back again, I am looking at the future now,” she says, adding that she recently received her final divorce papers and is excited about being able to make her own decisions and live her life on her own terms.

*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities.

Essay On Domestic Violence In Pakistan

Abstract: This research paper focuses on domestic violence which is a widespread social and public problem in Pakistan. To address the issue of domestic violence means questioning the norms and the values of the society. Domestic violence is an important issue in Pakistan which imposes restrictions on women to stand up for their rights. In my research paper I have talked about many factors which contribute to domestic violence in Pakistan for example lack of education and awareness, misconceptions about Islamic concepts regarding women, financial problems and lastly lack of women empowerment. The absence of proper legal frame work and system of laws regarding domestic violence is one of the main reasons as to why this issue cannot be eliminated in the society. To address the issue, one must first recognize …show more content…

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Domestic violence is a fast growing worldwide phenomenon which expresses through physical and psychological abuse of the victim by the violent side. As part of it, there are men who abuse their women in different ways, who can be categorized as "Pit-bulls" or "Cobras" by different features. In this essay I will present differences and similarities between the two types of abusive men. On the one hand, "Cobras" and "Pit-bulls" are very alike when it comes to decision making, because they have both chosen a violent pattern of aggression and abuse in order to deal with marriage or couple conflicts instead of using other ways such as: using more verbal communication with their women, getting professional help from a marriage/couple counselor or putting more time and effort into working marriage/couple problems out in a creative way. But, the two types make a full aware choice of turning to violence and abuse as a solution to problems, they do have different ways of expressing it, but the decision to turn to violence remains the same.

Domestic Violence In Sociology

Today violence against women is an uncontrollable phenomenon, which is a direct result of the rapid urbanization, industrialization and structural adjustment programs which are changing the socio-economic scenario of our country.   "Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women" (United Nations Declaration1993) Domestic violence has attracted much attention of the sociologists in India since the decades of 1980s. Violence affects the lives of millions of women, worldwide, in all socio- economic and educational classes. It cuts across cultural and religious barriers, threatening the right of women to participate fully in society.

Essay On Long Before Domestic Violence

Long before domestic violence became a topic of public discussion in America, Tennessee Williams published his play. He knew the subject of domestic violence first hand, having observed spousal abuse in his family. His brother points out that his father would frequently return home angry and fly into a rage into Edwina his mother, as well as beating her violently during another drunken outburst ( Bloom 51 ). Accordingly, Williams tends to write this play in order to debate a crucial issue which is men’s violence against women.

GTA: A Critical Analysis

This essay will critically analyse domestic violence experienced by South Asian communities living in the GTA. It will compare and contrast running themes of oppression, marginalization and multiples forms of violence. I selected this article because of an interest I have on the issue of domestic violence/intimate partner violence, as it is a serious on-going problem, in many communities throughout Canada, including South Asian communities. Although domestic violence is not only experienced by women, the ways which this violence is interpreted within society will differ. Factors which lead to domestic violence need to be further analyzed and viewed from multiple perspectives.

Abuse In A Thousand Splendid Suns

According to Danielle Moylan, “...around 87% of Afghan women are believed to have experienced domestic violence at least once” (Moylan). In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women, are both victims of spousal abuse. They are brought together by their marriages to Rasheed and bonded by the abuse they endure. Together they fight to overcome the power of their abusive husband. Spousal abuse is damaging physically, sexually, and emotionally.

Cycle Of Domestic Violence Essay

This paper is written based on the issues raised in the article ‘Anna’s Story’. It will discuss the ‘cycle of violence’ and the reasons both psychological and physical why victims of domestic violence (DV) may resist leaving their situation. Key services that victims (Anna) require access to due to the situation will also be discussed, including the role of police beyond their task of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVO) and convicting perpetrators. The definition of DV is stated in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act, 2007, Section 11, “domestic violence offence means a personal violence offence committed by a person against another person with whom the person who commits the offence has or has had a domestic relationship”.

Feminist Theory Of Domestic Violence

To better understand the cause of intimate violence will help to come up will help come up with a better solution on solving this problem. There are various theories that have come up to explain the main causes of domestic violence, some include; learned helplessness theory, Intergenerational Transmission Theory, Social–Psychological Model and the feminist theory. All of these theories have tried to illustrate the causes of domestic violence. In this paper, I will target my writing on the feminist theory where it emphasizes power and gender inequalities in relationships. The theory focuses on how societal messages that makes it alright for a male to use aggression and violence, and the gender roles that dictate how women and men should act in their relationships

Sociological Theories Of Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is often defined as the recurring pattern of behaviour in an intimate relationship that is used in order to control, maintain or gain power over a partner; this includes physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse (Davies 2008, p. 1; Department of social services 2015 & Australian Bureau of statistics 2013). The principal purpose of this essay is to offer a range of sociological explanation that justifies why domestic violence is happening. Social conflict and symbolic interactionism are the two theories that have been explored. The paper argues that micro level analysis offers a deeper understanding of the motivation behind domestic violence, compared to a macro level one. The study also contains recommendations that

There's Nothing Friendly About Abuse Analysis

Domestic Violence has become an issue that has lacked the attention of the public that needs fixing. Both of the articles demonstrate the obstacles that are presented in domestic violence cases. The image gives the awareness of the life threatening they live through, and have difficulties looking for help. Many people are unaware or underestimate the obstacles and difficulties that are presented in domestic violence, but a closer look will illuminate these issues that require action to be taken.

Psychodynamic Theory Of Domestic Violence

Many women are experiencing controlling and violent environment which should be about intimacy, love and care. In relation to this social justice issue, domestic violence all these theories can be applied effectively to assist in a practitioner’s work. Psychodynamic is a micro leveled practice involving more individualized work investigating the user’s unconscious behaviors and mental processors. Systems theory focuses on keeping a balanced equilibrium with marriage counselling and other forms of community assistance to help the user adapt to their environment. The critical perspective, feminist theory, works alongside the user in order to help identify social injustices and assists to empower and educate them.

Essay On There Should Be Tougher Law Enforcement To Protect Against Domestic Violence

I strongly believe that there should be tougher law enforcement to protect against domestic violence. No one should experience or be exposed to domestic violence for it; affects family life’ increase the crime rate in countries, and it affects one’s body and mind. Firstly, domestic violence causes a number of effects on family life, it affects how family members relate to one another because they will not feel the appropriate

Literature Review On Intimate Partner Violence

Jacquelyn C. Campbell defines intimate partner violence as “physical or sexual assault, or both,” of a spouse or sexually intimate partner. She speaks about how damaging this type of violence can be to women. Campbell provided information from past studies to explain why interventions and assessments should be increased in health-care settings to identify more of these situations. The author looked at information from the past decade and used only the surveys that were in English.

Domestic Violence Problem Solution

Domestic Violence Problem Migdalia Villanueva Kaplan University CJ-333 Domestic violence is a crime that is faced in not only America but other countries across the globe. The overall purpose of this study is to show the impact domestic violence will not only have on the American society but also in other countries, I choose to look at the countries of Canada, Australia, England and Saudi Arabia The first pages of the essay illustrate the problems which have been faced in America because of the high increase in domestic violence rates. As portrayed in the essay, there are several problems which will be similar to the ones which encountered in the different countries that will be mentioned in the essay.

Persuasive Essay On Women Abuse

There are many women who are being forced into sex, beaten or perhaps abused in her lifetime by a person called a man. At some other times, the women are being assaulted by people whom they don’t know, but most frequently they are hurt or abused by people who are close to them. Women abuse occur in all cultures and races, it doesn’t have any boundaries. We have buried a lot of women, of which their death resulted from women abuse issue, some women today have anger and can’t even raise their children properly, they are angry with everyone and some can’t even face the world. Women abuse causes an awful emotional and physical pain; it intimidates the lives of women.

More about Essay On Domestic Violence In Pakistan

Related topics.

• Domestic violence
• Child abuse
• Violence against women
• Psychological abuse

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Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights. Occurring in public and private places, it has many forms, ranging from domestic and intimate partner violence to sexual harassment and assault, trafficking, sexual violence and gender-related killing.

Its impact spans from immediate to long-term multiple physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls, including death. It negatively affects women’s general well-being and prevents women from fully participating in society. Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and country. It has tremendous costs, from greater health care and legal expenses, and losses in productivity, impacting national budgets and overall development.

Pakistan has several laws and policies against various forms of violence. Challenges remain however in implementing these measures. Many women still lack access to free or affordable essential services in sectors such as health, police, justice and social support to ensure their safety, protection and recovery. Not enough is done to prevent violence, which is the most challenging but also effective way to eliminate violence in a sustainable way.

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Domestic violence in pakistan: policy analysis.

Pakistan continues to normalize domestic violence as a social norm. Common concepts like gender subordination and perception of women as male property are ingrained in our society and keep passing down from generation to generation. Domestic violence encompasses much more than what is commonly understood i.e. physical, sexual, emotional, mental, financial, and verbal abuses. Every second woman in Pakistan suffers from domestic violence and most of the cases go unreported. Imbalance of power, which is always abused by the world, coupled with society’s unjust tolerance and ignorance, creates a perfect environment for a problem like this to exist. Therefore this concept, which was initially more common in rural areas and among uneducated men, is now equally prevalent in all social classes of the country. This issue, which was never given due importance, has now become a crucial need for women to unite and stand for their rights and raise their voice against violence and ill-treatment. Although many people agree that domestic violence is a major problem, only a few felt that the government should spend time and money over this issue which portrays the neglect that this issue has always faced. Therefore, the present policy analysis aims to review the major causes and consequences of domestic violence in Pakistan to build urgency and present the importance of this issue. To serve this purpose, various policy alternatives are proposed and evaluated, using Policy Delphi survey and certain assessment criteria such as efficiency, effectiveness, liberty, security, and political, economic, administrative, technical, and social feasibility that could help to protect and promote the domestic status and rights of women in the country. 

Key findings

The findings depicted that a complex interplay of social as well as psychological factors combined with the society’s complete dismissal and normalization of the imbalance of power between both genders results in domestic violence. Similarly, it was found that the problem lies in male mentality which is the root cause and determinant of all other factors that contribute to domestic violence. Domestic violence could destroy family environments and children who witnessed their parents being abusive to each other were found more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and emotional distress and they could be abusive towards their intimate partners in the future. Workplace environment could also get affected as the number of lost days at work could increase whenever a female employee becomes a victim of domestic violence. However, mostly the victims of domestic violence did not seek help from external sources either due to lack of autonomy and/or induced fear. Furthermore, the analysis identified certain negative consequences of domestic abuse including physical trauma, genital trauma/injuries, mental health problems, anxiety, depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), eating disorders, suicidality, cardio-vascular hypertension, limited sexual and reproductive control, lack of health care, lack of authority, difficulties in seeking cure, low birth weights, reproductive health concerns, loss of child or premature deliveries and hormonal changes that could alter the immune system. Moreover, the results presented significant interlinked causes on why men resort to violence in Pakistan including socioeconomic framework of Pakistan which makes women dependent on their male counterparts for financial and social security, workplace issues like harassment and gender discrimination that further restrict women from leaving an abusive relationship or becoming financially independent, social issues like child marriages and forced marriages since girls, at that vulnerable age, are unaware of their rights and cannot stand up for themselves, conventional mindset of men and women, work/job stress, lack of proper divorce laws that could secure the financial protection of women, lack of social acceptance for divorce, no implementation on ban of alcohol and drugs, radicalization of Islam since religious groups in Pakistan portray Islam wrongly just to serve their own interests, social barriers against divorce, lack of social and economic freedom for women, tribal and capitalist social formations, low awareness about the social rights and roles of women, and legal discrimination in the legal system due to which women hesitate to report incidents of violence. In addition to that, certain policy actors were also highlighted that could influence the policy process by being directly or indirectly involved with domestic violence in Pakistan including non-governmental organizations, media, NGOs, religious groups, society, men, government, academics, police department, and women. However, it was found that if no action would be taken against this issue then Pakistan, which is already on the verge of moral degeneration, could suffer an adverse moral and social decline. Therefore, the study proposed significant policy alternatives in order to control domestic violence in Pakistan, including elimination of barriers such as opposition of religious groups, funding of non-governmental organizations, awareness and mindset development (advocacy and awareness raising education that teaches non-violence, human rights, and gender issues in schools), establishment of a 24-hour government help line for the victims of domestic violence, and staffing of women in police stations and complaint centers. However, there were trade-offs between different alternatives so the decision was made considering the most important assessment criteria i.e. security and political feasibility, since analyzing the Delphi responses found that in a country where so many cases of domestic violence come forward, the utmost concern should be the security of women. Although, the elimination of barriers and women staffing provided the greatest levels of security, but women staffing was found politically less feasible, therefore, elimination of barriers such as opposition of religious groups was ranked as the most effective policy action to fight against the issue of domestic abuse in Pakistan. Moreover, raising awareness was ranked to be the second and women staffing in the police stations was ranked to be the third most feasible policy plan.  

Implications

Any movement towards the solution of domestic violence must take form of a completely integrated effort generated from the core of the problem which crosses all the policy actors such as government departments, health and housing departments, non-governmental organizations, police, and every agency which can play an integral part in solving the problem. Although, the Pakistani government realizes this issue, it needs to be consistent in its efforts. Similarly, creating a helpline is useless without creating proper awareness for it since individuals will not reach out for herp if they do not know about the facilities that are available to them. Therefore, integrated efforts of government and NGOs should be made considering this issue. The government should not only fund NGO campaigns but also monitor how much foreign money is entering the country through these NGOs and whether it is being handled well. Subsequently, such accountability will motivate NGOs to work fairly, actively, and effectively. Moreover, government should monitor the legal system for the proper implementation of laws. There should be incentives for women applying in the police service department. NGOs and helplines should be backed up by the legal system and the police for immediate inquiry. Similarly, the government should ensure that the legal system and the police are supporters of NGOs, helplines and their campaigns, and that media can be used as a channel to create awareness. Additionally, healthcare facilities should have trained personnel in screening all types of domestic violence and abuse cases and should be educated on the treatment and rehabilitation of victims. A committee combining religious leaders, ulemas and scholars should be formed to outline the basic rights of women and afterwards, it must be ensured that these rights are not being violated. Moreover, fatwas which violate women’s rights and bring about hate against women must be banned by the government and policy makers. Besides this, the subcontinent’s culture has always treated women as property of men. Whereas, if a woman is respected in a culture, she is less likely to be abused and beaten, thus, for the society to work in a productive way, the two genders must respect and cooperate with each other. Similarly, if all these actions are practiced religiously by the respective departments then it is possible to develop a society where women can live at will, take their own decisions and practice economic and social freedom without having any mental illnesses like PTSD and depression.