Family Violence

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Diane Andrews Henningfeld, Book Editor

Elizabeth Des Chenes, Managing Editor

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Family violence / Diane Andrews Henningfeld, book editor.

p. cm. -- (Global viewpoints)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7377-5650-0 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-0-7377-5651-7 (pbk.)

1. Family violence--Case studies. 2. Family violence--Prevention. I. Henningfeld, Diane Andrews.

HV6626.F336 2012

362.82’92--dc23

2011026844

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15 14 13 12 11

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Family Violence and Intimate Partner Abuse

1.Family Violence in the United States: An Overview

The National Center for Victims of Crime

Domestic violence can be defined as abusive behavior by a family member, a household member, or an intimate partner toward another in an attempt to exert power or control. All members of the family or household are affected by violence within the group.

2.In Ireland, Women Bear the Brunt of Family Violence

Carol Hunt

Although some men claim otherwise, data collected in Ireland and throughout the world evidences that women overwhelmingly outnumber men as victims of spousal abuse; suggesting otherwise is tragic and irresponsible.

3.In Australia, Some Men Are Abused by Their Intimate Partners

Andrea Mayes

A 2010 study provides evidence that Australian men suffer violence from their intimate partners but rarely report it. Such abuse often takes the form of emotional abuse, rather than physical, and has long-lasting effects on the victim.

4.In Nigeria, Family Violence Affects Many Women

IRIN

Up to two-thirds of women in Nigeria’s largest city are victims of some type of abuse from family members. Amnesty International is urging the Nigerian government to enact laws to end such violence.

5.In Vietnam, Many Women Are Abused by Their Partners

General Statistics Office of Vietnam

More than half of all Vietnamese women report physical, sexual, or emotional violence at the hands of their partners, according to a new study.

6.In Scotland, Many Victims of Family Violence Remain Silent

Tanya Thompson

Middle-class Scottish women are reluctant to reveal spousal abuse for fear of being stigmatized by their peers. A new program has been launched to raise awareness and offer help.

7.In Japan, Spousal Abuse Remains Hidden

David McNeill and Chie Matsumoto

Despite a 2001 domestic violence law that criminalized spousal abuse in Japan, many women are afraid to reveal that they are the victims of abuse.

8.In the United States, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People Experience Intimate Partner Abuse

National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs et al. The results of a 2007 study reveal that members of the

LGBT community both perpetrate and suffer violence at the hands of intimate partners in significant numbers.

Periodical and Internet Sources Bibliography

Chapter 2: Dowry Violence, Bride Burning, and Honor Killings

1.In Pakistan, Dowry Disputes Lead to Violence

Rakhshinda Parveen

Jahez, or dowry, is a cultural custom in Pakistan that often leads to violence and death for the bride, although such deaths are generally underreported.

2.In India, Bride Burning Is a Significant Problem

Nehaluddin Ahmad

A significant and growing number of young Indian women are burned alive, beaten to death, or pushed to commit suicide by their husbands’ families in disputes about money the bride brings to the family in a custom known as dowry.

3.In Bangladesh, the Custom of Dowry Leads to Abuse

Kaushalya Ruwanthika Ariyathilaka

Although Bangladesh has prohibited the practice of dowry since 1980, the custom is still widely practiced, often leading to serious abuse of wives from poor families.

4.In Iraq, Honor Killings Subjugate Women

Terri Judd

Young women in Iraq and Kurdistan are subject to murder by their families for speaking with, telephoning, or falling in love with men not selected by their families. Honor killing is not outlawed in Iraq.

5.The United States Should Differentiate Honor Killings from Domestic Violence

Phyllis Chesler

Honor killings are essentially different from spousal and child abuse in that they are religiously based, and the motivation for the murders is family honor. The United States must provide support and shelter specifically for women in danger of honor slaying.

6.Jordan Cracks Down on Honor Killings

Tom Peter

As a result of the way Jordan handles honor killings, much longer sentences are given to men who commit such murders; many hope Jordan’s example will influence others in the region.

Periodical and Internet Sources Bibliography

Chapter 3: Family Violence and Children

1.In China and Other Asian Countries, Girl Babies Are the Victims of Family Violence

The Economist

In countries such as China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, and

South Korea, many more boys than girls are being born and surviving to adulthood because girl babies are selectively aborted, killed within days of birth, or ill-treated by parents throughout childhood.

2.The World Health Organization Calls for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation

The World Health Organization

Female genital mutilation is the practice of partial or total removal of female genital organs in girls, ordered by and/or carried out by members of their families. The practice is common in many places throughout the world.

3.In Uganda, the Practice of Female Genital Mutilation Continues Despite the Law

Frederick Womakuyu

The Ugandan Parliament passed a law in 2010 banning the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM); however, elders in some districts claim that FGM is a cultural tradition that they will continue.

4.Female Genital Mutilation Is Practiced in Parts of Europe

Laura Schweiger

Although female genital mutilation is more widely associated with Africa and the Middle East, the European Union estimates that some five hundred thousand girls in Europe have been subjected to or are in danger of this practice at the insistence of their families.

5.Divorce Can Lead to Violence Directed at Children

Graeme Hamilton

A judge’s ruling concerning custody in a contentious Canadian divorce leads to the death of one child and the serious wounding of another.

6.Parricide in the United States

Kathleen M. Heide

About five parents per week are killed by their children in the United States. These children have been severely abused, are dangerously antisocial, or are seriously mentally ill.

Periodical and Internet Sources Bibliography

Chapter 4: Family Violence and Elders

1.Elders Must Seek Help When Abused

Weill Cornell Medical College

Elder abuse usually means that one family member is inflicting physical, emotional, or financial pain on another family member who is elderly. Older adults who suspect they are being abused must speak up and seek help.

2.In India, the Abuse of Older People by Family Members Is Increasing

Mala Kapur Shankardass

Abuse and neglect of the elderly is considered a normal consequence of aging. Women in particular must plan for their old age while they are still young to avoid family violence.

3.In Israel, Family Members Abuse and Neglect the Elderly

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

As Israeli society ceases to honor the elders in their population, the incidence of family violence directed toward the elderly is becoming more widespread.

4.In Malaysia, Elder Abuse Must Be Reported and Prevented

Esther G. Ebenezer

The growth of the elderly population in Malaysia means that the potential for more abuse of older adults exists. Learning the signs of abuse and intervening on behalf of the older person is vital.

5.Some Chinese Senior Citizens in the United States Suffer Elder Abuse

Rong Xiaoqing

Because Chinese culture values family unity, identifying and intervening in cases of elder abuse is difficult in this community.

Periodical and Internet Sources Bibliography

For Further Discussion

Organizations to Contact

Bibliography of Books

Index

Foreword

Global interdependence has become an undeniable reality. Mass media and technology have increased worldwide access to information and created a society of global citizens. Understanding and navigating this global community is a challenge, requiring a high degree of information literacy and a new level of learning sophistication.

Building on the success of its flagship series, Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press has created the Global Viewpoints series to examine a broad range of current, often controversial topics of worldwide importance from a variety of international perspectives. Providing students and other readers with the information they need to explore global connections and think critically about worldwide implications, each Global Viewpoints volume offers a panoramic view of a topic of widespread significance.

Drugs, famine, immigration—a broad, international treatment is essential to do justice to social, environmental, health, and political issues such as these. Junior high, high school, and early college students, as well as general readers, can all use Global Viewpoints anthologies to discern the complexities relating to each issue. Readers will be able to examine unique national perspectives while, at the same time, appreciating the interconnectedness that global priorities bring to all nations and cultures.

Material in each volume is selected from a diverse range of sources, including journals, magazines, newspapers, nonfiction books, speeches, government documents, pamphlets, organization newsletters, and position papers. Global Viewpoints is truly global, with material drawn primarily from international sources available in English and secondarily from US sources with extensive international coverage.

Features of each volume in the Global Viewpoints series include:

An annotated table of contents that provides a brief summary of each essay in the volume, including the name of the country or area covered in the essay.

An introduction specific to the volume topic.

A world map to help readers locate the countries or areas covered in the essays.

For each viewpoint, an introduction that contains notes about the author and source of the viewpoint explains why material from the specific country is being presented, summarizes the main points of the viewpoint, and offers three guided reading questions to aid in understanding and comprehension.

For further discussion questions that promote critical thinking by asking the reader to compare and contrast aspects of the viewpoints or draw conclusions about perspectives and arguments.

A worldwide list of organizations to contact for readers seeking additional information.

A periodical bibliography for each chapter and a bibliography of books on the volume topic to aid in further research.

A comprehensive subject index to offer access to people, places, events, and subjects cited in the text, with the countries covered in the viewpoints highlighted.

Global Viewpoints is designed for a broad spectrum of readers who want to learn more about current events, history, political science, government, international relations, economics, environmental science, world cultures, and sociology— students doing research for class assignments or debates, teachers and faculty seeking to supplement course materials, and others wanting to understand current issues better. By presenting how people in various countries perceive the root causes, current consequences, and proposed solutions to worldwide challenges, Global Viewpoints volumes offer readers opportunities to enhance their global awareness and their knowledge of cultures worldwide.

Introduction

Family violence is a broad term that encompasses a number of violent acts committed between members of a family. Such violence can cause serious emotional and physical damage to the victim; in some cases, this damage can be so extreme that it results in death. Throughout the world, family violence is increasing. It can include spousal or intimate partner assault, rape, or mental abuse. In Ireland, for example, one in seven women suffers serious violence at the hands of her intimate partner, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute/National Crime Council’s 2005 report, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland: Report on the National Study of Domestic Abuse.

The term also applies to the physical, sexual, or mental abuse or neglect of children in a family setting. Throughout the world, many children are affected. As reported in the Hürriyet Daily News of April 23, 2011, for example, research in Turkey revealed that thirty-two percent of children are exposed to violence by either their mother or father at least once a week.

Another form family violence can take is the abuse or neglect of elderly parents or relatives at the hands of partners, spouses, or younger family members. (The National Institute of Justice, part of the US Department of Justice, notes that 57 percent of the perpetrators of elder abuse were partners or spouses.) The problem is expected to grow for two reasons. First, according to the 2007 article Elder Abuse by the National Institute of Justice, In the United States, the issue of elder mistreatment is garnering the attention of the law enforcement, medical, and research communities as more people are living longer than ever before. Second, there will be far more elderly people as the postwar baby boom generation reaches old age.

Although family violence is widespread in nearly every culture in the world, in most circumstances, it has been considered a private matter for the family to deal with without the intervention of outside parties. For this reason, family violence of all sorts is largely underreported. As Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, MD, the surgeon general of the United States, stated in his 2003 speech Family Violence as a Public Health Issue, Victims are often afraid or unwilling to report it, and as a society we are still too reluctant to discuss it. The silence and secrecy that still surround the issue make it very difficult to face. Nonetheless, family violence has huge implications and consequences for society at large, and thus must be addressed through national and international public health channels such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States or the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. Without a concerted effort on the parts of national and international governments, the problems of family violence will only grow worse.

One of the serious consequences of family violence for the larger society is the heavy burden the violence places on health care systems in both dollars and resources. Because families often do not seek medical help until the abused family member is seriously injured or ill, the medical intervention must be drastic, often requiring admittance to a hospital through an emergency room and a long stay in the hospital after that. Sometimes the injuries are so severe that the victim never fully recovers, requiring ongoing care and medical attention. For example, a child who suffers blunt force trauma to the head or who is vigorously shaken may have permanent brain damage resulting in a long-term coma. Likewise, an elderly person who is neglected may suffer dehydration, kidney damage, or a stroke and may not receive timely treatment, leading to premature admittance to a long-term care facility. A woman badly beaten by her