University Of Sulaimani

College of Commerce
Department Of IT
1st Stage -A-

Student’s Opinion and Perception about Violence

Against Women in Collage of Commerce

Prepared by:
Zhiyar Nawzad Mohammed

Lecturer:
Neegar Ameen

Acknowledgment
In the world, one woman in every three women experienced violence in
their lifetime. In our culture as Kurdish culture, patriarchy is one of the
most common things and men always realize that they are above women
and they have more power. Because of that, this essay will be presented
to show what the violence against women is?

Introduction
Many centuries have come and gone, man has evolved, technology has
developed, the world has grown and people have changed, but violence
against women still seems to be prevalent across the globe. Women
continue to be discriminated against, exploited, oppressed, degraded,
humiliated, and have often been treated as second-class citizens.

What’s violence against women?

Violence is a behavior that involves using a physical force to cause hurt
or damage something or someone or kill. Violence against women is
prevalent and it crosses geographic, economic, and racial lines.

Violence against women does not mean only physical violence, it is

much broader and includes sexual, emotional, psychological, and
financial abuse. At least one woman in every three has been abused,
beaten, and experienced violence in their lifetime.

The causes of violence against women

Many of the misconceptions surrounding violence again women center
on its causes. There are several myths that exist, such as:
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  men can’t control their anger or sexual urges.
 alcohol causes men to be violent.
 women could leave violent partners if they wanted to.
 men experience equal, if not greater, levels of violence
perpetrated by their partners or former partners.
Research has shown that the significant drivers of violence against
women include:
 the unequal distribution of power and resources between men
and women.
 an adherence to rigidly defined gender roles and identities i.e.,
what it means to be masculine and feminine.

VicHealth has summarized five key categories of violence supportive

attitudes that arise from research. These include attitudes that:
 justify violence against women, based on the notion that it is
legitimate for a man to use violence against a woman.
 excuse violence by attributing it to external factors (such as
stress) or proposing that men cannot be held fully responsible for
violent behavior (for example, because of anger or sexual urges).
 Family violence is a broader term that refers to violence between
family members, as well as violence between intimate partners.
 Sexual assault or sexual violence can include rape, sexual assault
with implements, being forced to watch or engage in
pornography, enforced prostitution, and being made to have sex
with friends of the perpetrator.
Common types of violence against women
Violence against women in custody:
The imbalance of power between inmates and guards is a result of
prisoners' total dependency on correctional officers and guards' ability
to withhold privileges and is manifest in direct physical force and
indirect abuses. Because incarcerated women are largely invisible to the
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public eye, little is done when the punishment of imprisonment is
compounded with that of rape, sexual assault, groping during body
searches, and shackling during childbirth. Women are often coerced into
providing sex for "favors" such as extra food or personal hygiene
products, or to avoid punishment.
There is little medical or psychological care available to inmates.
Though crimes in prison such as rape are prevalent.
Few perpetrators of violence against female inmates are ever held
accountable. In 1997, for example, only ten prison employees in the
entire federal system were disciplined for sexual misconduct.
Acid Burning and Dowry Deaths:
Women's subjugation to men is pervasive in the political, civil, social,
cultural, and economic spheres of many countries. In such societies, a
woman who turns down a suitor or does not get along with her in-laws
far too frequently becomes a victim of a violent form of revenge: acid
burning. Acid is thrown in her face or on her body and can blind her in
addition to often fatal third-degree burns. Governments do little to
prevent the sale of acid to the public or to punish those who use it to kill
and maim. Similarly, the ongoing reality of dowry-related violence is an
example of what can happen when women are treated as property.
Brides unable to pay the high "price" to marry are punished by violence
and often death at the hands of their in-laws or their husbands.
"Honor" Killings:
In some societies, women are often looked upon as representatives of
the honor of the family. When women are suspected of extra-marital
sexual relations, even if in the case of rape, they can be subjected to the
cruelest forms of indignity and violence, often by their fathers or
brothers. Women who are raped and are unable to provide explicit
evidence, are sometimes accused of Zina, or the crime of unlawful
sexual relations, the punishment for which is often death by public
stoning. Such laws serve as a great obstacle inhibiting women from
pursuing cases against those who raped them. Assuming an accused
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woman's guilt, male family members believe they have no other means
of undoing a perceived infringement of "honor" other than killing the
woman.
Violations Based on Actual or Perceived Sexual Identity:
Sexuality is regulated in a gender-specific way and maintained through
strict constraints imposed by cultural norms and sometimes through
particular legal measures supporting those norms. The community,
which can include religious institutions, the media, family, and cultural
networks, regulates women's sexuality and punishes women who do not
comply. Such women include lesbians, women who appear "too
masculine," women who try to freely exercise their rights, and women
who challenge male dominance. Lesbians, or women who are perceived
to be lesbian, experience abuse by state authorities in prisons, by the
police, as well as private actors such as their family and community.
Numerous cases document young lesbians being beaten, raped, forcibly
impregnated or married, and otherwise attacked by family members to
punish them or "correct" their sexual identity. Lesbians in the United
States face well-founded fears of persecution by police because of their
sexual identity and violence against lesbians occurs with impunity
regularly.
Female Genital Mutilation:
Female genital mutilation is the removal of part or all of the external
female genitalia. In its most severe form, a woman or girl has all of her
genitalia removed and then stitched together, leaving a small opening
for intercourse and menstruation. It is practiced in 28 African countries
on the pretext of cultural tradition or hygiene. An estimated 135 million
girls have undergone FGM with dire consequences ranging from
infection (including HIV) to sterility, in addition to the devastating
psychological effects. Though all the governments of the countries in
which FGM is practiced have legislation making it illegal, the complete
lack of enforcement and prosecution of the perpetrators means FGM
continues to thrive.
Domestic violence:
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Violence against women is a global pandemic. Without exception, a
woman's greatest risk of violence is from someone she knows. Domestic
violence is a violation of a woman's right to physical integrity, liberty,
and all too often, her right to life itself. When states fail to take the basic
steps needed to protect women from domestic violence or allow these
crimes to be committed with impunity, states are failing in their
obligation to protect women from torture.
The Problem of Impunity:
Perpetrators of violence against women are rarely held accountable for
their acts. Women who are victims of gender-related violence often
have little recourse because many state agencies are guilty of gender
bias and discriminatory practices. Many women opt not to report cases
of violence to authorities because they fear being ostracized and shamed
by communities that are too often quick to blame victims of violence for
the abuses they have suffered. When women do challenge their abusers,
it can often only be accomplished by long and humiliating court battles
with little sympathy from authorities or the media.
Gender-Based Asylum:
The UN High Commission on Refugees advocates that "women fearing
persecution or severe discrimination based on their gender should be
considered a member of a social group to determine refugee status."
(Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women) Such persecution
may include harms unique to their gender such as, but not limited to,
female genital mutilation, forcible abortion, domestic violence that the
state refuses to act on and honor killings. However, women seeking
asylum in the United States rarely gain refugee status based on claims of
gender-related violence. In particular, lesbians seeking asylum from
sexuality-based persecution in their countries of origin often, and
legitimately, fear disclosing their sexuality to authorities.
To enhance about violence against women. A survey was made among
100 students of the College of Commerce, and the results are as follows:

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1. Nearly %74 of the students thought that violence against women is
bad. Although %22 of the students thought that sometimes it’s
normal. And the other %4 thought that it’s normal.

2. Nearly %51 of the students thought that every time violence

against women doesn’t bad, at the same time %49 of the students
thought that violence against women is bad all the time.

3. 100 students have been asked how violence against women affects
women’s psychology?
And here is the answer:
Depression %38
Inferiority feeling %26
Failure %24
Weakness %12

4. And %50 of the students were male, and nearly %65 of them
didn’t ready to be violent against women if the situation force
them, although %35 of them were ready to violent to be violent
against women if the situation force them.

5. 100 students have been asked: What are the reasons for violence
against women?
And here is the answer:
Patriarchy %27
Stubbornness %23
Community %16
Honor %15
Inequality of power %11
Others %8
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 6. Approximately %82 of the students thought that violence against
women changed in the different areas, While %18 of the students
thought that violence against women doesn’t change in the
different areas.

7. And %69 of the students thought that women’s beauty affects the
violence against women, although %31 of the students thought that
women’s beauty doesn’t affect the violence against women.

Violence against women in Kurdistan

For the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the issue is inseparable from
democratization and the nation-building process. Combating violence
against women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has witnessed significant
achievements in the past decade. Through rigorous effort, local
women’s rights groups and activists, combined with media and
international support, we’re able to increase public awareness to the
extent that the Kurdistan Regional Government, now for some years, is
giving special attention to the issue with a clear demonstration of
political commitment. In addition to passing the new Law to Combat
Domestic Violence, unparalleled in the Middle East, a General
Directorate was formed to receive and investigate violent acts against
women and provide services to survivors.

Yet these institutions created, only shed more light on the magnitude of
the issue at hand. Data indicates that in the past year violence against
women has dramatically increased and still is on the rise. According to
official statistics, more than 5000 cases of violence against women were
reported in 2013. In far more than 10% of the reported cases, victims
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have lost their life. Over 300 cases dealt with women burned to death
(Source: Ministry of the Interior MOI). This is only the tip of the
iceberg. Social stigmatization of women affected by violence is
common. Many cases remain unreported, as victims fear further
punishment and marginalization.

If ignored, the consequences of these violent acts will be far greater than
the challenge today. New forms of violence have been added to existing
forms. Women are helplessly exposed to sexual and domestic violence,
sexual harassment, kidnapping, and murder. Honor killings and
burnings are considered some justified forms of punishment. Above all,
institutions and facilities created to assist women continue to fail to
provide adequate protection and necessary services.

Conclusion

Violence against women is a difficult problem to solve. This is

not always under control to be able to fix at all. But people will
always have the most reasonable resolutions. And every one
hope that this issue will soon be resolved smoothly so that all of
the women will no longer have to suffer from those pains.
Because violence against women is a violation of human rights
that cannot be justified by any political, religious, or cultural
claim. A global culture of discrimination against women allows
daily violence and impunity.

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 The End
Thanks for reading!