The hidden dimensions of violence against women
 

by Chandani Jayatilleke

For a woman, the four walls of a house do not add up to a happy, loving home that she so much aspires to be part of. For a woman, a home is where her heart and soul are - where her husband and children live in harmony and mutual respect.

But in many households in Sri Lanka, be it poor or rich, women go though inhuman physical, psychological, sexual and economical violence. Beyond their own roof, they fall victim to various forms of violence.

Hence, violence against women in both the public and private spheres is increasing, although numerous awareness campaigns are run by diverse women's groups. The violence against women is primarily the outcome of gender-based social norms and practices which condone male control over women.

Many social structures and administrative practices are reluctant to acknowledge women's economic contributions to the welfare of their families and households and economies. Women, today are a major part of the economic system with their earnings coming from their being migrant workers or formal and informal sector employees. Yet gender based discrimination is apparent and administrative systems are unwilling to accept that Sri Lankan households often comprise joint household heads or even female headed households.

According to a recent research study done by the Women and Media Collective and its preliminary findings on Reproductive Health Concerns and Related Violence Against Women in Conflict Affected Areas, domestic violence was quite high among the women who were part of the study. The research was conducted among ... women in Puttalam Jaffna, Mannar, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa and Ampara districts.

In the Ampara district, 49% of women reported having been subjected to violence, 67.8 in Puttalam, 30.5% in Polonnaruwa, 28.9 in Batticaloa, 20.1% in Jaffna and 14.7% in Mannar.

In these cases the most common perpetrator was the husband, though some had also mentioned fathers, brothers and mothers as being those who inflicted violence on them.

In terms of spousal violence, most of the women told the research team that the first incident of violence occurred within the first three years of marriage. Most of them also said that domestic violence was not a 'one off incident but was repeated'.

Explaining the nature of domestic violence experienced by her, a 28-year old woman participant said: "There is a four year difference between my children. It is not because we had decided to space the children. It happened because my husband fought with me over dowry and left for four years.

He assaulted me three days after my marriage because of dowry issues. He wanted a new house and a television set. He fights with me even about having sex; he would force me to have sex with him even when I refuse. He fights with me if I visit relatives in his absence. He fights with me when he comes home drunk. Usually neighbours intervene to settle our disputes. I had an abortion when I was 1 1/2 months pregnant because my husband was fighting with me."

In many cases, when women are beaten, physically or mentally, they do not speak, because they think they have no support or they do not know what help is available or how they could seek help. When women are assaulted by their husbands and admitted to hospitals they say that they had a fall in the bathroom or in the kitchen or provide some excuse instead of revealing the truth.

In Jaffna, a woman had said her sister was burnt to death by her husband as a result of domestic violence. "He made her leave school and interrupted her studies to marry her. So what right did he have to torture her after two children were born?" she questioned.

These are a couple of examples and a few excerpts from the draft report of the WMC. The report states that there are intimate links among domestic violence, sexual relations and contraception use. The women who participated in the research highlighted that some times the husband stops their wives from using contraceptives, thinking that she can have extra marital affairs without getting pregnant if she continues to use contraceptives. In such situations, women use contraceptives without telling their husbands.

When the husband finds out about this, he punishes her with violence accusing her of infidelity. This is a widespread situation among displaced communities. The Draft Report on preliminary findings of the research was launched at a Consultative in Colombo - also symbolising the International Day of Violence Against Women - on November 25.

The study was conducted by Dr. Sepali Kottegoda, Kumudini Samuel and Sarala Emmanuel of the Women and Media Collective, with the support of the Ford Foundation, New Delhi.

The research has brought to light a range of issues such as low age at marriage, low age at birth of first child, the impact of conflict on women's accessibility to reproductive health services and the experiences of pregnant women who access state health services both in terms of the language proficiency of locally based health personnel as well as quality treatment of women who seek medical assistance for child birth.

It has also highlighted the urgent need to reopen the discussions and lobby to criminalise rape within marriage. Marital rape is not recognised as 'unacceptable' in the legal system or in any socio-cultural settings in Sri Lanka. The research reiterates the need for sex education in schools which would contribute to young women and men being able to be informed about reproductive health concerns.

The report recommends a reproductive healthcare policy and effective services at all levels of women's life and health cycles. Reproductive health policy must be clearly framed within a rights discourse and it must directly address the linkages between the health indicators and the structural and socio-cultural and political barriers that impede women's well-being and access to reproductive rights.

In another recommendation, the authors suggest: the prevalence of under age marriage in the conflict area must be understood and analysed in relation to the root causes that lead to such marriages. Policy initiatives need to be taken to address the cause of the practice of under-age marriages with the aim of effectively discouraging such practices.

The Report adds that there should be an urgent need to deal with and prevent spousal violence which is often repeated and starts very early in marriage. And there should be appropriate counselling for women and also for men, legal assistance, psychosocial support and other services including the provision of shelters.

Also the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act requires a lot of publicity in order to empower women. So that women who go through such violence can access the courts for protection orders and prevention of the recurrence of same.

Can a law alone change the mindset of our society, without a social change? There should be an institutional change and all political parties, economic and business institutions are also responsible for creating a change.

For this there should be a huge awareness program. However, creating awareness is not the responsibility of women's organisations only. Every stakeholder in judicial, law enforcement, medical and social services must be made aware of such laws and given adequate training on gender sensitiveness.