Abstract
The current paper investigates the issue of domestic violence in the United States and several other cultures, namely, in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru, and Brazil. To conduct the study, a review of the materials about the topic has been carried out; the materials included scholarly articles, as well as reports of various national U.S. organizations and initiatives, and a report of the World Health Organization.
Such types of domestic violence as the sexual abuse by a partner, physical abuse by a partner, child sexual abuse, and psychological abuse by a partner, were chosen, and their prevalence rates were estimated across the named countries. It has been found that the prevalence rates of domestic violence are extremely high across the discussed countries and that the domestic violence in the U.S. is less widespread than in those countries. However, it is concluded that this problem remains an issue that needs to be further studied and addressed.
State of the problem
In the U.S., domestic violence is one of the problems which plague society. It is more common among the unprotected categories of the population (Gosselin, 2009).
Sexual abuse by a partner
One of the major domestic violence problems is the sexual abuse committed by a partner; this includes marital rape. Nearly 1/6 of women and 1/3 of men in the U.S. “have experienced an attempted or completed rape” (National Network to End Domestic Violence, n.d., p. 1); approximately 2 million women have raped annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015).
Physical abuse by a partner
Physical abuse is also an alarming problem in the U.S. More than 10 million people suffer from physical violence committed by a partner each year (CDC, 2015).
Child sexual abuse
It is stated that “1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys are victims of sexual abuse,” and that 20% of adult women and 5-10% of adult men report remembering a childhood situation in which they were sexually assaulted or abused (The National Center for Victims of Crime, n.d.).
Psychological abuse by a partner
Psychological abuse (verbal abuse, as well as abuse of power and control) is common in the U.S.; in a study, 12.1% of women and 17.3% of men reported psychological abuse alone, whereas 29% of women and 23% of men reported emotional, sexual, or physical violence from an intimate partner throughout their life (as cited in Karakurt & Silver, 2013).
Summary
In the U.S., the rates of occurrence of domestic violence are high and should be addressed; however, as it will be seen, the situation in America is better than in many other countries.
Bangladesh
The State of the Domestic Violence Problem in Bangladesh
State of the problem
Bangladeshi citizens often suffer from domestic violence; the reported rates of such violence are high.
Sexual abuse by a partner
Nearly 37.4% and 49.7% of women in the city and province, respectively, report experiencing sexual violence in their life, whereas 20.2% and 24.2% of respondents in the city and province, respectively, suffered from it during one year prior to the survey conducted by García-Moreno, Jansen, Ellsberg, Heise, and Watts (2005).
Physical violence by a partner
In Bangladeshi cities, 39.7% of women reported physical violence from their partners in their life, while 19.0% experienced it during a year prior to the interview. The corresponding rates in the province are 41.7% and 15.8%, respectively (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Child sexual abuse
Approximately 7.4% of the sample experienced sexual abuse before the age of 15 in the urban areas, and nearly 1.0% of the sample suffered from it in the rural areas, according to the best estimate of the study by García-Moreno et al. (2005).
Psychological abuse by a partner
44.4% of women experienced emotional assault in their life in Bangladeshi urban areas, and, surprisingly, only 30.9% reported it in the province; 36.1% (21.3%) were insulted, 20.6% (17.4%) were humiliated, 5.1% (3.5%) were threatened, and 21.4% (17.3%) were intimidated in the city (province) (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Summary
Abuse by partner prevails in Bangladesh; rates of certain types of violence reach 50%. However, it is estimated that children are abused relatively infrequently.
Ethiopia
The State of the Domestic Violence Problem in Ethiopia
State of the problem
The problem of abuse in Ethiopia is worse than in Bangladesh. Many women report being abused, and children suffer often as well.
Sexual abuse by a partner
In Ethiopian province, 58.6% of women reported experiencing sexual violence, and 44.4% stated to have suffered from it for 12 months prior to the survey (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Physical violence by a partner
In Ethiopian province, 48.7% of women experienced physical abuse committed by their partner in their lifetime; 29.0% suffered from it during the 12 months preceding the interview (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Child sexual abuse
It is estimated that in Ethiopian province, no less than 7.0% of kids suffered from sexual abuse before the age of 15 (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Psychological abuse by a partner
75.1% of women in the Ethiopian rural areas were emotionally assaulted by their partners during their lives; 73.8% were insulted, 12.7% suffered from humiliation, 23.0% were intimidated, and 3.5% were threatened (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Summary
The rates of abuse in Ethiopia are extremely high, and victims are rarely able to protect themselves from domestic violence.
Peru
The State of the Domestic Violence Problem in Peru
State of the problem
Peruvians most often face physical and psychological abuse, but sexual abuse is also common. Many children become victims of sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse by a partner
In Peruvian city (province), 22.5% (46.7%) of women reported to have suffered from sexual violence from their intimate partners during their lives; during a year prior to the survey, the percentage was 7.1% (23.0%) in the city (province) (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Physical violence by a partner
48.6% (61.0%) of women in the city (province) reported physical abuse in their lifetime, whereas 16.9% (24.8%) stated they had it during the year preceding the research (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Child sexual abuse
Peruvian respondents reported sexual abuse prior to the age of 15 in 19.5% (18.1%) of cases in the urban (rural) areas of the country (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Psychological abuse by a partner
Peruvian women in the city (province) reported psychological abuse during their lifetimes in 57.8% (68.5%) of interviews; 52.7% (62.7%) were insulted, 20.5% (31.3%)–humiliated, 24.7% (32.6%)–intimidated, and 14.2% (24.2%)–threatened in urban (rural) areas (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Summary
The rates of domestic violence in Peru are disturbing indeed, and the quality of life of its citizens suffers greatly due to the common occurrence of this phenomenon.
Brazil
The State of the Domestic Violence Problem in Brazil
State of the problem
Relatively few women suffer from sexual or physical violence by their partner once compared to the previous countries; however, psychological abuse remains prevalent.
Sexual abuse by a partner
In Brazil, women have suffered from sexual abuse during their lifetimes in 10.1% of cases in the city, and 14.3% of cases in the province; 2.8% of city-dwelling women reported being abused over the last year prior to the interview, whereas in the country this percentage is 5.6% (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Physical violence by a partner
27.2% (33.8%) of the city’s (province’s) women experienced physical violence in their life, and 8.3% (12.9%) of them had it in a year prior to the study by García-Moreno et al. (2005).
Child sexual abuse
Approximately 11.6% (8.7%) of the research sample in the study by García-Moreno et al. (2005) are estimated to have suffered from sexual abuse before they were 15 in the Brazilian city (province).
Psychological abuse by a partner
41.9% (48.8%) of Brazilian urban (rural) female samples reported psychological abuse taking place in their lives; 32.9% (35.5%) were insulted, 19.4% (25.9%) were humiliated, 21.9% (27.9%) experienced intimidation, and 16.6% (23.4%) were threatened in the city (the countryside) (García-Moreno et al., 2005).
Summary
Psychological abuse is common in Brazil, and the problem of child sexual abuse also needs to be addressed. However, the rest of the figures are better than most of those in the other discussed countries.
Conclusion
Therefore, it should be stressed that domestic violence often takes place in a large number of countries; the provided examples show how common and widespread the problem is. It can also be seen that the rates of domestic violence, including sexual, physical, and psychological abuse committed by one’s partner (especially by a male partner), remain high in all of the discussed countries. However, these rates appear to be better in the U.S. And still, it is important to further research the problem of domestic violence in order to be able to properly address it to improve the quality of life of individuals and prevent the humiliation, suffering, and misery.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey. Web.
García-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A. F. M., Ellsberg, M., Heise, L., & Watts, C. (2005). WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women: Initial results on prevalence, health outcomes, and women’s responses. Web.
Gosselin, D. K. (2009). Heavy hands: An introduction to the crimes of family violence (4th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Karakurt, G., & Silver, K. E. (2013). Emotional abuse in intimate relationships: The role of gender and age. Violence and Victims, 28(5), 804-821. Web.
National Network to End Domestic Violence. (n.d.). The Violence against Women Act of 2005: Summary of provisions. Web.
The National Center for Victims of Crime. (n.d.). Child sexual abuse statistics. Web.