Domestic violence in Ethiopia
Many societies based on patriarchy not only spread male dominance theory but also regard the force used by a man to restrain his wife as a legitimate phenomenon. Ethiopia is the epitome of the patriarchal society, where males practice miscellaneous types of violence against females. The abusive treatment of women is one of the most ferocious human right violations, which promote social degradation and immorality. Hence, it is vital to address this issue in public and take notice of its implications. This paper discusses the forms of violence against women in Ethiopia, the reasons for such practice, its consequences, and possible preventive actions https://topdissertations.com/abstract/.
In Ethiopia, the most prevalent form of violence is a domestic one, which occurs at an alarming rate. World Health Organization (WHO) states that 71 % of ever-partnered Ethiopian females have confronted any sort of domestic abuse. Women often experience family violence, which manifests itself in certain physical, economical, psychological and sexual ways. Sosena Mulatu from the Institute of Gender Studies conducted a questionnaire for 150 married women from Ethiopia, among which 33 individuals underwent the in-depth interview and focus group discussions to define the cases of domestic violence and their repercussions. Eventually, when describing domestic physical abuse, the participants mentioned serious incidents ranging from a slap to the use of weapons. Moreover, the majority of the respondents had visible cuts, bruises and scars on their bodies.
All the women in the study also experience a high level of psychological abuse of various types. The victims confessed that their violent husbands exposed them to verbal humiliation, which embraces being called names, sworn at or suppressed. The significant accounts of participants also state that emotional torture and terror are frequently more disparaging and unbearable than physical brutality. Additionally, numerous male partners in Ethiopia have a habit of limiting the respondent’s freedom of choice in a variety of ways. For instance, they restrict the contact with the social circle, prohibit to work, and prevent from participation in public and social affairs.
According to the WHO multicountry study, 59% of Ethiopian females have faced sexual violence form their partners. Women’s experiences with sexual abuse ranged from non-physical forms of pressure forcing them to engage in sex to battering and rape. Moreover, in Ethiopia, the traditions presuppose that a man can abduct and rape a woman he wants to marry and then pressure her parents to consent to the marriage. They usually comply, since a female with lost virginity would be unsuitable for a marriage with another male.
Economical abuse is another form of discrimination against women in this country. Only men have control over the financial assets and the power to make decisions concerning family budget expenditure. According to the respondents, the financial abuse involves the control and restriction of the uses and availability of money, the prohibition of participation in taking money-spending decisions and the refusal to allocate a wife the money for the necessities. Some participants also claim that in their case the economical abuse includes preventing the woman from working outside the household and earning an independent income.
The application of physical violence toward women has a multitude of adverse consequences. Firstly, the males, who assault the weaker sex, subject them to multiple physical repercussions, among which there are various ailments, injuries, fractions, lesions and bruises. The profound and repeated influence of abuse also triggers minor, serious or even irreversible mental disorders, including sleep deprivation, emotional breakdowns, posttraumatic stress disorders, low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and even suicidal tendencies.
The root cause of women abuse in Ethiopia consists in a supposedly conventional gender discrimination, which originally makes the weaker sex inferior to males. The lack of economic and social values, previously taken by force, cultivates the assumption that men are eligible to apply physical influence towards their wives. Another reason is that men subjected to domestic violence in their family-of-origin are more likely to resort to exemplary violence in their own family, and similarly women, who witnessed abuse in their family-of-origin, are more prone to be exposed to and tolerate their partner’s aggression. Domestic violence is also associated with husband alcohol consumption, lower educational status and poverty. The presence of a norm that supports wife beating and further cultivates it in future generations of the population is deeply ingrained in the Ethiopian culture. Although males are often brutal to females, it is definitely unfair to blame only men. Yet it is women, who work in brothels, provide circumcision for their daughters, and give priority to their sons rather than daughters. In any society, both males and females pass misogynistic values to the next generation. This is not the world, where males are villains and females are victims, but the oppressive customs, which both sexes create, develop, and adhere to.
To eradicate the practice of violence against women, it is advisable to make amendments to laws, provide proper education, and found such social establishments, which would foster moral values and cultivate the idea of a civilized society with the equal opportunities and mutual respect to either sex. Women abuse is a pervasive matter, which should be the matter of concern not only in the United States of America but also in other countries, since such negative instances are common in all parts of the world. Changing the laws is only the first step toward the social development. It is paramount to change the thinking and thus behavioral patterns of those people. Other countries should intervene and set an example of the standard of ethics for Ethiopians. Without outside help, such nations will never change their outlook and continue to promote the abusive attitude toward women. The most efficacious means of combating it is education, which can give Ethiopians the basis for the civilized way of thinking and living.
Domestic violence in Ethiopia is an urgent issue in all aspects. The males have a tendency to assault and humiliate the females, put a psychological strain on them by limiting their involvement in social life, practice sexual abuse, deprive them of the decision-making power and restrict their access to the family budget. Such discrimination triggers physical ailments, sleep disorders, depression, an inferiority complex, and other mental impairments. The causation lies in the ingrained social system, which traditionally supports the abusive treatment of the weaker sex. To exterminate this ideology, it is essential to change not only the laws but also the society’s thinking, which can be achieved by education.
In Ethiopia, the most prevalent form of violence is a domestic one, which occurs at an alarming rate. World Health Organization (WHO) states that 71 % of ever-partnered Ethiopian females have confronted any sort of domestic abuse. Women often experience family violence, which manifests itself in certain physical, economical, psychological and sexual ways. Sosena Mulatu from the Institute of Gender Studies conducted a questionnaire for 150 married women from Ethiopia, among which 33 individuals underwent the in-depth interview and focus group discussions to define the cases of domestic violence and their repercussions. Eventually, when describing domestic physical abuse, the participants mentioned serious incidents ranging from a slap to the use of weapons. Moreover, the majority of the respondents had visible cuts, bruises and scars on their bodies.
All the women in the study also experience a high level of psychological abuse of various types. The victims confessed that their violent husbands exposed them to verbal humiliation, which embraces being called names, sworn at or suppressed. The significant accounts of participants also state that emotional torture and terror are frequently more disparaging and unbearable than physical brutality. Additionally, numerous male partners in Ethiopia have a habit of limiting the respondent’s freedom of choice in a variety of ways. For instance, they restrict the contact with the social circle, prohibit to work, and prevent from participation in public and social affairs.
According to the WHO multicountry study, 59% of Ethiopian females have faced sexual violence form their partners. Women’s experiences with sexual abuse ranged from non-physical forms of pressure forcing them to engage in sex to battering and rape. Moreover, in Ethiopia, the traditions presuppose that a man can abduct and rape a woman he wants to marry and then pressure her parents to consent to the marriage. They usually comply, since a female with lost virginity would be unsuitable for a marriage with another male.
Economical abuse is another form of discrimination against women in this country. Only men have control over the financial assets and the power to make decisions concerning family budget expenditure. According to the respondents, the financial abuse involves the control and restriction of the uses and availability of money, the prohibition of participation in taking money-spending decisions and the refusal to allocate a wife the money for the necessities. Some participants also claim that in their case the economical abuse includes preventing the woman from working outside the household and earning an independent income.
The application of physical violence toward women has a multitude of adverse consequences. Firstly, the males, who assault the weaker sex, subject them to multiple physical repercussions, among which there are various ailments, injuries, fractions, lesions and bruises. The profound and repeated influence of abuse also triggers minor, serious or even irreversible mental disorders, including sleep deprivation, emotional breakdowns, posttraumatic stress disorders, low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and even suicidal tendencies.
The root cause of women abuse in Ethiopia consists in a supposedly conventional gender discrimination, which originally makes the weaker sex inferior to males. The lack of economic and social values, previously taken by force, cultivates the assumption that men are eligible to apply physical influence towards their wives. Another reason is that men subjected to domestic violence in their family-of-origin are more likely to resort to exemplary violence in their own family, and similarly women, who witnessed abuse in their family-of-origin, are more prone to be exposed to and tolerate their partner’s aggression. Domestic violence is also associated with husband alcohol consumption, lower educational status and poverty. The presence of a norm that supports wife beating and further cultivates it in future generations of the population is deeply ingrained in the Ethiopian culture. Although males are often brutal to females, it is definitely unfair to blame only men. Yet it is women, who work in brothels, provide circumcision for their daughters, and give priority to their sons rather than daughters. In any society, both males and females pass misogynistic values to the next generation. This is not the world, where males are villains and females are victims, but the oppressive customs, which both sexes create, develop, and adhere to.
To eradicate the practice of violence against women, it is advisable to make amendments to laws, provide proper education, and found such social establishments, which would foster moral values and cultivate the idea of a civilized society with the equal opportunities and mutual respect to either sex. Women abuse is a pervasive matter, which should be the matter of concern not only in the United States of America but also in other countries, since such negative instances are common in all parts of the world. Changing the laws is only the first step toward the social development. It is paramount to change the thinking and thus behavioral patterns of those people. Other countries should intervene and set an example of the standard of ethics for Ethiopians. Without outside help, such nations will never change their outlook and continue to promote the abusive attitude toward women. The most efficacious means of combating it is education, which can give Ethiopians the basis for the civilized way of thinking and living.
Domestic violence in Ethiopia is an urgent issue in all aspects. The males have a tendency to assault and humiliate the females, put a psychological strain on them by limiting their involvement in social life, practice sexual abuse, deprive them of the decision-making power and restrict their access to the family budget. Such discrimination triggers physical ailments, sleep disorders, depression, an inferiority complex, and other mental impairments. The causation lies in the ingrained social system, which traditionally supports the abusive treatment of the weaker sex. To exterminate this ideology, it is essential to change not only the laws but also the society’s thinking, which can be achieved by education.
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