Violence Against Women

At least 300 women are victims of sexual violence every year in Bamako, according to local police records, but the actual figure is much higher said the president of the Bamako-based non-profit, Women in Law and Development in Africa.

"Victims and their families rarely denounce rapists in order to preserve the family's dignity and honour," said the group's president Sidibe Djenba Diop, "Rape cases are on the rise, yet neither the [Malian] culture nor its laws recognise, yet, that rape is an act of violence against women."

This is a collection of papers presented at the Harold Wolpe Trust's Colloquium on Masculinities, Crime and Violence. Elaine Salo, of the  African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, presents:  ‘Ek’s ʼn ou’: The social and cultural construction of masculinities in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. Sasha Gear, from the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)presented "Productions of sex, gender and violence in South African men’s prisons" while Adelene Africa, from the Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town looked at "Violent women: Findings from a Sample of Female Offenders".

Older women who have experienced abusive relationships are to be given a voice as part of a University of Nottingham study.

Up to 40 women aged over 65 who have lived through domestic abuse will be interviewed about their experiences by researchers from the University's School of Nursing.

Their unique insight into this complex and largely hidden phenomenon will be used to produce an online learning resource for healthcare professionals on how to effectively identify and support older patients who they suspect may be suffering abuse at the hands of their partner or have experienced abuse in the past.

The one-year project has been funded with a £31,498 grant from The Burdett Trust for Nurses, an independent charitable trust that aims to support and promote the nursing contribution to healthcare.

Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of General Staff, General James Kabarebe, signed on to UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence against Women campaign as he officially launched the Gender Desk within the Ministry of Defence on 11 August 2008.

"The Rwanda Defence Force shall not spare any effort in as far as fighting gender-based violence and violence against women is concerned," said General Kabarebe. "We shall work to enhance the existing partnership with UNIFEM and collaborate with other institutions and organizations to ensure success."

The Gender Desk, now fully operational with dedicated staff and new equipment, is a component of the RDF's programme to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) both in Rwanda and within its peacekeeping missions.

 While women in many parts of the world have made advances in areas previously closed to them, the problem of violence against women remains pervasive. Unfortunately, this violence takes many forms and occurs across national, cultural, racial, and religious borders.

Islam condemns all forms of violence against women. The basic Islamic premise of equality between women and men cannot be achieved so long as violence against women persists.

In pre-Islamic Arabia violence against women began at birth in the form of female infanticide. Islam prohibited the practice of female infanticide. Not only did the Quran prohibit this practice, it also mocks those who view the birth of a girl child with contempt. (Quran 16:58-59).
 

Since March of 2007 until now, there has been a 40% increase in reports of physical violence against women in Afghanistan, according to United Nations sources.

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) says that in many parts of the country security has decreased, while the sense of impunity has risen, public institutions are often weak, and poverty is widespread. But there are also cultural causes, like coerced marriage.

According to alarming data from Womankind Worldwide, a charitable British group, 80% of Afghan women suffer domestic violence, 60% of marriages are coerced, and half of women are married before the age of 16.

The court will set aside (not grant) a protection order if neither the complainant nor the respondent appears before court, or if one or both of the parties ask it to do so.

The complainant (the person who lodged the complaint) or the respondent (the person against whom the complaint was lodged) may apply for the variation (changing) or setting aside of a protection order by giving written notice to both the other party and the court.

If the court believes that the application was made freely and voluntarily, it can decide to vary or set aside the protection order.

Appropriate legislation to give effect to and reinforce the aforementioned international and national initiatives is of critical importance. It is clear that the law cannot be employed as a panacea for the ills of a complex social phenomenon such as domestic violence. However, when victims of domestic abuse do turn to the law for protection, the law should be effective and efficient in its response. Having regard to the Constitution of South Africa and the international commitments and obligations of the State towards ending violence against women and children, victims of domestic violence should be afforded the maximum protection by ensuring that the substance and procedures of domestic violence legislation are well tailored to the needs of those suffering abuse in a domestic context.

This Act comprehensively and extensively review and amend all aspects of the laws and the implementation of the laws relating to sexual offences, and deals with all legal
aspects of or relating to sexual offences in a single statute. The Act reviews the definition of Sexual offences.