Gendered violence, also referred to as gender based violence usually encompasses various crimes such as stalking, domestic abuse, forced prostitution, sexual harassment, rape, and genital mutilation all based on one’s gender (Aulette & Wittner, 2009). This chapter has not only focused on violence against women, but also against men. It is also interesting to learn that an estimated 10% of men in Western countries have reported cases of sexual abuse by male perpetrators (Aulette & Wittner, 2009). Notably, prison rape is a reflection of gendered system of authority where victims are coerced into sexually subordinate roles for more authoritative males. On the other hand, violence against women is quite profound and widespread across the globe.
Unfortunately, an individual over the age of 12 years is sexually assaulted every 90 seconds, where 99% of the perpetrators are male (Aulette & Wittner, 2009). Furthermore, an estimated 5 million incidents of domestic violence takes place annually. This chapter notes that daily sociability is considered to be the foundation of public trust and interaction in any given democracy. Girls’ and women’s mobility is limited by familiar messages concerning the various dangers they are prone to, for instance not going to certain places alone or not going out after dark (Aulette & Wittner, 2009).
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A number of theories have, in the recent past, been developed in an effort to understand why gendered violence takes place. Evolution theory suggests that a man’s tendency to rape evolved to enable him to satisfy his inherent sexual needs in addition to procreating (Aulette & Wittner, 2009). Individual Psychological theory, on the other hand, concentrates on the disturbed personality of the person who rapes. Lastly, Power and Inequality theories claim that gender is the result of social inequality and that power differences that exist between men and women create a system of subordination and domination, promoting rape (Aulette & Wittner, 2009).
The United Nations in collaboration with other governments and organizations have established a few strategies for eliminating gendered violence. For instance, it has made an effort to eliminate all types of discrimination against women, thus enabling women in some countries to obtain legal recourse for domestic violence (Aulette & Wittner, 2009). It has also made an effort to educate both men and women to understand how best to deal with this particular issue of gendered violence. There is need to speak out as one may be saving another person’s life.
Reference
Aulette, J.R., & Wittner, J. (2009). Gendered Worlds Chapter 8: Violence . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
