Human Rights And Gender Violence Case Study

1477 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The declaration of rights of women

Mohammed Hassan
Political Science 286
Professor Renu Bhagat
04/23/2014
Human Rights and Gender Violence

Human Rights and Gender Violence by Sally Engle Merry is a study done which investigates the on-going tensions that occur among local justice and international law and one that discuss the approaches toward diminishing gender violence. In addition to being an active member of various feminist organizations that are located in several different countries, Sally Merry is also an observer of UN diplomatic negotiations allowing her to provide an inside look on how human rights law holds authorities responsible for protecting their citizens while still strengthening and expanding state power. Human rights law and the legal protection of violence against women are still considered moderately new concepts in most nations. This consequently leads to significant differences that exist between what is decided by the United Nations and what women actually experience on everyday circumstances in their local communities. Sally Merry argues that human rights law must be explained in local terms to be both effectual and accepted in premise to local communities that have existing social hierarchies. Differentiating between the US and internationally. Further including that gender violence is frequently rooted deep into both religious and cultural beliefs, so acquiring change is often strongly opposed by those very same communities. Various powerful approaches to diminishing gender violence include criminalization; batterer retraining programs and humans rights interventions.

Sally pushes criminalization of gender violence heavily because she sees it as a formidable way of diminishing gender based vi...

... middle of paper ...

...a tool in the hands of the people who appeal to it to order to achieve their different, often conflicting political goals.

In conclusion, Sally Merry discusses in her book the processes in which the local and the global are intertwined, she identifies places where global, national and local processes are revealed. She stresses the use of criminalization, batterer retraining programs and human rights interventions to diminish gender violence. She further imposes that for human rights laws to be effectual and accepted they must be explained in local terms. With the many differences when it comes to mainly culture and religion, forming laws based upon local terms is clearly an effective way in creating laws that people would agree on. Once again differentiation between US and international scopes in terms of problems and solutions relating to gender based violence.

Show More
Related

  • The Effects Of Domestic Violence On Women

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    National data gives us an indication of the severity of this issue. When 1 in 5-woman report being victims of severe physical violence (NISVS, 2010), we must ask ourselves if enough is being done to prevent this from occurring. From a historical point, there has always almost been a distinction from men on woman violence. Based on the disparity of cases reported, male inflicted violence on females is much higher and prevalent. When the perpetrators of DV, and IPV are predominately males, we can no longer dismissed this issue as a cultural, or

    Read More

  • Sociological Analysis of Sexual Assault

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women are still seen as the property of men, and are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today's world. Men are usually in power positions, especially of an economic nature, and women are seen as passive. Marxist-feminist and differential identification are two theories that can be used to effectively explain the cycle of sexualized violence in Canadian society today.

    Read More

  • Violence and the Economic Treatment of Women Then and Now

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although none of the novels were wrote in conjunction, each has a link towards the other regarding abuse, both sexual and spousal, as well as class oppression and the manual labor that was a necessity for survival among black women. By examining present society, one can observe the systems of oppressions that have changed for the better as well as those that continue to devastate the lives of many women today.

    Read More

  • Female Serial Killers

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since 1970, there has been an increasing and alarming rise 138 percent of violent crimes committed by women. Still, while the equivalent percentage compared to male violence is small 15 percent to 85 percent the fact that the numbers have elevated so drastically points to something changing in society.

    Read More

  • “Blinded by Ignorance”

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 263-64. Print.

    Read More

  • Intersecting Critiques: Cultural Relativism and Feminism in Human Rights

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    This journal article, “Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights - Friends or Foes?” by Oonagh Reitman seeks to rouse discussion about the similarities between two critiques of universal human rights: cultural relativists and feminists, despite the antagonistic position both groups tend to take against each other. In the beginning, he lays out the basis of critique of international human rights by each camp. Cultural relativists argue that the universal human rights which are earned simply ‘by virtue of being human’ (Donnelly in Reitman 1997, 100) are insensitive to the diversity of culture. Feminists, on the other hand, criticize that universal human rights guarantee only men’s rights and that ‘gender equality and freedom from discrimination for women is given a low priority in the international arena’ (Reitman 1997, 100).

    Read More

  • Essay On Feminist Crimminism

    2617 Words  | 6 Pages

    Furthermore, the role of gendered power is significant in both child protection and abuse. It is argued that as well as an exploitation of power, child abuse originates from conflict over gender identity and male authority, with male authority being expressed directly through violent control over women and children (Evan and Flitcraft, 1988). The feminist interpretations of power that have stemmed from the original emergence of feminist criminology in the 1970s have had significant influences on modern child protection policy, both positive and negative. These influences have seen a shift from traditional ‘victim blaming’ tendencies, toward acknowledging masculine power dynamics and utilising ‘victim oriented’ solutions. These positive solutions take into account the relative powerlessness of children in abusive situations, which enables a better approach to rehabilitating victims (Carrington 2008, 79).

    Read More

  • Domestic Violence Essay

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1980s and 1900s, domestic violence was one of the most unreported crimes that involve females and males getting hurt and dying. Kicking, choking, killing, and saying brutal or despise words that could hurt the victims physically or emotionally are considered domestic violence. In fact, many victims are afraid to seek for help. According to “The Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC), women account for approximately 85 percent of all intimate partner violence, with women aged 20-24 at greater risk” (Batten, par.16). Most pregnant women are at risk as well. “But underlying approach is still one that assumes the perpetrators are men and the victims are woman” (Haugen, par. 1). Moreover, both males and females believe that domestic violence is a solution to their issues.

    Read More

  • The Global Feminist and the Transnational Feminist

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Academic discourse is the means by which new and old theories may be applied to a topic in order to reach a better understanding or challenge a notion raised within the field. It is through discussing and analyzing these concepts that individual voices may be applied to an academic community, allowing for a wider lens of thought to be picked up and further discussed. Grewal participates in this discourse in her article “'Women's Rights as Human Rights': Feminist Practices, Global Feminism, and Human Rights Regimes in Transnationality”. This paper shall analyze and discuss how Grewal applies previous theoretical concepts related to feminist discourse in order to offer a Transnationalist Feminist critique to the Global Feminist notion of Women's Rights as Human Rights.

    Read More

  • Gender Violence: The Nature Of Female Violence

    2365 Words  | 5 Pages

    Examining the most common characteristics of a violent offender, simply being a man can be considered a risk factor. The male gender is characterized by traits like strength, and a natural willingness to defend what is theirs. Such behaviors are driven by male hormones, which are utilized in the regulation of human aggression. Though girls comprise a smaller overall portion of adolescent arrests, the murder of Reena Virk in 1997, in which seven girls and one boy brutally assaulted and drowned a fellow classmate , shifts focus back onto juvenile female violence. While male offenders, often choose to act as individuals; the “girl-gang” phenomenon has recently caught the attention of researchers. Institutes from Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany have published studies, emphasizing increasing female violence and the issue of “girl-gangs”. After exceptionally violent murders, the public tends to be very sensitive and biased regarding these issues, influenced heavily by the media. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between ordinary myths and statistics. Theories such as the Liberal Feminist View, as well as the Power-Control Theory approach female violence as it being the result of a constantly changing society. To fully comprehend the nature of female violence, however, a combination of social, economic, biological and psychological factors have to be taken into consideration. Commonly boys use violence to solve a conflict and to protect their honor girls instead, see it as a way of emancipation, to prove that they are not the weaker sex.

    Read More

  • The Issue of Domestic Violence and Abuse

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    “There is a Domestic Violence act which was introduced in 1976 which enables women obtain a court order against their violent partner or husband” (Domestic Violence 1970-1979, no date). Over the past few years the amount of women and men being prosecuted for Domestic Violence and abus...

    Read More

  • The Extent of Protection for Women Against Male Violence by the State

    3021 Words  | 7 Pages

    DISCUSS THE EXTENT OF PROTECTION FOR WOMEN AGAINST MALE VIOLENCE BY THE STATE. For this essay I am going to look at Domestic Violence against women and what the State is doing to protect them. Domestic Violence is now a well-known global occurrence affecting not only women but also their children too. Violence against woman has been around since the dawn of time. We have all seen cartoon pictures of the caveman dragging his mate behind him by her hair. It was just something that men did. Woman had no protection against men especially if they were married to their attacker. For the first 75 years of the 20th century women were seen as meek and subservient to their men and were also owned by those men. Men had a social right to keep their women under control. Things began to change from the late 1960’s early 1970’s. As feminism became more popular the feelings that men owned their women began to subside. But this change in society did not so much to change the occurrence and violence of violence in the home. So what exactly is domestic violence? “ Domestic Violence is usually defined as physical, emotional, sexual and other abuse by someone (usually but not always a man) of a person (usually not always a woman) with whom they have or have had some form of intimate relationship such as marriage, in order to maintain power and control over that person. It may include threats to kill or harm the woman and/or her children or other family members” (Barron 1992) Lists of typical injuries sustained by victims include: § Bruising § Bleeding § Hair loss § Knife wounds § Scratches to body and face § Concussion § Broken/loss of teeth This list could go and on. Injuries do not have to include physical but also mental. The cause of domestic violence against women can never fully be documented. There is the Liberal approach that violence against women is a rare occurrence and that it is only a small number of men who will abuse. They blame social backgrounds that form a cycle of abuse. If the father used violence against the mother then the child will see it as normal. They also feel that to push a man as far as to commit an assault sexual frustration should also be taken into consideration. But the criticisms against this approach include the notion that not all men who come from a broken home go out and commit rape and systematic abuse. They see that the women have to...

    Read More

  • Oonagh Reitman's Cultural Reactivist And Feminist Relativists?

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    Connecting and elaborating these things altogether giving the readers a chance to find a connecting line with wider literature, especially with the presented study case that over international forum and discussion and also different types of culture around the world. While the wording and the sheer amount of study cases might be overwhelming for first time reader, the structure and sequences of the article provided a good help in understanding the overall arguments. However, the proposed solution by Reitman tends to leave the reader with more question as he left several details of differences between feminist and relativist aside to support the creation of this solution more forcefully and simply. Even though he supported his argument with facts and cases representing the potential problem avoidance from each critique, there are still other variables to be considered that might affect the outcome of the study cases. Without further elaboration, it only raises more question as on how his “cooperative approach” would fulfill the needs of relativist for cultural protection and feminist for

    Read More

  • Analysis Gender Equality and Gender Discrimination

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    The idea of separate sexes has been around since humans began constructing civilizations and has progressively worsened over time. The world has mostly consisted of patriarchal institutions since then, and has oppressed women in the sense that they are less than men in status and civility. Because of this women are forced to take on specific [often times inferior]roles in society, many of those roles being; taking care of the homestead, child care, and maintaining a kosher dwelling while men assume the more prestigious occupations. “A son in all sorts of trouble finally seeks out his father for advice during a particularly bad crisis. But when he finds his father wearing an apron while washing dishes in the kitchen, the son recoils in disgust… The parents of an 18-year-old girl describe their fear that their daughter will be an old maid because she is so terribly bright and independent. They decide that the mother will have a “talk with her” (“Changing Gender Norms” Eliman-Taggart)” An analogous philosophy is introduced in the novel A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. In the series, Arya, daughter of Lord Eddard Stark has grown up along with her brothers who trained in the art of swordplay and her sister who was training to become a lady. Despite constant reprimanding, Arya dejected the concept of evolving into a lady and aspired to become a knight alongside her brothers. She is mocked throughout the story for her “boyish” manner. She is surprisingly encouraged by her father to pursue what she wants regardless of what is seen as socially acceptable behaviour for a girl.

    Read More

  • We Must Stop Violence Against Women

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Violence against women appeared from a long time ago and happened in every country. It caused pain in both mental and physical for women. There were so many people trying to stop this problem but it was still not completely fixed. There are many reasons that lead to this issue all over the world. After many surveys and investigations, we realized that the main reason is Discrimination and Unequal power. Some legends and stories in the past made people think men’s role is more important than women’s role in society. And because men are stronger, more active than women so they can do more work. This also makes people think men deserve more rights than women. They soon forced on human’s mind that men are also...

    Read More

More about Human Rights And Gender Violence Case Study

Open Document