GEE2-Module-9 Women-and-Violence PDF

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FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020 Study Guide in Gender and Society

Module No.9

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 9 CHAPTER IX: Women and Violence MODULE OVERVIEW

This chapter will tackle violence against women (VAW) as one cannot separate VAW from women’s issues. It defines VAW and discusses the types of VAW and the implications of VAW on the human person will also be tackled alongside theories behind violence and women’s rights. DISCLAIMER: This chapter will include graphic descriptions of abuse and violence. While the contents and descriptions may be shocking, the authors tried to tackle them in an objective manner and have no intention to offend the reader. These details are all for the benefit of those who are studying VAW in order to for them to recognize and prevent it. This discussion is important because abuse and violence are so normalized in society that people often fail to recognize when it is present. If you are a survivor of VAW and these descriptions trigger a negative response or causes post-traumatic stress disorder, we urge you to see a counselor. Too many women (and men) have been forced to bear the burden of gender-based violence because they were ashamed to come forward. Others may have been silenced because of the perceived disgrace it could bring to their personality and their families. A culture of silence breeds a culture of complicity, thus sustaining the existence of these violent acts. With all these cautions, we urge those who have discovered themselves to be victims of violence and are in need of help to speak to a mental health professional. MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the various forms of violence against women; 2. Explain how even subtle forms of violence affect women; and 3. Articulate ways to prevent violence against women. LEARNING CONTENTS

Defining Violence Against Women One must first define VAW to determine what constitutes it. The Magna Carta of Women in the Philippines defines VAW as: “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or in private life”. Violence against women may be one of the first crimes committed against a person because of their gender. It is rooted in the unequal relationships and structuralized oppression against women. Alternatively, violence against men is not as widespread because of their socially constructed roles as men or because they possess specific physical features that intimidate others from committing the violence. PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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TYPES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Physical Violence The most detectable form of VAW is physical violence. It involves causing physical or bodily harm against another person. Psychological Violence Psychological force or violence involves causing harm to a victim through the use of emotional manipulation, resulting in mental suffering. Some forms of psychological violence include constant putting-down of a woman, diminishing her value because of her sociallyconstructed role, judging how she acts or what she does, repeated verbal abuse, marital infidelity, forcing a woman to witness a form of violence such as physical, psychological, or sexual abuse against another family member. The deprivation of a woman’s rights to see her child can also be considered as emotional manipulation and violence. Economic Abuse or Violence Economic abuse is the deprivation of a woman’s financial independence. This form of abuse can be realized through explicit acts such as denying women the right to use property or materials that are legally hers, destroying her things, solely controlling her money or property, or threatening to deprive her of financial support, disallowing her from participating in the labor market, or stopping her from creating her own income-generating project. Sexual Violence Sexual violence is defined as the forcing of unwanted sexual acts upon a person. It is not limited to the act of copulation; any act that is sexual in nature can be considered sexual violence. Sexual violence ranges from rape, marital rape, incest, sexual abuse of children, to sexually objectification of women and children. Molestation and the attacking or unwanted touching of a woman’s private parts are included in this definition. Other forms of sexual violence as defined by the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2003 include forcing women or their children to watch pornography, look at sexually suggestive material, or do indecent acts. It is also illegal to record or video these acts. Rape is defined as forced or coerced penetration of the vulva or anus using a penis, other body parts, or an object. Rape is considered rape even if the penetration is minimal. Unsuccessful rape is called attempted rape. If more than one person commits rape on any one person, it is called gang rape. Assaulting other sexual organs can be considered sexual violence, including forced contact between sex organs or the mouth and penis, vulva, or anus. The lack of consent is essential to sexual violence. A person may be unable to give consent due to being drunk, drugged or incapacitated. Those who lack the comprehension to understand the ramifications of their decision, such as children and person with disabilities, cannot give consent for sex. Rape is more than an issue of sex and

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lust; it is an issue of power. With rape comes the removal of free will and power of the victim, attacking the dignity of the person. Marital rape includes acts that are covered by rape, although it occurs between a married couple. While this form of violence is recognized by the law (Anti-Rape Law of 1997), there are cultural barriers to its full implementation. In some areas in the Philippines, marital rape is not acknowledged as violence or rape by the victim, the victim’s family, and more often than not, the community where the crime was committed. A woman who experiences marital rape may be too ashamed to come forward as she feels that her issue is one that is private in nature. Others who do, however, may not even pursue their case against husband because they have supposedly resolved the issues on their own. Incest refers to sexual acts done between family members or closely related persons. The root of incest comes from the violation of trust of a victim on his or her assailant. It concerns the lack of power, in which victims lose their voice to speak up regarding the abuse because they may not know that what is happening to them is wrong as in the case of young children, or because the perpetrator threatens the victim to stay quiet about the interaction. The feeling of betrayal comes with this unwelcomed encounter. Victims may feel that they must fulfill the elder’s wish to sexual acts for survival because the latter is taking care of them. Victims may also keep silent to keep the peace in their family or community. Incest may occur inside or outside of the home. Often, there is a relationship between the victim and the perpetuator prior to the act, though not necessarily be blood relatives. The victim must, however, have trusted the perpetrator enough to see him or her as a part of his or her own family worthy of respect. A person who may enact incest is the parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt, sibling, cousin, or guardian of the person. Incest may also involve the neighbor who the family trusted to care for the child or the caregiver or nanny. Cultural practices and sexual violence Some cultural practices may be considered as forms of sexual violence. Forcing children to become child brides is a cultural practice that can be classified as sexual violence. Female genital mutilation also falls under this category because it specifically involves acts that harm a person’s sexual organ. While one can argue that these practices are cultural and sometimes considered sacred, they may be harmful to women and is, therefore, a form of violence. Child brides are unable to give consent because they are married off as children and do not fully understand the circumstances they are placed in due to lack of maturity or experience. Although younger than 18 years, they are often forced to have sexual encounters with men who are much older than them. These conditions also lead to numerous health issues such as STDs and early pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is dangerous for both the mother and child as the mother’s body has not fully developed yet. Female genital mutilation, also called female circumcision, involves the cutting or removal of certain parts of a woman’s external vagina. It is mostly carried out on girls fifteen years and younger. Genital mutilation has no known medical benefit to females. In fact, women can be placed in grave danger due to massive bleeding and infection. They are also PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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at risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. This tradition is still widely practiced because it is believed to keep women pure and clean before marriage.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a specific form of sexual violence that occurs outside one’s home. The sexual act may not necessarily be forced or take a physical form. Manipulation, intimidation, and blackmail can be used to coerce someone into having sex or performing sexual acts. The Philippines’ Anti-Sexual Harassment Law of 1995 defines sexual harassment as the demand of a sexual act or favor in an institution, wherein the person PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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who demands the act is in moral ascendancy or influence over the person being solicited. It is considered harassment regardless of whether or not victim agrees to partake in the act. If a woman feels discomfort or distress during the request, solicitation, or act, it is considered harassment. In the case of employees, harassment covers actions from their boss, team leader, or someone who has influence over one’s employment status or permanency, promotion, and the like. For students, sexual harassment covers the teacher, instructor, professor, coach or trainer. The UN’s definition of sexual harassment qualifies possible acts that are not stated in our local Anti-Sexual Harassment Act. The UN Women Watch considers an act to be sexual harassment if it involves: “any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual [favor], verbal or physical conduct or gesture of a sexual nature, or any other [behavior] of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offense or humiliation to another”. An act can be considered harassment if it creates a hostile environment or interferes with work, a qualification shared by both the UN and Anti-Sexual Harassment Law of 1995. The definition was expanded such that harassment may occur outside of working hours and outside of the institution. It involves as well unwelcomed behavior. The feeling of harassment is subjective. If a person feels harassed by an act which may be seen as sexual in content, then the act can be considered sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is an issue because it is “a form of gender-based violence, which seriously inhibits women’s ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men”. Violence against women in public spaces Street harassment is sexual harassment that occurs in a public space. A prior relationship between the assailant and the victim is not required. The harassment may involve cat calls, shouting of sexual obscenities, unwanted sexual gestures, blocking a person’s path, indecent exposure, groping, and the like. These actions create a hostile public environment and women are mostly the victims. Street harassment creates an environment of fear, as it is often linked to male violence and sexual violence. Street harassment is about power and the desire to show power over another gender (usually male to female) and to remind the other gender that they are nothing more than sexual objects to be scrutinized or used by the dominant gender especially in public spaces. Pornography, prostitution, sexual slavery, and sex trafficking Pornography may be the most controversial issue in the feminist circle. It is defined as the “representation, through publication, exhibition, cinematography, indecent shows, information technology, or by whatever means, of a person engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a person for primarily sexual purposes”. Pornography is any product that has sexually explicit acts, which are sold for consumption. These articles may contain sexually graphic content such as naked people in PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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copulation. The idea of selling and consuming bodies visually is present in pornography. However, some pieces that illustrate explicit sexual acts are considered erotic art, thus creating a blurry line between erotica and pornography. Pornography is also a worker’s issue because of the conditions involved in working for this industry. Women who participate in the industry may be abused or discriminated against. The health of both men and women who choose this profession may also be at risk. Pornography is a much-contested debate in the feminist circle. Many feminists believe it to be liberating especially for those who choose to do pornography to express their sexual liberties. The flip side to this is that the women who perform in pornography do so for the sexual consumption of men, such that the woman engaged in pornography loses her identity or personality. It is also one of the root issues behind advertisements that use women’s bodies to sell items. These advertisements sexualize women and objectify them to sell a product. This practice becomes a problem when women are seen as props for someone’s sexual fantasy and nothing else. Prostitution is defined as “any act, transaction, scheme or design involving the use of a person by another for sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct in exchange for money, profit, or any other consideration”. The woman and the person to whom she has to serve sexual favors do not need to be in a relationship. Like pornography, prostitution involves the buying and selling of sexual intercourse or sex-related activities. While there is the belief that women should be free to explore their sexuality, and that the sex industry is a viable industry whose workers should be protected, the patriarchal world in which it exists does not create a safe environment for this type of work. Numerous issues are involved in the exploitation of women based on their sex and gender in the sex industry. Issues that are related to prostitution involve sex tourism sexual exploitation, and sex slavery. Sex tourism uses sexual services as a selling point for tourism in which a person may go to a specific location to experience sexual activities. Escort services are also considered forms of sex tourism. Sexual exploitation is the participation of a woman in the sex industry – prostitution or pornography – because of force or intimidation. When a woman is compelled to enter this industry because of lack of options, exploitation occurs. Women who are deceived into entering the sex industry and cannot leave on their own accord become what are considered sex slaves. An example of sexual slavery was the situation of the comfort women during World War II. A woman can fall into the trap of sex slavery through false promises by employees, abduction, and debt bondage. Emotional manipulation is also used to shame women and enforce the notion that a woman who enters sex slavery can have no other job once she gets out. The lack of work options and regulation, social stigma, and health issues cause women to be vulnerable to abuse in this line of work. Sex trafficking involves the relocation of women from one place to another without them knowing where they are going. These women often agree to go to these places because they were promised employment from a legitimate employer. Spiritual Violence PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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Spiritual force is a form of violence against women that uses religion or spirituality to discredit, harm, or disempower them. It happens when powerful religious leaders use supposedly religious ideologies to control and rule over women. Women are limited to a specific role in the religion that may be against their free will. Part of this violence involves sexual abuse such as when women are called to be sacrificed as virgins to the leader. These acts are forms of rape and sexual molestation often seen in cults that abuse and exploit their members. While one may argue that anything spiritual is an issue of godliness and religion, it must be noted that it is often cultural tradition that enforces negative perceptions concerning women and their abilities.

OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE Reproductive or Medical Abuse Other less known forms of VAW have to do with issues related to having or not having children. Women may be forced to get pregnant, use contraceptives, or undergo abortions. Another form of violence is the withholding of information about safe pregnancy, contraceptives and childbirth. Medical abuse can also happen on women. Examples of this form of violence include coercing women to undergo medical procedures such as removal of their uterus or forced tube ligation, the use of women in medical experiments without their consent, and forced C-section on a pregnant woman who is willing and able to go through natural birthing methods. Abuse of Women in Intimate Relationships Women who are abused by their partners are called victims of intimate partner violence or abuse. It entails any form of violence or harm against a woman by her current or former partner (husband or live-in partner). The abuse of women in intimate relationships (AWIR) is seen as a major health issue that affects a woman physically and emotionally. It also causes psychosocial harm. How prevalent exactly is AWIR? Several health reports show that at least one in three women have become victims of physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. Up to 70% of these women reported their perpetrators to be their intimate partners. While AWIR may involve sexual violence, it has been categorized as a different form of violence by the United Nations because a prior relationship is not necessary for sexual violence to be considered VAW. Domestic Violence Domestic violence occurs within a home where an unequal power relationship between the victim and the perpetrator exists. This form of VAW may occur in relationships between husband and wife, father or mother and child, aunt and uncle and child, grandparent and child, adult son and mother, older relative and younger relative. Due to unequal gender relationships, an act of violence may also be considered domestic violence

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if it is committed by an adult male relative to a woman who may be older, of the same age, or younger than him. Children who witness or experience domestic violence are highly likely to perpetrate domestic violence as adults. Other possible effects include children with behavior problems, children who end up in the streets and children who are more likely to be trafficked.

PREVENTION AND RESPONSE Three things are to be considered when looking at...