The prevalence of violence against women and some related factors in Sanandaj city (Iran) in 2015

Exposure of married women to spousal violence: A community-based study in Eastern Turkey

BACKGROUND

Violence against women deprives women of their rights to enjoy equality, security, dignity, self-worth and fundamental freedoms and devalues them; is one of the most significant social facts that force women to exist at a lower social level than men and constitute a significant obstacle to the formation of healthy societies. This study was conducted to determine the status of exposure to spousal violence of 15 years and older married women living in the city center.

METHODS

Family health centers in Elazig Province were visited and 792 married women were selected from the related records by systematic sampling. As a data collection tool, a questionnaire form was used. The questionnaire consists of two parts. In the first part, participants were asked about demographic characteristics such as age, gender, education level, and profession, while in the second part, questions were asked to determine the extent of exposure to violence. Questionnaires were filled out using interview technique by making home visits.

RESULTS

It has been found that the low level of education of the wife and her spouse, perception of the economic situation of the family as being bad, and the fact that the woman does not work in an income-generating business can be an important factor in exposing to both physical violence and economic violence by her husband.

CONCLUSION

Conclusion: Rate of exposure to spousal violence is high in married women living in the city center of Elazig Province. Education and services should be provided for solving the problem at individual, familial, and social levels.

Intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study in women treated in the Brazilian Public Health System

Objective:

To determine the prevalence and types of violence suffered by women and to identify the gender attitudes related to the situation.

Methods:

This was a descritive, cross-sectional study incluiding 343 women who were assisted at the Brazilian Public Health System in countryside city in northeastern of Brazil. All participants were volunteers and they invited to participate during consultation at a Basic Health Unit. As participants, they filled out the World Health Organization Violence Against Women Questionnaire and responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire.

Results:

The victims were, on average, 20.3 years old, and 53.2% of them were married. There was a prevalence of 52.9% of psychological violence, 30.5% of physical violence, and 12.3% of sexual violence. Participants reported alcoholism (67%) and jealousy (60.8%) as triggers to violence. The main psychological abuses were insults and humiliation. In terms of physical violence, the major ones were pushes and slaps. The sexual violence most reportedwere sexual intercourse against the will of the woman and sexual intercourse because of fear of the partner. A portion of the participants justified violence due to women’s infidelity, refusal to have sex, and disobedience to her husband.

Conclusion:

Education in gender equality as a measure of opposition to the culture of female subjugation can reflect on the resignification of the violence suffered by them, and not on blaming the victim of violence by an intimate partner.

"I Felt I Was Screaming Under the Water": Domestic Violence Victims' Experiences in Iran's Police Departments and Criminal Courts

This exploratory study, the first attempt at capturing the experiences of victims of DV with the criminal justice system in Iran, explores their plight in the absence of legislation that defines and criminalizes DV. Drawing on 15 in-depth interviews with Iranian women who turned to police departments and courts, we demonstrate the flaws inherent in Iran's judiciary and law enforcement organizations, suggesting they reinforce the integrity of the family as a patriarchal unit through readings of religious commands, stabilize the boundary between public and private, and dissuade women from claiming their rights. We provide suggestions for future research for reform, given the growing influence of feminist movements toward gender equality.

The Efficacy of Father Attachment Education on the Severity of Domestic Violence in Primegravida Women

Purpose: In addition to physical and psychological tension imposed on women through pregnancy, the stress of the spouses' violence can cause harmful effects on both the fetus and mother. In Iran, there are limited data on this subject. Thus, learning attachment skills may be effective in reducing adaptation and domestic violence. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of paternal attachment on the severity of domestic violence in primgravida women.

Methods: This quasi-experiment research was conducted on 150 pregnant women who were eligible and selected through simple convenience sampling. In the intervention group, four 90-minute training sessions were designed on father attachment, while the control group received routine prenatal care. A violence questionnaire was completed both before and after the intervention (36-38 weeks of pregnancy) in both case and control groups. Data analysis was done in SPSS software, using paired t-test and independent t-test.

Results: According to the results of an independent t-test, there was no significant difference in psychological violence, physical violence, and economic violence. However, there was a significant change in social violence, sexual violence, and overall violence score.

Conclusion: Training the fathers on behavior of domestic violence and its skills leads to reduced social and sexual violence. Therefore, it seems necessary to include education for the fathers in prenatal care.