Understanding Violence Against Women and State’s Role
Violence Against Women
Throughout history, men have believed they are entitled to control the behavior of their wives and daughters and to resort to whatever forceful measures they deem appropriate. Male violence occurs in all cultures. It is still an invisible phenomenon, a minimized problem. The consideration of violence as a private matter resulted in it being understood as something normal and even legitimate. Later, it was regarded as an inappropriate thing, but as something that belonged to private life and therefore not deserving intervention.
Manifestations of Violence Against Women
Violence against women can be found everywhere and takes many different forms. Some of the most common ones are:
- Domestic violence
- Female genital mutilation
- Trafficking in women and girls
- Forced prostitution
Domestic Abuse
Comprises physical, psychological, and sexual aggressions that are carried out at home by a relative, undermining the victim’s freedom and causing physical or psychological damage.
Forms of Domestic Abuse
- Physical abuse: Any intentional act causing physical damage to someone.
- Sexual abuse: Actions that violate another person’s body and sexual intimacy, using force to make her suffer sexual acts unwillingly.
- Psychological violence: Acts aimed at causing psychological damage to another person.
Female Genital Mutilation
Trafficking in Women and Girls
Trafficking in people is a global problem and one of the most shameful attacks against human dignity. It is the third most profitable illegal business in the world (about $32 billion a year). The most known form of trafficking is for the purpose of sexual exploitation, but hundreds of thousands of victims are trafficked for other purposes.
Preventing Violence Against Women
In order to reduce violence, it’s necessary to change the rules and values that justify it. One way to achieve this is through gender parity in education. As far as the media is concerned, they should offer positive role models and avoid violent images. A transformation must occur regarding the image they portray of women, especially in the advertising industry.
Relationship Between Citizens and the State
Opinions about the state:
- It is depicted as a guarantee for individual rights and liberties.
- It is also criticized.
Thomas Hobbes claimed that the state’s aim is to guarantee peaceful coexistence among citizens. According to his opinion, only a strong power makes it possible for humans to coexist while respecting the rules.
Philosophers thought that the state’s main function was to make it possible to realize justice or freedom.
In democratic societies, the state is conceived in such a way that it aims to promote well-being among citizens through several actions.
The State
A form of politically organizing a society that consists of exerting a permanent and sovereign power over a geographical area, relying on the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force against residents of it.
Naturalist Theories
Consider that the state is something natural and prior to the individual (the individual is at the service of the state). The basic idea of naturalism: The state is like a natural organism in which every human being is nothing but a part of it. Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle held this view.