Violence against women and girls

There is no place in our world, Where women and girls are treated as Human beings.

Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the world. It has serious short- and long-term physical, economic and psychological consequences on women and girls, preventing their full and equal participation in society. The magnitude of its impact, both in the lives of individuals and families and society as a whole, is immeasurable.

Whether it be sexual assault, rape, or female infanticide, all of it can be traced back to the marginalization of women They not only strapped the rights of women and girls, but also their clothes. From few months old infant to 100 years old lady ware brutally raped.

Women and girls are humiliated, harassed, assaulted and raped in every place - on the street, in parks, at community events, on schools and college campuses, at the workplace and while travelling on public transport, not only there, they are not safe even in their own house.

Women and girls are not only violated during their life, The violations against them started even before they were born.

Femicide

Femicide refers to the intentional murder of women because they are women, but may be defined more broadly to include any killings of women or girls. Femicide differs from male homicide in specific ways. For example, most cases of femicide are committed by partners or ex-partners, and involve ongoing abuse in the home, threats or intimidation, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer resources than their partner.

Female Feticide

Female feticide is the practice of terminating a pregnancy if the fetus is determined to be female. It is a form of sex-selective abortion and is primarily carried out in societies that value male children over female children.

Female feticide is a violation of the right to life and equal treatment of girls and women, and it has led to a significant gender imbalance in some parts of the world.

Female feticide can have serious consequences for society, including skewed sex ratios, increased violence against women, and reduced economic productivity due to the low participation of women in the workforce.

Female infanticide

Female infanticide is a specific form of infanticide in which female infants are intentionally killed shortly after birth, usually by their parents or other family members. It occurs mainly in societies where male children are preferred over female children due to cultural, economic, or social reasons. Female infanticide may be practiced in order to reduce the burden of dowry payments, which are required in some cultures for daughters to be married off, or due to a preference for sons who are perceived as being more valuable to the family.

Honor killing

Honor killing is the murder of a family member, usually a woman or girl, for the purported reason that the person has brought dishonor or shame upon the family. These killings often have to do with sexual purity, and supposed transgressions on the part of female family members.

The concept of honor killing is rooted in cultural and traditional beliefs, particularly in patriarchal societies, where the honor of the family is closely tied to the behavior and actions of women.

Women may be targeted for honor killing for a variety of reasons, including engaging in premarital or extramarital sex, refusing an arranged marriage, seeking a divorce, or even for something as simple as dressing in a way that is deemed inappropriate by their family.

Female genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is also known as female circumcision or cutting.

FGM is often performed on girls before they reach puberty, but it can also be done on women of any age. It is typically carried out by traditional practitioners who are not medically trained, using instruments such as razor blades, scissors, or broken glass.

FGM has no health benefits and can cause serious physical and emotional harm, including severe pain, bleeding, infections, and even death. It can also cause long-term complications such as difficulty with urination, menstruation, and sexual intercourse.

Child marriage

Child marriage or early marriage, is a practice in which a girl child is married off before she reaches the age of 18.

In many cultures, girls are considered to be a burden on their families, and child marriage is seen as a way to alleviate this burden by transferring the responsibility for their care and well-being to their husbands. Other factors that contribute to the prevalence of child marriage include poverty, lack of access to education, gender inequality, and traditional customs and beliefs.

Child marriage has serious negative consequences for girls, including increased risk of maternal mortality and morbidity, early pregnancy and childbirth, domestic violence, social isolation, and limited educational and economic opportunities. It also perpetuates the cycle of poverty and reinforces gender inequalities.

Forced marriage

Forced marriage is a form violence in which one or both parties are married against their will and under duress, coercion or threat of violence.

Forced marriage can happen to anyone, but women and girls are disproportionately affected. They may be forced into marriage for various reasons, such as to settle a family debt, to secure their own or their family's financial stability, to comply with cultural or religious traditions, or as a form of punishment or control.

Women and girls who are forced into marriage often face severe physical, emotional, and psychological consequences. They may experience sexual abuse, domestic violence, isolation from their families and communities, and limited access to education and healthcare. They may also be at risk of being trafficked or forced into prostitution.

Dowry-related violence

A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.

Recently married women can be a target for dowry related violence because she is tied economically and socially to her new husband. In some cases, dowry is used as a threat or hostage type situation, in order to extract more property from the bride's family. This can be seen in new brides, who are most vulnerable in the situation. Dowry crimes can occur with the threat or occurrence of violence, so that the bride's family is left with no choice but to give more dowry to protect their daughter.

The predominant types of dowry crimes relate to cruelty (which includes torture and harassment), domestic violence (including physical, emotional and sexual assault), abetment to suicide and dowry death (including, issues of bride burning and murder).

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, also called domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, is any pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It encompasses all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by women globally.

Domestic violence can include the following

Economic violence

Economic violence involves making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding access to money, and/or forbidding attendance at school or employment.

Psychological violence

Psychological violence involves causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner or children; destruction of pets and property; “mind games”; or forcing isolation from friends, family, school and/or work.

Emotional violence

Emotional violence includes undermining a person's sense of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one's abilities; name-calling or other verbal abuse; damaging a partner's relationship with the children; or not letting a partner see friends and family.

Physical violence

Physical violence involves hurting or trying to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, pinching, shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, biting, denying medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use, or using other physical force. It may include property damage.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence involves forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent. See more about sexual violence below.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence is any sexual act committed against the will of another person, either when this person does not give consent or when consent cannot be given because the person is a child, has a mental disability, or is severely intoxicated or unconscious as a result of alcohol or drugs.

Sexual violence can occur in a variety of settings, including intimate relationships, workplaces, educational institutions, and communities.

Sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights and can have severe physical, emotional, and psychological consequences for survivors. It is important to raise awareness about sexual violence, provide support for survivors, and work to prevent and end sexual violence in all its forms.

Sexual violence can include the following

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment encompasses non-consensual physical contact, like grabbing, pinching, slapping, or rubbing against another person in a sexual way. It also includes non-physical forms, such as catcalls, sexual comments about a person’s body or appearance, demands for sexual favors, sexually suggestive staring, stalking, and exposing one’s sex organs.

Rape

Rape is any non-consensual vaginal, anal or oral penetration of another person with any bodily part or object. This can be by any person known or unknown to the survivor, within marriage and relationships, and during armed conflict.

Corrective rape

Corrective rape is a form of rape of perpetrated against someone on the basis of their gender identity or gender expressions. in order to "punish" them for not conforming to traditional gender roles and norms.

Rape culture

Rape culture refers to a society or environment in which sexual violence is normalized and even encouraged, perpetuated through attitudes, behaviors, and social norms. It is a culture where sexual violence is normalized and accepted, and where victims of sexual assault are blamed for their own victimization.

Rape culture is evident in various aspects of society, such as media, language, and the justice system. It is reflected in the objectification of women's bodies, victim-blaming, and trivialization of sexual violence. This culture also perpetuates the idea that men are entitled to sex, and that women's bodies exist solely for male pleasure.

Rape culture creates an environment in which sexual assault and harassment are seen as inevitable and inescapable, leaving victims feeling powerless and isolated.