CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Violence against women is one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations around the world. Over one third of all women have been beaten, forced into sexual activities or otherwise abused in their lifetime. The abuser is usually a family member or someone otherwise known to them (World Health Organization, 2013).

Domestic violence, otherwise known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence or intimate partner violence (IPV), is therefore, seen in simple terms to mean a pattern of abusive behaviors by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family or cohabitation.

Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression or assault (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving and restraining, slapping, throwing objects among many others) or threats thereof; sexual abuse, emotional abuse, controlling or domineering, intimidation, stalking, economic deprivation, passive/ covert abuse (that is neglect).

Domestic violence and abuse is however not limited to obvious physical violence. It can also mean endangerment, criminal coercion, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, trespassing, harassment and stalking. It must be mentioned that, the awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differ widely from country to country and has evolved from era to era. In any case, all forms of domestic violence have one purpose; which is to gain and maintain control over the victim.

We would at some point agree with many feminist researchers who have pointed out that domestic violence is a gender neutral term and as such fails to clarify who is the victim and who is the perpetrator. In many, relationships women are most frequently subjected to violence by men (Brodsky and Hare-Mustin, 1980). It is also true that in spite of the number of cases a society experiences and comprises its official statistics pertaining to crimes against women, many of these crimes against women go unreported and little or nothing is being done to curb the problem. The field of violence is one of the most neglected areas in most areas of the world particularly in the African continent.

Every year at least 4million women all over the world are victimized by their partners. Approximately 2million of these women suffer serious injuries while others stay traumatized for the greater parts of their lives (Tjaden and Theonnes, 2000). Most clinical researchers believe that intimate partner abuse tends to be underreported and to date, the research on women experiences with domestic violence remains difficult to interpret because of the underreported nature of this problem (Miller Veltkamp and Kraus, 1997).

Apart from random violence to which everyone is susceptible, women face particular forms of violence in their marriage life, or within the family; that is domestic violence. There is a profound difference between popular conception of what families are and the reality. For many “home is where they face a regime of terror and violence at the hand of somebody close to them.” Women experience violence primarily in the hands of men they know and within the so called “Safe Heaven” of home (Sweetman 1998). Feminist analysis also, challenges the belief in the security and safety of the home as a myth. For example, Dobash and Dobash (1998) argue that marriage is a social structure that gives the husband the right to the domestic and sexual services of the wife: this places women under the control and direction of their husbands and subject to the use of intimidation, coercion and violence as strategies of maintaining male rights and privileges.

Women are often in great danger in the place where they should be safest; within their families. As seen above, for many, “home is where they face a regime of terror and violence at the hands of somebody close to them. Somebody they should be able to trust. This makes the unable to make their own decisions, voice their own opinions or protect themselves for fear of further repercussions. Their rights are denied and their lives are stolen from them by ever present threat f violence.

Global awareness regarding domestic violence has undergone a profound transformation in recent years. Once viewed as a private problem affecting only a few women, it is now considered a major social, health and human right issue. The growing awareness is largely the result of the emergence of the women’s issue and the presence of a strong feminist movement, enabling collective organization against its occurrence.

The success of these efforts is evident in recent international instruments such as: The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of all forms Violence against Women (UNDEVW, 1993), the Declarations of Platforms for Action of the UN Conference of Human Rights (Vienna 1993), Population Development (Cairo 1994) and the (BPA) Beijing Platform of Action (WHO 2005).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The world is changing and the status quo is changing, women’s rights are increasingly respected in Europe and North America. Although laws protecting women’s rights exist in Cameroon, their implementation appears to face challenges and violence against women remains a serious problem. Cameroon is a signatory of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which calls for action to be taken against public and private gender based violence; violence by intimate partner.

Violence against women and girl’s limits women’s economic, social and political capacity, because their options are constrained directly or indirectly. Abusers often directly constrain the victim’s choices by using violence or threat of violence to coerce compliance with their decisions violence can indirectly affect women’s economic capacity in terms of lost wages when they miss work due to the violence.

1.3 Research Question

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What are the impact of violence against women and girls on the self-esteem of survivors in Buea?

1.3.2 Specific Questions

1. What is the demographic profile of women who have experienced violence against women and girls in Buea?
2. How does violence against women and girls affect the self-esteem of survivors in Buea?
3. What are the coping strategies of survivors of violence against women and girls in Buea?
4. What is the perception of society on violence against women and girls?

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