Yana Anastaseva

Group 501

Men are Born Batterers (short version)

Domestic violence occurs across the world, in various cultures, and affects people across society, irrespective of economic status.

Domestic violence, or battering, is defined as a pattern of abusive behaviours by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation. Domestic violence has many forms, including physical aggression, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, controlling or domineering, intimidation, stalking and economic deprivation. Awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differs widely from country to country, and from era to era.

International Statistics

Statistics on the prevalence of the problem indicate that domestic violence is a worldwide epidemic:

• Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.

• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.

• Studies show that between 25% and 50% of all women in the world have been abused by intimate partners.

• Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.

• Men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.

• Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.

• Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.

Situation in the Republic of Belarus

The problem of domestic violence has been put on the agenda of the law enforcement agencies and the public of the country. The victims of home violence make up the most numerous group of the overall number of the victims of crimes.

The centre of socio-political researches of Belorussian State University within the Joint National Informative Campaign on opposition to domestic violence under the auspices of the UN Office in the Republic of Belarus made a research on the estimation of the situation in the area of domestic violence in the country in November 2008. 488 men and 512 women at the age of 18-60 having an experience of marriage relationships took part in a poll. The results are alarming.

Concerning violence against women:

• 4 out of 5 women in Belarus undergo psychological violence;

• Every forth woman experience physical violence;

• 22,4% of women face economic violence;

• 13,1% of women undergo sexual violence;

• 8% goes through both physical and sexual violence;

• 9,5 suffered physical violence while being pregnant;

• 46,8% of women and 6% of men undergone physical or sexual violence look for assistance, either from professional or from friends;

• 40% of women at least once in their life had to leave their home in order to escape from physical or sexual violence.

Concerning violence against men:

• 22,1% of men admitted that at least once in their life they suffered physical violence from their wife or a partner;

• 12,5% experienced economical violence;

• 5,7% claimed they had gone through sexual violence;

79,7% of all men suffer from one or another form of psychological violence.