Domestic+violence

Domestic violence.
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Women and children are often in great danger in the place where they should be safest: within their families. 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. Those victimized suffer physically and psychologically. They are unable to make their own decisions, voice their own opinions or protect themselves and their children for fear of further repercussions. Their human rights are denied and their lives are stolen from them by the ever-present threat of violence. This Innocenti Digest looks specifically at domestic violence. The term ‘domestic’ includes violence by an intimate partner and by other family members, wherever this violence takes place and in whatever form. The Digest builds on the research carried out by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre for an earlier Digest on Children and Violence. In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the problem of domestic violence, its causes and consequences, and an international consensus has developed on the need to deal with the issue. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly some 20 years ago, the decade-old Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, all reflect this consensus. But progress has been slow because attitudes are deeply entrenched and, to some extent, because effective strategies to address domestic vio- lence are still being defined. As a result, women worldwide continue to suffer, with esti- mates varying from 20 to 50 per cent from country to country. This appalling toll will not be eased until families, governments, institutions and civil society organizations address the issue directly. Women and children have a right to State protection even within the confines of the family home. Violence against women is perpetrated when legislation, law enforcement and judicial systems condone or do not recognize domestic violence as a crime. One of the major challenges is to end impunity for perpetrators. So far, only 44 countries (approximately) have adopted specific legisla- tion to address domestic violence. As this Digest demonstrates, domestic violence is a health, legal, economic, educa- tional, developmental and, above all, a human rights issue. Much has been done to cre- ate awareness and demonstrate that change is not only necessary, it is also possible. Now that strategies for dealing with it are becoming clearer, there is no excuse for inaction.

Mehr Khan Director, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre