Column: Women's issues around the world

Phelista, a widow from Nairobi, Kenya was "inherited" by her brother-in-law. He verbally abused, beat and raped her repeatedly. After fearing to report it to the authorities for seven years, she courageously reported the abuse to the village chief's office. The chief's advice was that she should leave him.

Yet the chief did not provide options for support or safety with that decision. When Phelista attempted to leave her husband, he beat her and forced her to have sex with him (Amnesty International 2002).

Phelista faced cultural, economic, legal and political barriers that perpetuated her abuse. The cultural understanding that a wife and her property can be inherited has led to the subordination and ownership of women. A widow or divorcee without property rights would have to become completely economically dependent on male relatives. Furthermore, passive state and law-enforcing machinery condone violence against women. Violence against women is illegal in Kenya based on international treaties that Kenya has ratified, as well as Kenya's own constitution and national law. Yet, notions of the family being a private sphere beyond state control leads to insensitive treatment by police and judiciary, and reinforces the concept that domestic violence cannot be taken seriously.

On average, a woman in the United States will make seven attempts to leave a violent relationship before she is actually able to. "Mary" in Durham, North Carolina faced barriers that were similar to Phelista's experience. When she attempted to leave her partner she was berated by her family for taking the children away from their father. Her family encouraged her to "forgive and forget" because "these things happen." Mary went back to her partner's physical and sexual assaults. He continued to threaten her and the children's lives if she ever considered leaving again. The next time she left, her family refused to offer her a place to stay. The isolation imposed by her husband during their entire relationship left her no other ally. She went back again and the cycle continued. When she finally escaped, Mary had no income and no viable means for renting an apartment or finding childcare while she search for a job. Mary's abuse expanded to cultural and societal acceptance of intimate partner violence, psychological and emotional exhaustion and economic limitations. This woman stated that after the physical bruises healed, the aftermath of domestic violence continued.

Violence against women is the most pervasive of human rights violations worldwide. Ironically, the tyrannical aggressors of women are most likely to be their intimate partners, i.e.,men they know. Globally, 10 to 69 percent of women have reported being physically assaulted by an intimate partner, and one-third to over one-half of the cases involved sexual abuse (WHO 2002). Indeed, the United States is not exempt from these staggering statistics, as the National Violence Against Women Survey indicates. Over 64 percent of the women interviewed indicated that they were "victimized by a current or former husband, cohabitating partner, boyfriend or date" (Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. July 2000). National statistics also indicate that one in four women will be affected by sexual violence in her lifetime.

In 1993 the United Nations National General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Almost a decade later sexual abuse by an intimate partner is still not considered a crime in most countries. And, it was only in 1993 that the state of North Carolina adopted the marital rape law, making it a crime for a husband to sexually assault his wife (The National Center for Victims of Crime). Unfortunately, responding to gender-based violence is not simply criminalizing the act. Approaches need to include efforts to respond to the totality of gender-based violence, which encompasses isolation, economic abuse, societal and cultural myths and lack of education about domestic and sexual violence. Such factors affect women worldwide, whether they live in Nairobi, Kenya or Durham, North Carolina.

The barriers that Phelista and Mary faced can be shattered. With such a pervasive crime that occurs within different social contexts, the strategy to eliminate violence against women would have to be "culture-and region-specific" (UNICEF, 2000). However, "five underlying principles should guide all strategies and interventions attempting to address domestic violence: prevention, protection, early intervention, rebuilding the loves of victim-survivors, and accountability" (WHO 2002).

Agencies, such as the Durham Crisis Response Center: Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, work with communities to respond to and prevent domestic and sexual violence. The first step to eradicate this type of violence is to be aware and then spread this awareness. Increased awareness on a local level will provide education and improved resources, which will ultimately flow to the national and international levels. Get involved and take action. You can contact the Durham Crisis Response Center for more information at 919-403-9425 and participate in the Safe and Sound Race to benefit Durham Crisis Response Center on April 5 at the Duke Cross Country trial.