Violence against women: Causes and consequences

Violence against women is one of the most frequent human rights violations. It is a threat to women’s lives, it puts their physical and psychological health at risk, and it is a threat to the well-being of their children. Violence against women has consequences for society as a whole. The perpetrators can be found in every social and economic milieu, and most of them are male.

There are various ways in which violence manifests: sexualised, physical, psychological, social, and financial violence. Sexualised violence is one form of gender-based violence and is an expression of discrimination. Women are not only discriminated against on the basis of their gender. They are also often subjected to additional forms of discrimination, such as racism, homophobia or ableism, which influence and reinforce each other.

‘Domestic’ or ‘family’ violence, also known as ‘intimate partner violence’, refers to any violence committed by people within close social relationships. This is an internationally recognised violation of human rights. The purpose of this violence is to exercise control and power. Although the term ‘domestic’ might be thought of as referring to a house or household, the violence is often committed within the wider family or by a former partner. It is not the place of the incident that defines this form of violence, but the person perpetrating the violence, so medica mondiale prefers to use terms such as ‘intimate partner violence’ or ‘violence in a close social environment’ instead of ‘domestic violence’.

Psychological violence refers to actions which lead to emotional and mental injuries of those affected. Psychological violence manifests itself as intimidation through looks, gestures or shouting, in coercion and in threats - such as the threat of taking children away from a woman or threatening to use physical violence. Humiliation, derogatory and discriminatory comments, and public ridicule are also forms of psychological violence. Emotional violence is often accompanied by controlling or dominating behaviour, extreme jealousy, or the isolation of those affected. Psychological violence can also occur online in the form of ‘cyber violence’.

Sexualised violence is always a way to exercise power, control someone, or oppress the other person. This takes the form of violent sexual actions which are not consensual. In other words, the emphasis is on ‘violence’, and this is sexualised: the aim is not primarily sexual satisfaction.

In wars, one of the reasons sexualised violence is used against women is to humiliate the men on the opposing side. It is a gruesome, symbolic message with roots in patriarchal ways of thinking. In fact, part of the reason why sexualised wartime violence can be used with these impacts is because all sides in the conflict share this way of thinking. Worldwide, women and especially their bodies are still treated as the property of their husbands, fathers and families.

Among the perpetrators of violence against women there are people from every society, nationality, religion, age, educational level or economic background. The majority of perpetrators across the world are male, and in the case of sexualised violence they are almost exclusively male. Most come from the close social environment of those affected. The widespread image of rape being committed at night in the park by an unknown person is actually much rarer. The perpetrators bear sole individual responsibility for their actions and need to be brought to justice. It is, however, also relevant to recognise the structural causes of violence and to combat these.

Gender-specific violence against women does not take place simply at the level of the individual, but is anchored in the cultural and institutional structures of societies. The interplay between discriminating behaviours at all three levels is then referred to as ‘structural’ violence. Structural violence can be seen, for example, in discriminatory rules, laws, traditions and customs, as well as misogynistic language. The influences of these structures have a subconscious and conscious influence on people in the way they think and in the way they behave. In turn, the people who are socialised within these structures go on to preserve them, leading to a cycle which ensures that sexism continues to exist and be manifested, in turn maintaining the violence against women that results from this sexism.

Whereas dominance, power and strength are seen to be masculine, qualities such as submissive, passive or indulgent are assigned to women. Even today these attributions lead to women being excluded from important political decision-making processes and offices. This lack of representation in relevant areas of society then leads to the needs of women being neglected and violence becoming established. Reflections of this can also be seen at the level of legislation: For example, only one quarter of all countries have laws relating to rape within marriage. Even in Germany, it was only in 1997 that rape within marriage became illegal. Another example of structural violence is sexism at the workplace. This includes misogynist speech, significantly lower wages and salaries for the same work, and a much smaller proportion of women in positions of management.

Violence against women is always also violence against their children, even if these are not directly attacked. Just witnessing the violence, for example, can be enough to lead to sleep disturbances, developmental disorders, aggressiveness or anxiety. Furthermore, another very serious aspect that needs considering is the passing down of both violent behaviour and trauma to subsequent generations. Children who experience or witness violence and its consequences learn to accept this violence as a way to solve conflicts. Women who have experienced sexualised violence can pass on the traumatic experience to their children and grandchildren subconsciously as transgenerational trauma, which manifests as anxiety, stress or protective responses. This can have an adverse effect on bonding within families.

Violence against women has far-reaching consequences for society. Transgenerational trauma, which can be handed down from survivors of sexualised violence to their children, negatively affects the psychological health of whole families. Particularly in the case of violence experienced collectively, such as sexualised wartime violence, the adverse effects can be felt by the whole social network for generations. Patriarchal structures, based on sexism and other forms of discrimination, directly create a climate of violence in which women do not feel safe to move around in public spaces or to fully live their lives.

Due to the restrictions on women regarding their access to education or choice of profession, societies are unable to benefit from the potential of half of their population. These poor educational opportunities for girls and women then correlate directly with poverty, child and maternal mortality, as well as the climate crisis. Natural disasters can obstruct access to education. Floods destroy routes to school and classrooms, and droughts plunge families into poverty. However, the world needs well-educated girls and boys who can develop strategies to mitigate the consequences of the climate crisis and play an active role in shaping their society.

Violence against women should not be treated as a personal issue, but rather as a societal problem that can and must be prevented. However, cases of gender-specific violence, such as femicide, often appear in the media or even court cases under the trivialising term “family drama”. This choice of language is part of the structural problem making violence against women appear less harmful. It also does not clearly name the causes or those responsible. The state has an obligation to prevent violence against women. It is also obliged to provide protection and support for those affected and to pursue those who perpetrate these crimes. Unless there is an overall coherent government strategy that considers the causes of violence against women, there will be no development of measures that actually have an impact.

Training courses can be offered to staff in the healthcare and legal sectors to raise their awareness of violence against women. In particular, public information work, gender-equitable childcare and education, human rights education, and a zero-tolerance policy on violence are all measures which can prevent violence and help to counteract misogynist attitudes.

medica mondiale and our partner organisations raise public awareness of sexualised violence and educate people on the causes and consequences of violence against women. The general public and decision-makers such as politicians are called upon to deal with the issue of violence against women. Our aims include measures against sexualised and gender-based violence as well as discrimination-free assistance for survivors.

Our partner organisations provide integrated and long-term assistance to survivors of sexualised violence, adopting our Stress- and Trauma-sensitive Approach (STA)®. Examples of the support include medical and psychosocial counselling, legal assistance, and income-generating measures. Our Bosnian partner organisation Budućnost organises horticultural and agricultural training for women and girls so they can secure their own living independently.

In Germany, medica mondiale advocates for accordance with both the Istanbul Convention against Violence on Women and the UN Agenda “Women, Peace, Security“. We are also demanding that the German government properly implements UN Resolution 1325 in order to ensure that women and girls in conflict areas are protected and have a chance to take part in peace processes. In Kosovo, Medica Gjakova contributed to the efforts that led to the awarding of a monthly pension to women and girls who were raped during the Kosovo war. And in July 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s parliament passed a law on the legal recognition of people born as a result of wartime rape, after many years of campaigning by our partner organisations.