Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Semestre di Presidenza Italiana MINISTERO PER LE PARI OPPORTUNITÁ Programma Operativo Nazionale Sicurezza per lo Sviluppo del Mezzogiorno d’Italia Seminar “VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS ” The anti-violence network of URBAN cities Catania, Palazzo degli Elefanti, 25-26 November 2003-12-07 A psychological interpretation of domestic violence Fulvio Giardina President of the Sicilian Association of Psychologists Honourable Stefania Opportunities Prestigiacomo, Minister of Equal Thank you for holding a seminar of such importance in Sicily, on an issue that psychologists, whom I am honoured to represent, are actively dealing with. Psychology is one of the privileged positions from which people’s behaviour can be interpreted in the new millennium; individuals who on the one hand are empowered by sophisticated technologies, causing them to be ever more arrogant and self-centred, are, on the other hand ineluctably a “group animal”, forced to live out their emotions in ever more confined spaces. We must not forget that only decades ago, in our country, the relationship inside the family between “husband - wife”, but also that between “father - son”, was characterised and accepted by the community as a relationship of possession: father and husband “padrone”. The figures on marriages and births are indicative of a long process, which started over one hundred years ago, of change, of evolution. A steady decline in the number of marriages compared to the population, which has also determined –in a restructuring of values - a drastic reduction in births: in 2001 the natural growth rate was still a negative -0.2. year population marriages births 1861 1900 1950 1970 1990 1995 1996 22.300.000 32.900.000 49.000.000 53.300.000 56.950.000 57.200.000 57.300.000 189.000 255.000 328.000 385.000 310.000 266.000 272.000 946.000 1.089.000 860.000 906.000 580.000 488.000 526.000 Births x 1000 inhabitants 36,6 32,7 18,7 16,3 9,6 8,8 9,9 The European Union Observatory report on employment in 2000, reveals qualitative and quantitative physical and psychological problems, such as intimidation, mobbing, sexual harassment and violence. Unfortunately, work is not yet divided equally among women and men. In fact, 32% of women work part-time, against 6% of men. This determines a set of values in relation to legitimate job ambitions which are very different between the sexes, but are very developed for men, and can, when they do not achieve what they were seeking, bring about a lessening of self-esteem and a sense of frustration, which is sometimes compensated by violent behaviour. In other words, women who work - even when they are highly skilled and competent tend to limit themselves to short term professional ambitions and desires compared to men, who have long-term career ambitions Women’s work load is further burdened by family commitments: 41% of working women dedicate at least one hour a day to caring for their children, against 24% of men; 64% of working women spend at least one hour a day cooking, against 13% of men; 63% of working women spend at least one hour a day doing housework, against 12% of men; The European Union report confirms that sexual harassment and violence are persistent, even though they are often not reported. On average in Europe 9% of the work force is subject to intimidation (Italy and Portugal 4%, Finland, Holland and Britain 14.5%). So, it is not enough just to talk about this sad phenomenon, but it must be approached professionally, taking into account all the different aspects. For example, given the frequency of cases of violence presented on television programs, the absence of women “experts” is striking; women who study the issue of violence, and are therefore able to provide more complex interpretations and a more high profile image, at least to balance out the frequency of female “victims”, who bring only their own testimony: every woman, day after day, tells a story which is unique and personal. 1 ora al giorno è dedicata ... 70 60 donne 50 40 30 64% 41% 63% 20 10 24% 0 uomini cura dei figli 13% cucinare 12% faccende di casa Fulvio Giardina, 2003 Women Men 1 hour a day dedicated to…. 41 64 63 24 13 12 Childcare Cooking Household chores lavoratrici oggetto di molestie sessuali 15 10 5 9% 14% 4% 0 UE Italia, Portogallo Olanda,Gran Bretagna Fulvio Giardina, 2003 Female workers subjected to sexual harassment EU 9% Italy, Portugal 4% Holland, Great Britain 14% Very rarely are the roots of these sick relationships looked into in depth, or is the violence inside a culture studied in the light of the “man-woman” relationship. Usually it is confronted only very emotionally. Psychological assistance is then a useful support tool for the operators who deal with the problem. Forensic psychology reveals that often critical situations are dealt with very inadequately, especially in the initial stages, for example, when gathering information essential to reconstructing the crime. Often the operators themselves become emotionally involved in the cases they are treating, thereby becoming so called “second-degree victims”. The most frequent consequence is a resurgence of violence and rigidity, almost an addiction, which they in turn reproduce in their private lives. Tasso di disoccupazione femminile in Italia e nella UE nel 1995 e nel 2000 40 % 30 20 10 0 Centro-Nord Mezzogiorno Italia UE Fulvio Giardina, 2003 Female unemployment rate in Italy and EU in 1995 and in 2000 Central-North South Italy EU Data on the phenomenon’s diffusion in Italy In Italy 20% - 30% percent of women suffer abuse from their partner or former partner. Sexual violence is still very much undisclosed: only 32% of women who have been raped over the past three years and only 1.3% of those who have experienced attempted rape, have reported it. Since the 80’s a growing number of incidents of street violence have been reported, by unknown perpetrators, especially in urban areas 1. Contrary to what is normally believed, most violence against women is committed by people known to the woman, and inside the home. This helps to explain the low number of cases reported, the high number of accusations withdrawn and why the phenomenon is still largely unknown and difficult to quantify. In Italy violence against women is more frequent because the threshold of social tolerance towards this crime is higher. Italy is still slow in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the European Union in relation to the prevention of violence against women. Diffusion at a social level Domestic violence is a cross-cutting phenomenon, affecting all social, economic and cultural levels, Italian or immigrants, married or co-habiting, or even already seperated. Many women are employed: as labourers, shop keepers, employees, teachers, craftswomen; but there is also a significant number of women who only live off irregular/short-term employment, or who are unemployed, housewives or retired. If it is true that violence is a cross-cutting phenomenon, it is evident that not being economically independent is a huge obstacle to any efforts to break up a violent relationship, particularly when the woman must support not only herself but also her children. The violence reported is physical, psychological, economic, sexual, and sometimes spiritual; in most cases, the women undergoes a combination of different types of violence inflicted at the same time on different levels, which makes it difficult to classify the gravity. Almost all cases of abuse occur within a stable relationship: the perpetrator is almost never a stranger, but it’s the husband, the partner, the boyfriend, sometimes even the father or the brother. Different forms of domestic violence Some forms of violence are to be found in many cultures (rape, domestic violence, incest), others are specific to certain contexts (sexual mutilation, murder for an endowment). There can be a link between different types of violence; violence against children for example, often goes together with violence against the mother. Men and women’s positions with regard to this phenomenon are not the same; women are much more often victims and men are the perpetrators; some forms of violence are inflicted almost exclusively on women (rape). A distorted interpretation of violence against women A correct interpretation of the main indicators of domestic violence brings us to debunk some myths. Often the media show women from a low socio-cultural extraction, who tell dramatic stories of violence, whereas statistics show that violence against women and girls does not occur only in the lower classes: it happens at all social levels. Domestic violence is not caused by drug or alcohol consumption. There are non-violent alcoholics and drug addicts, just as there are violent men, drug addicts and alcoholics, who become violent without the use of alcohol and/or drugs: however, the majority of violent men are not alcoholics nor drug addicts. Violence is almost never an irrational act, but it is almost always premeditated. Domestic violence is not caused by occasional and sporadic loss of control: it responds to a desire to exercise power and control over women; that is why, with an almost “pedagogical” (!!!) attitude, the aggressors themselves claim that beating their women up is a way to modify their behaviour. The World Bank considers domestic violence a public health problem, as it seriously affects women’s psychological and physical well-being, as opposed to those who think that it does not compromise their health. Only 10% of the perpetrators have psychiatric problems. To attribute violence to psychotic subjects is just a ploy to keep the realm of violence separate from that of normality, it is a form of exorcism. Violent partners have not always undergone violence as children: there is not necessarily a cause-effect relation between violence suffered during childhood and violence inflicted as an adult. Lastly, there are some who even claim that women choose to undergo violence because they, so to say, actually like to be beaten up (sado-masochist relationships). There are many factors and bonds that keep women from making the decision to break off a violent relationship within a brief period: fear of losing their children, economic difficulties, isolation, disapproval of the family, being condemned and stigmatised by society. Obviously, however, in any case and without any doubt the hypothesis of choice, of a free choice by the woman who suffers violence must be refuted. The culture of male-female relationships When speaking of violence agaisnt women it is important to always keep in mind that violence agaisnt women is gender violence, recognised today by the international community as a fundamental violation of human rights 2. Women suffer violence at the hands of men. Obviously not all men use violence agaisnt women, but it is nevertheless gender violence, ie. violence by men agaisnt women and children. Men usually use violence to maintain or enforce their power over women, or to block a regression of this power. Gender violence has long been invisible: it took place in the shadows in as far as it coincided with the prevailing values, traditions and laws, to the point that it was considered a fact of nature, common, normal! Just think how readily visible this is in our society, especially in the south, where the family culture is so strong as to justify any abuse against women. Men have power; “the good wife” is the woman who tolerates, who suffers in silence in the name of the family: submissiveness is elevated to virtue. How it develops inside the family Domestic violence can erupt at any moment in a relationship: sometimes it starts immediately, sometimes in coincidence with the birth of a child; sometimes after many years of marriage; the frequency and gravity of violent episodes are extremely variable. Domestic violence consists of a series of strategies on the part of the perpetrator who wants to exercise control over his partner, and often also on their children. The violent partner first creates an atmosphere of tension and isolation, through threats, prohibitions, feelings of guilt, and denigration of the woman: then he inflicts violence. Usually the frequency and gravity of the episodes increase over time, until the women, after various attempts at mending and recovering the relationship (using various survival strategies such as minimising the episodes of violence and blaming themselves), decide to pull out of the situation of abuse, with their children. Consequences for the woman The consequences of domestic violence against women manifest themselves on various levels, which are often correlated. On a psychological level there can be a loss of self esteem, anxiety and fear with regard to her situation and that of her children, self incrimination, a deep sense of helplessness, of depression; At a physical level, besides traumas which can heal, there can be psycho-somatic problems, sleep disorders, permanent articulation damage, scars, partial loss of hearing and/or sight, etc.; From an economic and social point of view it can cause women to lose their jobs, homes and other property, as well as a certain standard of living; isolation, lack of communication and relations with the outside world, loss of friendships. Consequences for the children Episodes of violence against women inside the family are on the increase: therefore it is important to remember that often the direct and indirect victims of these situations are the children. This type of violence has very serious effects on children, whether they themselves are abused, or whether they are witness to episodes of violence. Children who are witness to or the victims of domestic violence, manifest physical and psychological health problems, as well as behavioural problems such as weight, food and sleep disorders; they may have difficulties at school, not make positive friendships, and try to run away from home, or have suicidal tendencies. [email protected] With the kind collaboration of Alesia Magnano Citizens’ safety – sexual harassment and violence. ISTAT 1998 Council of Europe-Group of specialists for combating violence against women, Final Report of Activities, Strasbourg, 1997 1 2