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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:13 am
Time: 1:13 am
Results for domestic violence (montenegro)
1 results foundAuthor: Krkeljic, Ljiljana Title: Small Arms and Gender-Based Violence in Montenegro Summary: Data shows that the family context, otherwise a synonym for protection and safety, in some situations becomes a source of violence and violation of fundamental human rights. It is known that domestic violence usually occurs when there is a need to gain and maintain dominance and control over another human being. All the data obtained in the course of this research show that women are the primary victims of family violence, and also suffer other forms of violence outside the home. The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women describes violence against women as a “manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women”. At the same time, violence is one of the “crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.” Although domestic violence in Montenegro, just like anywhere else in the world, violates many rights protected by international human rights conventions and also constitutes a violation of domestic laws, one of the biggest obstacles in recognising family violence as a violation of human rights is the belief that “personal” bodily injuries and emotional distress suffered within one’s family are not subject to any law, be it domestic or international. This is also one of the biggest obstacles to victims seeking help and protection. Considering the fact that in such a social environment we see a willingness on the part of women to seek and receive help, the results obtained are highly relevant for understanding gender-based violence. As for domestic violence in Montenegro, defined as a pattern of abuse and use of force including threats, isolation and intimidation, the use of firearms deepens the issue of violence considerably, posing a direct threat to the life of the victim, and to her physical and mental integrity. Since it is men who mostly own arms, and judging by the statements of battered women that it is their husbands, partners, brothers and sons who threaten them with weapons, women are paying a high price for the presence of firearms in the home. Violence against women involving the use of firearms is not an inevitable phenomenon, but a result of tolerance of, and leniency and towards the issue, which is part of Montenegrinhistoric and cultural patterns. No matter what the social context of domestic violence and violence against women may be like, the presence of weapons always has the same effect – the more weapons there are, the more danger to women they pose. Montenegrin society has some serious issues to tackle in order to prevent the abuse of small arms and to curb the culture of armed violence, which is, considering the current situation (vis-a vis the presence of arms in Montenegrin homes) a highly complex task. The reasons for this lie in the immediate destructive effect of the use of firearms in violent behaviour, as well as in the socialisation effects of such patterns, which may have a trans-generational character as role models for behaviour. Awareness of the fact that armed violence poses a risk to life and health, and that the family context in which it happens does not reduce this risk, should be a high priority issue when considering strategies for the reduction of civilian possession of small arms. The pattern of keeping armed violence within the boundaries of family secrets and the traditional role of women as their guardians means that responses to violence necessitate help both for the victim and for the perpetrator. In order to develop such awareness in Montenegrin society there needs to be proper victim protection mechanisms in order to develop a sense of safety and trust in society’s response to domestic violence. Protection mechanisms would function most effectively if they operate within a multi-sectoral approach and involve various forms of protection from the police, the judiciary, and social and health care sectors at the same time as activities aimed at changing public attitudes and prejudices upon which many patterns of behaviour concerning the possession, carrying and use of arms are based. Details: Porgorica, Montenegro: United Nations Development Programme, Montenegro, 2007. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 14, 2010 at: http://www.seesac.org/uploads/Small_Arms_and_Gender-Based_Violence_in_Montenegro.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Europe URL: http://www.seesac.org/uploads/Small_Arms_and_Gender-Based_Violence_in_Montenegro.pdf Shelf Number: 120501 Keywords: Battered WomenDomestic Violence (Montenegro)FirearmsVictims of Family ViolenceViolence Against Women |