The issue of honour killings has become a prominent topic of discussion in the Western discourse of violence against immigrant women. In Canada, particularly, the recent high-profile cases of honour killings have drawn increased attention from the media, academics and the public. The prevalent discussion links these murders to the broader issues of immigration, multiculturalism, and violence against immigrant women. In this thesis, I examine the nature of honour killings, their components, and the discourse of honour killings in its Canadian context. In doing so, I conduct a textual analysis of the representation of three recent honour killings in two major Canadian newspapers; The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. Results suggest that honour killings touched a nerve in Canadian media leading to the use of culturalist approaches to understand and represent these killings. This culturalist approach to the debate created serious obstacles for clarifying or explaining this form of violence against women. It further hindered any constructive public debate about ending these killings. The consequences of the culturalist approach to honour killings as well as recommendations for future research and theoretical developments in this area of violence against women are suggested. / UOIT

Domestic violence against children is well known on the social problem aspect, and Sweden has become the first country clarifying its stance on physical punishment and child abuse since established “anti-spanking” law in 1979. The purpose of this research was to investigate how Swedish social workers deal with the issue about domestic violence against children. The research was developed with hermeneutics approach and ecological systems theory, and carried out by four respondents from Social Services Gävle. With the answers claimed by the respondents, constitute the results and conclusions, that is all kinds of tackling methods about child abuse should be regulated by laws, and cooperate with police or citizens comprehensively, especially in the period of investigation.  This paper might be a general pattern, but we do hope it could make people rethinking about child abuse issues, that probably may reduce a little bit pressure to children in the future.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Women's Studies. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 430-455). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ39282.

Since the 2011 revolution, the media has given much attention to the problem of sexual harassment and assault in Egypt. Attacks against female journalists and protestors have thrust the issue into the international spotlight, but it is a problem that has plagued Egypt for years. The majority of women in Egypt face some kind of sexual harassment everyday. This report is about the men and women who are working to stop sexual harassment and assault in Egypt. / text

This dissertation is a creative piece that reflects a dual focus in the American Indian Studies program - American Indian Law & Policy and Native American Literature. This "epidemic of violence," as James Anaya labeled it, underpins the writing of this dissertation. Some statistics: One in three Native women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. Some sources purport that 88% of assailants are non-Native. Only 13% of reported assaults on Native women are prosecuted. The core of the dissertation is a novella bookended by an Introduction and an Epilog. The Introduction includes the factors and influences that led to the writing of this novella. The novella presents the convergence of the stories of four damaged women and their individual paths toward healing. An Epilog provides a space for thoughts on the writing process and the final product. The purpose of this dissertation is three-fold: Bring attention to the problem of violence committed against Native women, to promote the sharing of stories to begin the path to healing, and to add to the scholarship of American Indian Studies.

The present study addresses abused Vietnamese women’s experience of health, as well as other health problems and family conflicts, while also taking into consideration professional dealings with family violence. Women’s health in everyday life is largely affected when they are exposed to violence by their male partners. Such violence exists in most societies around the world, also in the Vietnamese context, where the official policies focus on gender equality, together with a strong family concept. Thus, the present study aims to contribute to an empirical understanding of the relation between women’s health and violence against women within the family, from three perspectives: That of the society (organisations and professionals), the neighbourhood community (family members and neighbours), and the individuals (the abused women). The thesis is based on three qualitative interview studies. To reach the official Vietnamese society, national organisations working against violence were invited to participate and eleven professionals of different positions were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews were analysed with content analysis. To include the neighbourhood community perspectives on health and conflicts in family life, twenty-two men and women of different ages and backgrounds, but without any known history of abuse, participated in sixteen semi-structured interviews. For the third study twelve abused women presented life-stories through indepth interviews. The interviews of study two and three were analysed using narrative approach. On a professional level, the discussion on violence focus on the abusive men’s violent acts, on how to promote good social relations and how to make people in general recognise violence as a public health problem and value gender equality. In family everyday life, the informants consider women as the main responsible for the family well-being, but find cooperative support necessary in daily life. To adjust family life to social change, and to make everyone feel important, means to avoid boredom or distress are strategies used, since such conditions are considered to cause troubled relations, abuse and suffering. Violence within the family is seen as interpersonal problems where both partners are to blame for family dysfunction. Empathic sentiments, mutual support and communication are means to handle problems, and a harmonious and happy family is seen as protecting health. The abused women experience vulnerability, which they see as the foremost threat to their health. Injuries as well as worries cause harm. The abused women blame their husbands, for the violence, but they rarely confront them. Instead they use a number of strategies to handle their situation; through enduring, making their husband’s face others judgements, or divorce. They see violence as part of an everyday life of hardship, and consider that bearing too many troubles harms their health. A coherent approach between the different perspectives is needed if the abused women and their families will have a possibility to experience health. The professionals need to consider both public equality policies and the individuals’ experience of vulnerability. The abused women, and abusive men, would benefit from a neighbourhood community that is open to individual failure but still supportive and encouraging. To experience health this study found that it matters what position a person has, what expectations and judgement a person face, how well a person can manage her obligations, and what room for action she possesses. / Studien fokuserar på vietnamesiska kvinnors hälsa, om de utsatts för våld i hemmet, samt närliggande hälsoproblem och familjekonflikter. Studien behandlar också professionellas hanterande av våld i familjen. Kvinnors hälsa och vardagsliv försämras av att de utsätts för våld från sina manliga partner. Detta våld återfinns i de flesta av världens länder, så också i Vietnam, som dock är ett land med starkt politiskt och officiellt fokus på jämställdhet, samtidigt som man värnar om familjen som enhet och begrepp. Därför är syftet för denna studie att bidra till en empirisk förståelse av relationen mellan kvinnors hälsa och våld mot kvinnor inom familjen, från tre perspektiv: samhällets (professionella organisationer), grannskapets (familjemedlemmar och grannar) samt individernas (de våldsutsatta kvinnorna). Studien baseras på tre kvalitativa delstudier. För att söka förstå det vietnamesiska samhället, inbjöds nationella organisationer som arbetar mot våld att delta, och elva professionella på olika positioner intervjuades. De semi-strukturerade intervjuerna analyserades med innehållsanalys. För att nå grannskapets perspektiv på hälsa och konflikter i familjelivet, intervjuades 22 män och kvinnor av olika åldrar och bakgrunder, utan känd våldshistorik inom familjen. De deltog i 16 semistrukturerade intervjuer. I den tredje delstudien intervjuades 12 våldsutsatta kvinnor genom att de presenterade sina livshistorier. Studie två och tre analyserades narrativt. På den professionella nivån rör diskussionen om våld de våldsutövande männens handlingar, hur man ska främja goda sociala relationer och hur man ska få allmänheten att förstå våld som en folkhälsofråga och värdera jämställdhet. I familjernas vardagsliv ser informanterna kvinnan som ansvarig för familjens välbefinnande, men samarbete och stöd som nödvändigt i familjelivet. För att anpassa familjelivet efter sociala förändringar, och att få alla att känna sig betydelsefulla i familjen, anses det nödvändigt att undvika tristess och leda. Anpassning till samhällets förändring och att främja familjens välbefinnande ses som strategier för att hantera problematiska relationer, konflikter, våld och lidande. Våld inom familjen anses vara ett interpersonellt problem, där båda parter bär skulden för familjens dysfunktion. Empati, ömsesidigt stöd och kommunikation är verktyg för att hantera problem, och en harmonisk och lycklig familj anses främja hälsan. De våldsutsatta kvinnorna upplever sårbarhet, vilket de ser som det främsta hotet mot sin hälsa. Såväl kroppsskador som oro försämrar kvinnornas situation. De våldsutsatta kvinnorna lägger skulden på sina män för våldet, men de konfronterar dem sällan. Istället använder de sig av strategier för att hantera sin situation: genom att uthärda, få maken att möta andras fördömanden, eller skilsmässa. De ser våldet som en del av ett vardagsliv fyllt av svårigheter, och anser att bördan av för många problem är det som skadar deras hälsa. Ett samordnat tillvägagångssätt mellan de olika samhällsnivåernas perspektiv behövs om de våldsutsatta kvinnorna och deras familjer ska ha en möjlighet att uppleva hälsa. De professionella behöver beakta såväl jämställdhetspolicyer som individers upplevelse av sårbarhet. De våldsutsatta kvinnorna, och våldsutövande männen, skulle gagnas av en grannskapsgemenskap som är öppen för individuella misslyckanden, men ändå stödjande och uppmuntrande. Denna studie visar att för att uppleva hälsa är det av betydelse vilken social position personen har, vilka förväntningar och bedömningar en person möter, hur väl hon kan hantera sina åtaganden, och vilket handlingsutrymme hon besitter.

This study used multiple regression analysis to determine which of the Riggs and O'Leary's (1989) background-situational model variables best predict the pattern of dating violence in heterosexual Batswana college students' relationships. The background variables included in the study are (a) exposure to interparental violence, (b) gender-role attitudes, and (c) acceptance of aggression as a response to conflict. One situational variable-the partner's use of aggression is included in this study. This situational variable was included because of its central role in the background-situational model and because Riggs and O'Leary (1989) identified it as a potentially important situational predictor of dating aggression. Although the variables selected for use in this study are far from exhaustive, the use of restricted models has been identified as a useful heuristic in the study of interpartner aggression (O'Leary, 1988). The use of multiple regression procedures in this study can be expected to yield a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that are associated with the likelihood of Batswana college students to engage in dating violence. It also permits for the study of the predictive power of variables within the context of other more or less powerful predictors.The study's sample were 135 female and 118 male undergraduate students recruited from a university in Botswana. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 years old, were unmarried, were involved in a heterosexual dating relationship or had been involved in one such relationship in the past. Participants completed a set of questionnaires, including the revised Conflict Tactics Scales, the parents' version of the Conflict Tactics Scales, the partners' version of the Conflict Tactics Scales, the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, and the Attitudes About Dating Violence Scale. The combination of exposure to interparental violence, gender-role attitudes, acceptance of aggression as a response to conflict, and partners use of aggression, with demographic variables held constant, was significant and accounted for 89% of the variance in participants' perpetration of dating violence. Results indicated that partner's use of violence is a strong predictor of dating violence perpetration. Implications from this study are offered. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

In this study, I examine the dramatization of violence against the female body in contemporary drama by women and the purpose behind their representational approaches. I concentrate on the representation of three types that I consider inclusive of other minor forms of violence: the political, the medical, and the social violations of the female body. In chapter one, I study the dramatic representation of political violence against women as their bodies become ideological expressions of their lands. This chapter analyzes Suzan-Lori Parks' Venus and Naomi Wallace's In the Heart of America. These dramas represent the violation of women's bodies to parallel the violation and rape of their lands that are effeminized by their subjugation to the dominant powers of the world. In chapter two, I examine the representation of medical violence against women's bodies as connoting the lower status of the female body within patriarchy. The dramas of this chapter, Louise Page's Tissue and Margaret Edson's Wit, illustrate how the female body is dehumanized and devalued by a patriarchal medical practice that fails to recognize the distinctive physical and mental needs of women. Finally, in chapter three, I discuss the dramatic representation of social violence as the most inclusive form of aggression against women. The plays of this chapter, Caryl Churchill's Vinegar Tom and Maria Irene Fornes' The Conduct of Life, emphasize the masculine fear of and intimidation by the female body's sexuality and productivity, which instigates all types of physical violence against women within the social context. In the conclusion, I discuss Eve Ansler's The Vagina Monologues as a piece of performance art that instigates an active type of opposition against women's subjugations and violations. The activism of this type of drama and its effectiveness in enforcing change upon women's lives makes it an excellent extension to the type of ideas and notions brought about in this dissertation. / Department of English

Despite nearly twenty years of official peace in Guatemala since the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords, violence continues to remain a grave problem throughout the country. In particular, extreme forms of gender-based violence have been reportedly problematic over the past two decades, with a conversation on femicide, the targeted killing of women by men based on their gender, emerging in recent years between activists, politicians and practitioners alike. To respond to the crisis around femicide, in 2008, the Law on Femicide and Other Forms of Violence Against Women was passed by Guatemala’s congress, mandating the creation of a specialized justice system to criminalize such acts. Guatemala’s legal innovations around femicidal violence is widely believed by many observers as a victory for human and women’s rights defenders in the country. However, despite these legal interventions, femicidal violence has continued unabatedly in Guatemala. In this thesis, I present a two-pronged argument. First, I will argue that the tensions inherent to neoliberalism in Guatemala create a landscape in which women are vulnerable to experiencing femicidal violence, beyond the scope explored by both the mainstream and critical literature, and moreover, beyond the scope of the Law on Femicide. Second, I posit that the Law on Femicide, which is inserted as a neutral, technical fix to the ongoing and pervasive issue of femicide and violence against women, depoliticizes femicide in Guatemala, removing it from neoliberal capitalist context and individualizing the responsibility of the crime to perpetrators, rather than the neoliberal state. Simultaneously, the rule of law as expressed through the Law on Femicide must be understood in the context of the neoliberal landscape in Guatemala, in particular, in the context of neoliberalism’s “crisis of social reproduction” (LeBaron and Roberts 2012, 26). / Thesis (Master, Global Development Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-06-18 10:26:03.879

Feminist activism has a rich history in Canada, but mobilization on the issue of violence against women specifically gained considerable momentum during what is often referred to as the “second wave” of the feminist movement. Since this time, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have seen a proliferation of both grassroots and public policy responses to intimate partner violence and sexual violence. This study is an effort to construct a feminist history of the activism that occurred between 1970 and 2010, as well as to make sense of feminist claims-making strategies using a social constructionist approach to social problems and to make sense of feminist activism as a social movement using social movement impact theory. In constructing a feminist history, documents from the Canadian Women’s Movement Archives were consulted and interviews with current and former feminist activists were conducted. The historical component of this study focuses on how feminist activists first recognized and responded to the problem of violence against women. This analysis suggests that throughout the last forty years, feminist activists have engaged in a multi-pronged project of providing feminist services for victims of intimate partner and sexual violence, advocating for social and legal change as the “official” response to violence against women, and conducting their own research on the extent and nature of violence against women. Various strategies were used in this process, including forming partnerships and coalitions, but activists also faced challenges from within and outside the movement, including internal debates, struggles to fit in, and backlash from counter movements. The final chapter discusses how the history of feminist activism on violence against woman cannot easily fit into strict constructionist approach to understanding social problems and, as a social movement, is difficult to evaluate given the myriad goals, mechanisms for reaching those goals, and interpretations of success associated with the movement. Future research directions are also suggested, including looking at evidence of claims-making from other sources; bridging the gap, theoretically and pragmatically, between the “mainstream” feminist movement and other streams of women’s activism; and, more conceptual work on feminist movements and the separation between intimate partner and sexual violence.