Inequality Kills: The unparalleled action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19

The wealth of the world’s 10 richest men has doubled since the pandemic began. The incomes of 99% of humanity are worse off because of COVID-19. Widening economic, gender, and racial inequalities—as well as the inequality that exists between countries—are tearing our world apart. This is not by chance, but choice: “economic violence” is perpetrated when structural policy choices are made for the richest and most powerful people. This causes direct harm to us all, and to the poorest people, women and girls, and racialized groups most. Inequality contributes to the death of at least one person every four seconds. But we can radically redesign our economies to be centered on equality. We can claw back extreme wealth through progressive taxation; invest in powerful, proven inequality-busting public measures; and boldly shift power in the economy and society. If we are courageous, and listen to the movements demanding change, we can create an economy in which nobody lives in poverty, nor with unimaginable billionaire wealth—in which inequality no longer kills.

Psychological Reactions to Different Types of Gender-Based Violence in Women Survivors of Violence in the Context of a Developing Country

Literature on the psychological effects on women survivors of violence (WSV) suggests there may be a relationship between the specific type of gender-based violence and patterns in the development of mental health consequences. Understanding these relationships would support early targeted (or early specialist) intervention. Since violence against women in families is a common social health problem in developing countries, the study attempted to explore the abuse specific reaction patterns within such a context. A total of 600 WSV ( mean age = 26.86, SD = 7.47) were recruited from different social service organizations working for WSV in Bangladesh. To identify the type of gender-based violence (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic violence) experienced and psychiatric sequelae (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse) in WSV, multiple reliable and valid measures were used. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that amongst the various different types of violence, only psychological, sexual, and economic violence have a significant independent predictive ability on PTSD, anxiety, and depression in the Bangladeshi WSV. Violence related factors such as witnessing violence in childhood among parents and history of childhood abuse had the unique predictive ability on suicidal ideation and substance abuse, respectively. Our result suggested that accepting physical and emotional abuse at any stage of life is very common for Bangladeshi women. This study suggested that non-physical forms of violence have the most significant independent predictive ability in the development of psychiatric symptoms. It is suggested that to develop appropriate support services for WSV within this socio-cultural context, further research is required which focuses on the psychological impact of non-physical forms of violence.

Violencia de género en el deporte (Gender violence in sport)

La institución del deporte no sólo establece condiciones desiguales para hombres y mujeres, sino que también reproduce y genera formas específicas de violencia. El propósito de este trabajo es identificar las formas de violencia de género que están presentes en el ámbito deportivo y para ello, el estudio hace un análisis teórico para abordar los conceptos de violencia, género y violencia contra la mujer. Los resultados muestran varias manifestaciones de violencia simbólica, sexual y económica en el contexto deportivo. Se destaca la necesidad de implementar medidas específicas para prevenir y erradicar la violencia de género. Adicionalmente, describe algunos de los esfuerzos realizados que pueden servir de base para la implementación de políticas con perspectiva de género. Abstract. Sports institutions do not only establish unequal conditions for men and women but also reproduce and generate specific forms of violence. The purpose of this study is to identify the forms of gender violence that are present in the sports field. Through a theoretical approach, the study addresses the concepts of violence, gender, and violence against women. The results show several manifestations of symbolic, sexual, and economic violence in the sports context. It is outlined the need to implement specific measures to prevent and eradicate gender violence. Additionally, it describes some of the efforts made that can serve as a basis for the implementation of policies with a gender perspective.

Measuring Violence Against Women: A Global Index

Violence against women (VaW) is a widespread crime and violation of the rights of women. It is present in every country without exception and crosses boundaries of culture, class, education, income, and race. Despite the magnitude of the literature and the abundance of publications on this problem, the field lacks a comprehensive and homogeneous way to measure and compare the extent of VaW across countries. Proper quantification of this problem is needed to develop preventive policies and strategies to reduce it. This article develops an index of VaW (VAWI) with global scope and multidimensional approach for 102 countries. It is an original index that calculates the total level of VaW by capturing information from the main VaW types (physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence) in a single value between 0 and 1, where 0 denotes complete absence of violence and 1 the highest level of violence in a country. The proposed index is easy to compute and is comparable across countries. Our main results show that the nations with the highest levels of global VaW are Yemen, Senegal, Oman, Cameroon, and Uganda. The countries with the lowest levels are the Northern European Countries, Canada, and Malta. This VAWI makes a novel and important contribution to the study of gender issues. It can be used not only to monitor the statistics on VaW data within countries over time but also to make comparisons among countries. Further, it could be useful in designing new policy initiatives to reduce VaW.

Economic violence among women of economically backward Muslim minority community: the case of rural North India

Economic violence represents a state of control over an individual capacity to obtain, utilize and keep up economic assets. The current study investigates the prevalence of economic violence among women of the socioeconomically backward Muslim minority community by taking a sample of 387 women from rural areas of North India within a framework of domestic violence. It is shown that economic violence against Muslim women perpetrated by their husbands exists in India. Economic violence adversely affects Muslim women’s access to health services, educational attainment, social mobility, and employment opportunities. Our findings indicate that among the components of economic violence experienced by women, the tendency of employment sabotage is higher compared to economic control and economic exploitation. Clearly, there is a need for a special focus on improving minority community women’s access to developmental opportunities.

Prevalence and sociogeographical inequalities of violence against women in Ecuador: a cross-sectional study

Background Violence against women (VAW) is a vast public health problem in Latin America. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of violence against women and to assess its sociogeographical inequalities in Ecuador during 2019. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a national survey conducted in 2019 (n = 17,211) among women aged 15 years and over. Independent variables included age, marital status, education, ethnicity, place of residence and region. The chosen outcomes were lifetime experience of total violence, sexual violence, physical violence, psychological violence and economic violence. Frequency tables were first calculated, and then crude and adjusted regression models estimating risk differences and their 95% confidence intervals were computed. Results Nearly two-thirds (64.86%) of the participating women had experienced some form of violence during their lifetime, mainly psychological violence (56.92%). The second most prevalent type of violence was physical (35.44%) closely followed by sexual (32.67%). Almost one-fifth (16.38%) stated to have experienced some form of economic violence. Physical and psychological violence were more common among women aged 26–35 and less among older women. All forms of violence were more often reported among women with no education except for sexual violence, which was more frequent among those with higher education. Physical, psychological and economic violence were more often reported by those living with a partner, being married or divorced/separated. Sexual violence was associated with those belonging to a non-indigenous ethnic group, while all types of violence were more common among those living in an urban setting (except physical violence), in the Highlands or in the Amazon region. Conclusions Our study showed that VAW is a common event in Ecuador and identified several sociogeographical inequalities that varied depending on the type of violence. VAW was more common among the younger age groups, those with low education, those living with a partner or being divorced/separated, or residing in an urban setting, in the Highlands or in the Amazon. Further studies including more social factors and a continuous monitoring of VAW are recommended. Current policies and laws to protect women need to be expanded and effectively implemented to reduce VAW in the Ecuador.

The New Sykes-Picot: Imperial Geographies, Economic Violence and the Occupation of Northern and Eastern Syria

This article quantifies the socio-economic impact of Syria’s territorial fragmentation, framing western efforts to partition Syria against the backdrop of a broader campaign designed to achieve regime change using economic violence. While some have attempted to quantify the impact of sanctions and trade restrictions on Syrian civilians, much of the extant literature fails to address the illegal occupation of Syrian territory north and east of the Euphrates River. Critically, the direct seizure of geographic space through the occupation of Syrian territory facilitates economic violence far more effectively than sanctions alone. In western capitals, the tacit embrace of such methods indicates a re-discovery of old-line traditional territorial imperialism and the rhetorical devices needed to promote it: advocating the illegal seizure of Syrian territory demands a reinvigorated orientalist public discourse designed to promote western saviorism and the moral necessity of western interventionism. Using a hybridized research methodology incorporating qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study appraises the tangible consequences of Syria’s territorial fragmentation as experienced by Syrians while simultaneously appraising the role of orientalist, liberal-interventionist discourse in the promotion of empire.

ECONOMIC VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY: YPES AND REASONS FOR USE

Based on national legislation on domestic violence, the article examines the concept of domestic violence. A particular attention is paid to economic violence in the family. Any form of violence is associated with the distribution of power between partners and some certain imbalance between them. In a couple, the partner who is emotionally and/or physically stronger and more influential uses violence. Economic violence is associated with the deprivation or restriction of the right to use economic resources, in which one of the partners (more often a woman) feels a threat towards security and emotional comfort, as she is in complete economic dependence on the tyrant partner. Economic violence can manifest itself in the deprivation or restriction of the right to use property, money; imposition of property obligations; transfer of monetary obligations to the victim; the prohibition of employment, which deprives the victim of the possibility of self-realization in the future. These actions may entail mental suffering and a decrease in the mental stability of the victim of violence, which indicates psychological violence and so on. The commission of these actions is violence in the event that the partner whom they were applied to feels psychological suffering, which can lead to a health disorder, emotional dependence or a deterioration in his/her of life’s quality. The reasons for economic violence are the unwillingness of partners to discuss complex issues related to the management of economic resources before starting a relationship; unwillingness of one of the parties to take responsibility for their lives, completely falling under the dependence of the other partner, including in financial matters; violation of the personal boundaries of another partner, the desire to manipulate him/ her and, as a consequence, the dependence of one partner on the other and so on. The criteria for distinguishing between criminally punishable domestic violence and domestic violence as an administrative offense are signs of systematicity and social danger. It is proposed to reveal the content of the forms of domestic violence enshrined in Art. 126–1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, taking into account the content of the objective side of other articles of Section II, IV of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; enforce in the footnote to Art. 126–1 of the Criminal Code definition of the concept of “systematic”.

Economic violence against women: A case in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting the exposure of women in the 15–59 age group in Turkey to economic violence by their husbands/partners. The micro data set of the National Research on Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey, which was conducted by the Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies, was employed in this study. The factors affecting women’s exposure to economic violence were determined using the binary logistic regression analysis. In the study, women in the 15–24, 25–34 and 35–44 age group had a higher ratio of exposure to economic violence compared to the reference group. Women who graduated from elementary school, secondary school, and high school had a higher ratio of exposure to economic violence compared to those who have never gone to school. Women’s exposure to physical, sexual and verbal violence was also important factor affecting women’s exposure to economic violence. The results obtained in this study are important in that they can be a source of information for establishing policies and programs to prevent violence against women. This study can also be a significant guide in determining priority areas for the resolution of economic violence against women.