
Domestic violence has grave impact on lives of women and children. It affects their personality. What type of human being they will turn out to be is also determined by violence they face.
Several researchers have been giving empirical evidences to the impact of violence. Gary Barker of International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) has been part of such studies. Dhaka consultation gave me the opportunity to ask Gary categorically about the impact. He has given details, which I tried to summarize as follows-
Impact on Women-Boys- Girls
Violence create fears among them
Fear turns them to aggression
Kids gets trouble in schools
Capability of learning become less
Concentration is affected
Feeling of humiliation and shame
One slap hurt more to 'heart and ego' than to body. This turns to violence. It means shame more than injury is the reason for chain of violence.
If a woman or kid subject to repeated violence or living in environment of violence, their Fear Hormone increases. We can measure them in blood.
Fear Hormone- Cortisol and Andrelin are two hormones also known as Fear Hormone. These are necessary hormone in the body to keep human being alert from eventualities or danger. Like attack of a Lion etc. However, what will happen if someone were on position of constantly alert all the time? They will breakdown. Mentally they will become unstable.
Impact on Girls
Researches from Europe and America show that girls living in a violent home more likely to either accept violence a form of male behavior or something natural.
Loss of self esteem
Less likely to seek help
Suffer from depression
Stress
Do not resist violence
Become docile
Impact on Boys
Whereas girls internalize violence in most of the cases, boys externalize it.
Sees violence as natural and intrinsic part of masculinity
External manifestation of violence is more visible.
Aggression in attitude
Manifestation of violent attitude towards others
See violence as means of solution to smaller things
Later on, On their relationship they use violence
And is there any impact on the perpetrator of violence? Yes!
Often feeling of guilt
Sometime feeling of shame
Loss of self esteem
Feeling of damage and harm to relationship
There are some who feel satisfied after the act of violence
Feeling of failure
Psychological manifestation likely to grow that easily triggers violent attitude.
Frustration on job
Unwillingness to work
Loss of job
Why we talk about the gender based violence, this story was started with this question. After jotting down the impact of violence on different persons, courtesy Gary barker, I do not think anybody is going to ask this question again. Am I right?
So, Men and Women show your courage, let us come forward to end this gender-based violence for better today and tomorrow, for better human being, for better and equitable society and home... for gender equality.
(A slightly different version of this series had been published in Hindi daily Hindustan. Nasiruddin Haider Khan is a Hindi journalist based in Lucknow and a researcher in gender issues. His website is www.genderjihad.in and he can be reached at nasiruddinhk@gmail.com )
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