1. A tale of two cities: Why there is no “one solution” to combating spousal abuse
- Author:
- Ammar A. Malik and Jared Stolove
- Publication Date:
- 08-2017
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- The World Health Organization has identified Southeast Asia as the region of the world with the highest rates of domestic violence, with 37.7 percent of women experiencing spousal abuse. This troubling statistic deserves the attention of policymakers and nongovernmental organizations looking to reduce domestic abuse. But those designing interventions should not treat this region as a monolith. Recent research has highlighted that domestic violence is the result of community- and individual-level factors. Although certain socioeconomic groups, such as the impoverished and the poorly educated, are generally more likely to be the victims of domestic violence, the factors that put individual women at risk of abuse vary across communities. Policymakers aiming to reduce spousal violence must be conscious of local context when designing interventions. Otherwise, policymakers risk using valuable resources on ineffective projects that do not address the root causes of domestic violence. Recent fieldwork by the Urban Institute profiles how different the causes of domestic violence can be, even among similar socioeconomic groups.
- Topic:
- Women, Gender Based Violence, Cities, and Domestic Violence
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, South Asia, and India