Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Gender Equality and Social Cohesion in Iraq, Huriye Toker,Ayselin Yıldız, Editör, Yaşar University Publications, İzmir, ss.20-30, 2022
While violence can be categorized and defined in various ways, it can be roughly described as
“harmful behavior to another person” that affects particular individuals and groups in different
ways (WHO 2002, 5). The frequency of different kinds of violence varies across countries, but
violence against women is both widespread and frequently condoned, making it a crucial area
for understanding male dominance (Macionis and Plummer 2005, 314). Systematic violence,
which has been going on for centuries and especially against women, is increased in situations
like war, migration, and famine. While violence can affect all segments of society, those who
have been historically subordinated are more seriously affected. That is, there is a common
ground for violence across different geographies, cultures, and types. For example, those who
are victims of sexism are highly affected by violence in society because the violence against
them is normalized by cultural and religious values, traditions, and institutions.
Although acts of violence against women are human rights violations that breach specific
obligations of states under international law, it is hard to eliminate such violence because it
is embedded within the cultural norms and traditions of many countries. Extreme levels of
discrimination have finally made violence against women a public concern, which has forced
many countries to provide non-violent living conditions. However, despite all the legal measures
taken, it is not easy to achieve this goal. It is difficult for women to avoid certain types of violence
since domestic, physical, and sexual violence are socially normalized and law enforcement
officers take a masculine view of such acts in many countries. Combating violence against women
entails first identifying it formally and then enforcing and implementing the laws appropriately.
Police, judges and law enforcement officers, who mostly adopt and reflect the common norms
of their society, do not have gender equality perspective to implement the laws. Thus, various
studies into combatting domestic violence and workplace harassment have usefully focused on
changing social structures and cultural norms of the society. Depending on different countries
and cultures, it is known that women have been subjected to violence on a wide scale from
discrimination of women in the workplace to honor killings; from domestic and psychological
violence to pressures that result suicides. For this reason, it is necessary to analyze carefully the
structure of the society in which violence occurs