In her book “The Family in Global Perspective: A Gendered Journey,” Elaine Leeder discusses the disturbing trend of domestic violence practiced all over the globe.  She focuses on four countries in particular: India, Japan, Vietnam, and Africa.  All four countries see domestic violence as the “norm” and many women and children suffer for this reason.  India and Japan have no specific laws against wife battering.  Vietnam and Africa have laws in place to protect women and children, but sentences are rarely carried out because law enforcement views the problem as part of their culture. 

     Domestic abuse is so common in industrialized nations it seems because of the rising demands of upward mobility and competition on the workforce.  Men (who are typically the head of the household) carry large burdens and stressors to provide for their family and they tend to carry out their aggression in the form of corporal punishment.

      Most women in these countries never complain about domestic violence because there are few, if any, laws to protect them.  Those who do speak up are considered disobedient and therefore suffer more serious abuse.  Men in India are permitted to abuse their wives under certain circumstances such as when he is drunk (if he is otherwise a good husband), dowry problems, his wife’s infidelity, disobedience, or neglect of household duties.  Wife battering is permitted in Japan because a man’s wife is considered his property.  Violence is an integral part of Japanese society.

     Vietnamese women are somewhat protected from physical abuse but suffer from what is called “invisible violence;” intimidation and fear drive marital relationships.  It is common for the women to work and bring in the majority of the income but she is still considered inferior to her husband.  Vietnamese law considers women equal to men, though it is rarely practiced.   Sons are preferred by Vietnamese families, so women who give birth to daughters are more likely to be abused.  Girls are considered to be economically draining, where son’s can eventually provide for their family.  Sex trade is also common in Vietnam and the industry is growing.

     Violence against one’s wife in parts of Africa is considered legitimate and part of their culture.  Many countries do not have the funds to cover the many social and health problems they face, so funding programs to protect women from domestic violence is basically out of the question.  The World Health Organization and United Nations are working towards solving the issue of female circumcision; a practice typical of Africa and parts of Southwest Asia where young girls are bodies are cut and scraped to make their bodies more attractive and marriageable. 

     Although Leeder encourages us to suspend “any ethnocentric value judgements” about family violence, these practices are unwarranted and require global intervention.  Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior over another.  All cultural beliefs aside, domestic abuse is a matter of human right issues, regardless of tradition.  It is hard to believe that the women who are suffering choose to stay silent because they “deserve” to be abused because their ancestors said so.  I can imagine that inside each one of these women and girls is someone dying to get out and make a change toward gender equality and strict laws punishing the abuser. BY AMANDA