Domestic Violence

In chapter 41, Leeder discusses domestic violence in India, Japan, Vietnam, and Africa. In India many forms of domestic violence occur as a result of rising industrialization and moderization. Families have rising economic expectations, and the problems are acted out at home. Mild forms of wife beating are commonplace, and many men and women admit freely in interviews that t s justified if the woman does not “behave herself”. In rural india, women believe that alcohol and inadequate dowries provoke the abuse. Some drunken husbands beat thei wives without provocation, and women who are beaten complain that the problem is exacerbated by the drunken fits of their husbands. Abuse is tolerated under certain circumstances in india, which include dowry problems, a wife’s infidelity, her neglect of household duties, or her disobedience to her husbands dictates. Abuse is also tolerated if a husband beats his wife when he is drunk but is otherwise a good husband. Female infanticide and child neglect are also major child abuse issues in India, particulary in rural villages. There is a strong preference for sons. Boys are needed as economic assets, for farming and for the money they send home if they move away. They are more likely to stay with their families after marriage and maintan their parents in old age. Girls move away when they marry and cannot contribute to the family upkeep.
In Japan, they have no specific laws against wife battering as a crime, and there is no governmental funding for services that address the problem. Domestic violence in Japan is still an unrecognized problem. There is not even a word for it in Japanese.
In Vietnam, men act as kings in their homes even whie the women in the workforce make more money than their husbands. Women are employed in the labor market in great numbers, but still do the “second shift” thats commone in the United States. After work in the factory, Vietnamese women spend five to six hours a night on housework at hom. This has been called “invisible violence” of Vietnam, because while there may not be physical violence between men and women, intimidation and fear drive the relationships. Then there is the “visable violence” that recently has led to a large number of divorces in Vietnam. In Vietnamese law, men and women are considered equal. Violence toward wives and children is specifically prohibited and is considered a violation of human rights, and the government has established a series of local and state programs for intervention.
In Africa, violence against ones wife is accepted as legitimate; when it is mentioned, most men just shrug ad say, “It’s our culture”. If a woman attacks her husband, the violence is considered criminal. There is no specific laws against wife battering, although a law passed in 1997 provides protection for families, including wives ad children. But it is hard to implement the law since law enforcement officials view the problem the way the police does, as not a problem.

BY Alyssa

One thought on “Domestic Violence

  1. I think you nailed all of the necessary points quite well. It’s important to view the actions of foreign cultures from their own standards, and the way you subtly point that out to your reader is well done.

    I agree with your take on Indian boys vs. girls. The victimization females makes no sense to American— because girls are basically equally productive here— but you again do a good job of pointing out the necessary cultural relativism.

    Continuing with the cultural relativism theme, you do a good job pointing out that culture changes slowly: In Vietnam, men dominating women is just the way it is. It’s all they know. The persistence of Confucianism makes equality unrealistic, regardless of what the real government does.

    In all, this was an excellent post.

    –By Roy

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