Domestic Violence and Women from the Margins: Reflections from the Field
摘要
Domestic violence is all pervasive, occurring in all socio-economic and cultural population subgroups, as women are socialized to accept, tolerate, and even rationalize such violence and remain silent. Women face physical, economic, and emotional violence inside the most secure environment, their homes, and by persons with close affective and intimate ties. These everyday forms of violence are located within the realm of the normal and the routine. This paper will focus on the experiences of domestic violence of marginal women, women with disabilities, and lesbian women, in order to underscore not just the violence of closest ones, but also violence towards the most vulnerable. While the reasons for violence may vary, the forms are similar, with the use of power for reining in women from such groups. For one, the claiming of identity becomes problematic, while for the other, claiming of natal family spaces leads to violence. Both groups require proactive policies to address their concerns.