Domestic Violence Quiz - Turkey Context

Domestic Violence Definition

• Defined as violence between spouses or family members, primarily occurring within the home.
• Also defined as endangering the life, physical wellbeing, psychological integrity, or freedom of an individual within the family by use of force or coercion.

Purposes of Violence

• Asserting power
• Venting anger
• Controlling behavior
• Punishing behavior
• Violence is more than just an action, it's a way of thinking.
• Violence is a conscious and deliberate act.
• Insanity is not a factor in assessing violence, it's the perpetrator taking responsibility for their actions.

Interventions & Education

• Gender Equality Education is crucial (focus on upbringing, not wrongly chosen individuals).
• Conflict Resolution Education is important (providing alternative methods of problem-solving instead of violence).

Research from Turkey (Altınay & Arat, 2007)

• Study involved 1800 women across 56 provinces.
• One in three women reported being beaten by their husbands.
• One in six men with higher education engaged in physical violence against their wives.
• Higher education levels inversely correlated with reports of physical violence against women.
• Women contributing more income to the family correlated with a higher risk of being beaten.

Research from Turkey (2014)

• Study interviewed 7462 women.
• Women exposed to violence:
  • Emotional violence: 44%
  • Physical violence: 36%
  • Economic violence: 30%
  • Sexual violence: 12%
  • Stalking: 27%

Statistics on Protection Order Requests (Turkey)

• The number of protection order applications increased significantly from 2010 to 2017.
• Specific data points (case counts per year) are provided.

Research from Turkey (Additional Findings)

• In 2012, 78.2% of perpetrators were the woman's husband or ex-husband.
• This dropped to 54% in a 2011-2014 study of newspaper articles.
• 30% of murdered women experienced threats, intimidation, physical and sexual violence before their deaths.
• Motives behind the killing of women by their husbands or ex-husbands:
  • Jealousy: 45%
  • Infidelity: 45%
  • Honor issues: 45%
  • Separation/Divorce: 23.8%
  • Conflicts: 21.3%

Types of Domestic Violence

• Physical Violence:

  • Slapping
  • Hitting/punching
  • Pushing
  • Hair-pulling
  • Reckless driving
  • Grabbing
  • Biting
  • Hitting with objects
  • Arm-twisting
  • Pinching
  • Physical restraint
  • Shoving
  • Burning
  • Kicking
  • Use of weapons
  • Strangulation

• Sexual Violence:

  • Any unwanted touching, unsafe, or forced sexual activity
  • Forcing the victim to perform sexual acts
  • Forced sex work
  • Painful or degrading acts during intercourse without consent
  • Date rape or marital rape
  • Taking unwanted sexual photos and/or videos

• Emotional Violence:

  • Insulting, cursing, shouting
  • Threatening or intimidating
  • Name-calling, making fun
  • Humiliation, commanding
  • Comparison and criticism
  • Resentment (form of punishment)
  • Blaming
  • Confusing, causing a person to question their reality
  • Manipulation and exploitation of emotional needs
  • Emphasis on strengths, devaluing them
  • Blaming the woman for the violence
  • The unreal is considered real

• Social Violence:

  • Forbidding from leaving the house
  • Forbidding to see relatives and friends
  • Humiliation in front of others
  • Over-controlling behavior
  • Extreme jealousy
  • Isolating from resources (family, friends)
  • Controlling behavior (Where are you going?)

• Economic Violence:

  • Stealing money
  • Demanding paychecks
  • Forbidding employment or the search for a job
  • Preventing the partner from attending school
  • Making the partner beg for money for necessary items
  • Giving an allowance
  • Stealing or destroying personal belongings
  • Refusing to pay court-ordered support
  • Identity theft
  • Credit card fraud

• Stalking:

  • Deliberate and persistent pursuit and harassment without consent.
  • Fear for one's safety.
  • Threatening behavior.

Case of Ayşe Paşalı

• Murdered by her husband.
• Suffered abuse and physical violence before her death.
• Relationship breakdown involved family intervention, unsuccessful attempts at divorce, verbal abuse, and imprisonment for assault, followed by divorce.
• Repeated threats.
• Failed to obtain protection from the court due to their marital status lacking court approval of a union.

Common Misconceptions about Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence is not always physical
• It isn't limited to poor families
• Victims leaving is not a sign that the violence is not present

Heise (1998) Ecological Model

• Research on violence against women often uses the Ecological Model.
• The social norms of the society can condone violence against women.
• Risk factors in the community include: poverty, low socioeconomic status, and lack of social support.
• Relationship level issues include: the man's control of family decisions and finances and difficulty resolving family problems
• Individual level issues include witnessing violence in the family, alcohol abuse, lacking a stable male figure.

Cycle of Violence

• Tension-building stage: Both parties perceive the tension before the outburst.
• Explosion stage: Outburst of physical, emotional, or sexual violence; the victim often perceives it as unstoppable.
• Honeymoon stage: The abuser apologizes after the outburst and promises it will never happen again; this is not a resolution.

Why Do Women Stay?

• Threats to harm the victim, pets, or loved ones
• Religious beliefs
• Believing the abuser will change
• Low self-esteem
• Fear of the unknown/change
• Isolation
• Embarrassment/shame
• Limited financial resources
• Limited housing/support system
• Cultural beliefs
• Blaming the abuse on outside factors (alcohol, financial problems)

Law No. 6284

• Provides protection for those experiencing violence from spousal abuse, family members, and strangers.
• Emphasis on the victim's statement for protection (no need for further evidence).

Supporting Survivors

• Allow survivors to share their stories without judgment.
• Be sensitive to their feelings and emotions to support them.
• Encourage survivors to seek resources (such as shelters, therapy, etc.).
• Patience and understanding are essential, letting the survivor set their pace and when is the appropriate time to take action.