Protection Against Domestic Violence in Vietnam

Introduction

Family is said to be the safest place, the happiest heaven in one’s hearts . However , to many others, it is the place where they are victims of violence every day. Domestic violence or domestic abuse are not unfamiliar words. There has been no exact definition of it, but it is defined as the action of abusing someone carried out by one family member in order to direct the other ( Wikipedia ). It includes sexual abuse or physical and emotional attacks such as using fist, hitting and so on. In Viet Nam and other countries in the world, domestic abuse has been a great concern for years, at an alarming rate. What do you think about the figure “31,500”?

That is the number of cases of domestic violence occurring in Viet Nam every year, according to Nguyen Quan (2017). It is obvious that this problem cannot be solved immediately, but with the efforts of organizations, the governments and individuals, it can be lessened. Therefore, this research paper is aimed at providing information on the main causes of domestic violence and several measures to deal with this issue.

Discussion of findings

The reality of domestic violence against women in Viet Nam and in other parts of the world Following the statistic of World Health Organization [WHO], 2017), 35% of women over the world had to suffer from either sexual or physical abuse from the partner in their lifetime. Domestic violence against women occurs in both countries which are under and over developed. In the United Sates, every minute, there are 20 people who are victims of physical abuse. Among them, 76% of victims are women. In 2012, 924 women were murdered by their intimate partner. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence [NCADV]). In England and Wales, 1.2 million women were reported to be victim of some kinds of domestic violence, according to Alan Travis (2017). Unfortunately, in many other parts of the world, this kind of crime is legal as there is no regulation of it.

In Vietnam, the victims of domestic violence are mainly married women. As reported by National Study On Domestic Violence Against Women In Viet Nam (2010), almost 5% of women were beaten by their husband during pregnancy. Also in an article by Chi An (2015), approximately 60% of women who were married had to endure physical or sexual violence from the partner or a male member in their family at least once in their life and nearly 58% of women suffered from both kinds of violence. Most of the victims did not seek for help from the community, additionally, the majority of cases of domestic violence were not looked into and they continued more frequently. Possible causes of domestic violence against women Family violence often takes place behind the closed door (Broderick, E 2015 ). Violence originates mainly in power when the partner has the intention of controlling the other, according to Tody D.Goldsmith, MD. She also mentions five main reasons why people use violence with others namely low self-esteem, extreme jealousy, hardships to control anger and other strong feelings or when background education makes them feel inferior to the other. Family violence can come from situational or individual aspects.

Nevertheless, there are some additional causes of domestic violence against women. The most significant factor that makes this problem popular is change after marriage. For a period of time living with the intimate partner, they realize that finance is becoming a burden to their family, especially when they have their babies as they have to make more efforts to look after not only themselves but also their children. In addition, when people feel dissatisfied with their partner when they go out without permission, prepare for meals late or neglect their children, they tend to lose their temperature and use violence. Moreover, when conflicts in family happen, couples do not know how to reconcile. As a result, arguments become more intensive and the intimate partner is violent toward the other. The second factor contributing to domestic violence against women is the use of drugs and alcohol. When the concentration of alcohol in a person’s blood is high or he or she uses drugs, it is less probable to control his or her violent actions toward their partner. The third possible factor that leads to domestic violence against women is family’s influence. In the article “What causes domestic violence”, Tody D.Goldsmith, MD says that boys in families or in their community where violence is believed to be a means of bringing up children will be affected because they learn the behavior from the older. When they grow up, they repeat the abuse of which they used to be victim. Besides some people with conventional beliefs, that they control their partner is right. Consequently, they think that it is not worth respecting women and see violence directed women as normal. She also mentions that people who come down with psychological disorder can be a reason why they abuse their intimate partner. Last but not least, the continuation of victims to keep silence can be regarded as a cause of this issue. A large number of women do not call for help from the community. They just consider the violent behavior from their partner out of control, so the perpetrators go on thinking that directing the other is right and continue their action more often. Besides, family abuse against women can be caused by stress at home or at workplace.

Some solutions to domestic violence against women

“One does not deserve to be abuses no matter what the circumstances may be”, as said in an articles by Tody D.Goldsmith, MD. We are well aware that family violence against women has several bad impacts on not only their physical health but also mental one and even it can last long. This problem cannot be solved immediately, but in order to avoid the serious effects, both the governments and individuals should take some actions. One possible approach would be for governments themselves to take the lead by bringing domestic violence action under strict regulation. This would probably be seen as excessive and would enforce everyone to follow the law. Therefore, the number of cases of domestic violence will be moderated. A more feasible approach for the governments to tackle this problem is that they should promote and raise funds for victims support services. They can spend money on domestic violence through organizations that help victims to get out of violence and help them with finance. Besides, they also should have several policies to help women economically independent by increasing wages or guarantee the healthcare cost (J, Cohn 2015). Many women live in relationships that are in the brink of breaking up , but they do not get rid of it as they will be homeless and they cannot afford to live by themselves. Ultimately, education is the main key to deal with this matter. Campaigns should be organized more often in order to raise people’s awareness of domestic violence.

In terms of individuals, who are or not victim of family abuse, should equip themselves with knowledge of domestic violence, so they can protect themselves from it. In addition, when people agree to live with their partner, which means that they will have to adapt to live with he or she. On the other words, to avoid conflicts in family, before getting married, people can cohabit. This will give them time to get together and chance to understand more about the partner’s personality. If they realize that it is not a long-term relationship, it is easy for them to leave. Nevertheless, people should also consider carefully before deciding to cohabit because it can bring them the disappointment when they don’t not find out anything from the other. Additionally, it can make them feel less excited about marriage. Last but not least, to run away from domestic violence, people should call for help from the others and the community, following Steve Bressert, Ph.D (2016). There are several services which are available to help families struggle with domestic violence including hotlines and programs. Domestic violence is a kind of crime, so they do not have to be afraid of asking for help.