Wednesday, Sep 23 2020

Women experience more gender-based violence in rural indigenous communities than in urban areas

Original posted by Alfonso Rodriguez

I want to report this post

Scientific Articles

  • Gebre, T., Hagos, F., Teklu, G., Fisseha, M., & Abera, M. (2020). The Prevalence of Gender-based Violence and Harmful Traditional Practices against Women in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Asian and African Studies55(1), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909619867110
  • McIlwaine, C. (2013). Urbanization and gender-based violence: exploring the paradoxes in the global South. Environment and Urbanization25(1), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813477359
  • NA, A., WO, A., EO, F., & AS, O. (2019). Rural and urban prevalence of sexual assault against women in an African population. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science18(3), 628–635. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v18i3.41639

Explanation of the Post

In Latin America the indigenous people, who often live in rural areas, are commonly labeled as more sexist and chauvinist than those living in urban areas. Thus, it is assumed that women living in those communities experience more gender-based violence than other women who live in urban areas and cities. Since I know no scientific evidence backing that assertion, I believe it might be a hoax.

Other sources

I want to report this post

4 Comments

  1. It is a claim with little scientific support, and the evidence is not serious since it is carried out from a biased methodology of research. However, the research does have extensive evidence that they are more vulnerable and have more difficulties to report a case of harassment. Sartucue project evidence that in Roma women: https://gedime.uab.cat/es/Sartucue

    Also in this line, United Nations made a report: elimination and responses to violence, exploitation and abuse of indigenous girls, adolescents and young women (2014). And the evidence is that indigenous women and girls suffer more discrimination and exclusion, also, front a violence case because:

    Indigenous women and girl’s experiences of violence is closely linked to the history of colonization, poverty and exclusion of their wider communities – best contextualized in terms of the intersections of race, ethnicity, disability, age, sex and location and mutually reinforcing forms of inequalities. These conditions ensure that they do not benefit to the same extent as their non-indigenous counterparts from services which would otherwise protect them from violence and enhance their ability to seek redress when it does occur (UN, 2014, 1)

    SOURCE: https://www.un.org/en/ga/69/meetings/indigenous/pdf/IASG%20Thematic%20Paper_%20Violence%20against%20Girls%20and%20Women%20-%20rev1.pdf

  2. McIlwaine, C. (2013). Urbanization and gender-based violence: exploring the paradoxes in the global South. Environment and Urbanization25(1), 65–79. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.1177/0956247813477359

    The article examines the relationship between urbanization and gender-based violence (specifically against women) in the Global South. The article highlights how certain risk factors can contribute to variations between urban and rural areas, however, it also discusses how there is a lack of data available to make accurate comparisons. The article argues that cities may provide more opportunities for women to cope with violence and allow for greater accessibility to resources, however, relationships may be more scarce in more urban areas. The paper concluded that gender-based violence tends to differ in nature rather than incidence, which could cause misleading conclusions about the prevalence of gender-based violence in urban vs suburban communities.

  3. This study compared gender based-violence after the pandemic in rural versus suburban/urban communities. It was found that although both communities reported violence, urban/suburban participants rated the magnitude of victim challenges as higher. But, due to the isolated nature of rural communities, women are more at risk for experiencing gender-based violence and are less likely to seek help than their urban counterparts. Therefore, this study is does not support the claim that women experience more gender-based violence in rural communities than in urban areas as rural women are more at risk, but the severity is increased in urban areas. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9412151/

  4. Scientific research finds that the disparity between gender-based violence in rural and urban areas has a lot to do with the resources within the environment. Rural women may face more repeated incidents and as a result greater health consequences because of the lack of resources provided for women. Women in urban areas usually face the same or even more incidents of gender-based violence, but they might have more community resources and more access to rehabilitation. Research finds that while rural women may face more harmful violence as a result of traditional practices, but urban women face violence at a higher rate.

    Sources:
    Adeleke, N. A., Adebimpe, W. O., Farinloye, E. O., & Olowookere, A. S. (2019). Rural and urban prevalence of sexual assault against women in an African population. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science18(3), 628-635.

    Gebre, T., Hagos, F., Teklu, G., Fisseha, M., & Abera, M. (2020). The prevalence of gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices against women in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Journal of Asian and African Studies55(1), 58-75.

Submit a Comment

I want to report a comment