The FINANCIAL — For those who have never been a victim, the solution to domestic violence may seem like a no-brainer — just walk away.
But sociology experts in Turkey, where violence against women continues to be a hot issue, told Sunday’s Zaman that the reality is not quite that simple.
In Turkey, violence against women is critical issue. Four out of 10 women in Turkey are beaten by their husbands, according to the 2008 study entitled “Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey.” It is widely accepted by psychology experts that physical violence and psychological abuse go hand-in-hand in domestic abuse. The US’s most prominent expert on battered women, Dr. Lenore Walker, actually coined the phenomenon of women who struggle to leave their abusive partners the “battered woman syndrome” in the 1970s.
According to Walker’s research, the syndrome is similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The study on domestic violence in Turkey also shed light on the psychological problems that arise from abusive relationships. The report found that women who endured sexual or physical violence by their husbands or partners were more likely to suffer from general and mental health problems than women who had never been victims of violence.
According to the head of Bahçeşehir University’s sociology department, Nilüfer Narlı, victims of domestic abuse across the globe stay in abusive relationships for many of the same reasons. “These abused women in general may feel they have very few options,” she said.
But the greatest obstacle to escape for battered women is the feeling of economic dependence, the experts agreed. Very often these women are unemployed, and those with no skills for the modern market struggle to find work outside the home, Narlı said.
Abused women in Turkey find themselves in especially dismal economic situations. According to Narlı, only 22 percent of women in Turkey are employed. “This helps explain why so many women worry for their survival and stay with an abusive partner,” she said.
Fear — of increased violence, of the consequences of leaving and of their partners in general — haunts abuse victims. “Abused women are obviously hesitant and afraid of their husbands or partners. The men threaten to kill them if the women dare to leave,” Narlı said.
As violence against women becomes more prominent in the political and media arenas, cases of women who were attacked and murdered after leaving home are splashed across the TV screen and the third pages of newspapers. “Abused women see these stories too. They [abusive partners] often attack not only the women but their families as well. This is terrifying for them,” Narlı explained.
The US Department of Justice found in its 1995 National Crime Victim Survey that the most dangerous time for a battered woman is the moment she tries to leave, CNN reported last year.
According to Professor Yasin Aktay of the Institute of Strategic Thinking (SDE), other factors that inhibit a victim’s ability to leave include a desire to keep the family together along with a sincere belief that the abuser will change. But women in Turkey encounter even more obstacles, whether it is societal pressure or a lack of resources, the sociologists explained.
Even when women finally do work up the courage to leave or tell someone, they are often met with resistance. Figures on the acceptance of violence against women are quite telling. A UN Women report released last July found that, in 17 out of 41 countries, 25 percent or more of people believe it is justifiable for a man to hit his wife. People used to keep quiet — this was a dirty issue even — one that should not be aired with the laundry. “Academics are only very recently discussing this issue in the media and telling women they should take action and apply to the courts,” Narlı said. Both experts agreed that divorce is frowned upon in a conservative, traditional country like Turkey. Narlı said: “Divorce is not something women are proud of in general, no matter where in the world.” But she noted that women in Turkey face even greater pressure to stay with their husbands.
“There is a type of shame attached to being divorced or without a husband. Turkish families would tell their daughters, ‘Once a girl leaves home in her bridal gown, she should only come home for her funeral’,” she said.
Narlı added that this dated Turkish saying reflects what she calls the “old mentality” of domestic abuse, which is in the midst of change. She said: “This is changing and improving, but the attitude is still there. A woman leaving her husband is still considered a shame for both the family and society.” Aktay, who agreed that “life is difficult for a divorced woman,” touched on the importance of the institution of marriage in Turkey. “Marriage occurs between families, not individuals. After two people marry, their two families become kin,” he said.
It is this culture and mentality that makes divorce not only difficult but forbidden in some families. “But we see a decrease in this mentality as urbanization increases,” Aktay added. Besides family and societal pressures, Narlı said that the government in the past did not provide women who suffered from domestic abuse sufficient resources and support systems. “Women who escaped their abusive partners went to the police, who had training in human rights at the time. The police would tell these frightened women to go back home,” she said.
Narlı said that the government is now more actively working on preventing domestic violence, implementing initiatives like educating the police on how to effectively respond to abuse victims.
The lack of shelters in Turkey for battered women is another issue, according to Narlı. “Women have nowhere to turn. I have lawyer friends who are hosting these women in their own houses,” she said.
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