The victims of physical violence are mostly women aged 40-49 with children, without higher education and living in families with a low income. This is the conclusion drawn by the researchers of the Centre of Sociological and Political Studies of the Belarusian State University based on the findings of the survey of 700 men and women conducted at the end of 2012 in Brest Oblast. This data was partially compared with the findings of the survey of domestic violence in Belarus conducted in 2008.

Traditionally women are more vulnerable to domestic violence than men. Women were subjected to battering and beatings 2.6 times more frequently than men; they were coerced to engage in sexual activity 2.4 times more frequently as compared to men; 1.8 times more frequently women were pushed, pinched, pulled by hair or forbidden to work or study. Men turned out to be slightly more disadvantaged only regarding one form of violence – psychological abuse: 22% of men and 21% of women said that they were forbidden to meet or communicate with the relatives or friends. According to the responders, economic violence is more likely to affect elderly people; physical and psychological violence - women and children; and sexual violence - women.

A portrait of a female victim of domestic violence

Among female respondents four out of five women had at least once experienced psychological violence, each third woman was subjected to physical or economical, and each sixth woman – sexual abuse. Most women (over 80%), who had ever been subjected to violence, have children. Almost all divorced women (96%) experienced psychological violence in the dissolved marriage. As compared to the 2008 data the women of Brest Oblast less frequently hear obscene jokes or comments fr om their partners, or are being prevented fr om meeting their family or friends. But at the same time women now are more often subjected to abusive language, swearing, jealousy, shoving, pinching or pulling by hair. Jealousy and alcohol abuse are still – as in 2008 – the most common motives for domestic violence against women. Money problems, which were earlier in the same package with jealousy and drinking, are now mentioned less frequently.

Young women aged 18-29 are least of all subjected to violence. Young women living in Brest Oblast were subjected to such forms of violence as beatings, battering, shoving, pinching, pulling by hair, threatening, intimidation, coercion into sexual activity, refusal to give money, forcing to consume alcohol 2-3 times less frequently than older women. Women aged 40-49 living in Brest and Brest Oblast often find themselves more vulnerable to domestic violence (7 forms out of 14).

Women without higher education are more often subjected to physical violence; they more frequently hear threats or experience intimidation, are subjected to obscene jokes or remarks, swearing and abusive language in comparison to other women. However, women with various levels of education can be equally subjected to jealousy and intrusion into privacy from their partners, coercion into sexual activity or they can be forbidden to work or study.

Women with low income much more often experience all forms of violence if compared to well-to-do women. Each fourth low-income woman experienced battering or beating (almost four times more frequently than a well-to-do woman). More than each third woman (almost 14% more as compared to well-to-do women) was subjected to shoving, pinching or pulling by hair. Each second woman was subjected to intimidation (more than twice as often as well-to-do women). Each third woman was coerced into unwanted sexual activity by her permanent intimate partner (almost four times more than well-to-do women). When compared to the well-to-do group, women with low incomes were 6 times more frequently denied money for buying essential goods. Women living in the rural areas more often suffer from violence.

A portrait of a male victim of domestic violence

Every fifth man stated that he was subjected to physical violence, every fourth experienced economic abuse, and one out of 13 men was subjected to sexual violence. Over two thirds of men were subjected psychological violence. Low-income men without a secondary or higher education are more often subjected to economic or psychological violence. Men aged 40-49 were more frequently shoved, pulled by hair, subjected to abusive language, threatened; they were more often forbidden to meet their family or friends as compared to men of other age groups. And young men (18-29) more frequently experienced just jealousy of their spouse or intimate partner.

Low-income men are significantly more vulnerable to domestic violence than well-to-do men. For example, they were three times more frequently beaten (9% versus 3%), one and a half times more often they were subjected to threats and intimidation (32% versus 22%), they almost twice more often were denied money for purchasing essential goods (18% versus 10%), and almost one third times more often were subjected to obscene jokes and remarks (48% versus 37%). Such form of violence as jealousy is more common with middle-income and well-to-do men. In families with high incomes men more frequently than representatives of other age groups were coerced into sexual activity (14% of well-to-do men versus 5% low-income men) or forbidden to meet their family or friends (28% of well-to-do men and 11% of middle-income men).

Male survivors of violence mentioned that the motives were mostly money problems in the family and jealousy. Such responses were received in 2008 and in 2012.

Who are the aggressors?

Sixteen per cent of men and 20% of women confessed abusing their spouses. Twelve per cent of men and 3% of women used sexual violence.

Psychological violence is most likely to be used by men and women aged 18-29 years (78% and 82% respectively), physical violence is most likely to be used by 50-60-year-old men (19%) and women aged 40-49 (26%). Economic violence is more frequently used by the representatives of both sexes aged 40-49 (26% men and 21% women). Men aged 40-49 (15%) and women aged 18-29 (but only 4%) are the people who more frequently coerce their intimate partners into sexual activity.

Men with secondary and junior secondary education more frequently confess to using various types of violence. In women there are no differences found in using psychological, economic or sexual violence depending on the level of education. Women with higher education are less likely to use physical violence.

Less well-to-do men use psychological, physical and sexual violence toward their intimate partners more frequently. And, on the contrary, well-to-do women are more aggressive. They more frequently recourse to psychological, economic and sexual violence than others. Interestingly, wh ereas well-to-do women more frequently recourse to economic violence, there are more low-income men among those using this type of violence. Least aggressive are men and women from middle-income families. With increasing family income the likelihood of men using psychological violence and women using economic violence decreases.

FOR REFERENCE The study to evaluate the situation with domestic violence in Brest Oblast was conducted in October – December 2012 by the Centre of Sociological and Political Studies of the Belarusian State University in the framework of the international technical assistance project «Developing National Capacity to Counteract Domestic Violence in Belarus in the Context of Increased Gender Equality (2012 – 2015)», implemented by theMinistry of Labour and Social Security of the Republic of Belarus in cooperation withits partners. This is the first integrated large-scale study of the domestic violence problems in Brest Oblast. Sociologists interviewed 337 men and 363 women aged 18 – 60 with an experience of married life in an official or civil marriage. This survey intended to determine the scope and the causes of the incidence of male and female aggressive behaviour towards their conjugal partners.

The data of the survey were partially compared to the findings of the national survey assessing the situation with domestic violence in the Republic of Belarus conducted in September – November 2008 by the Centre of Sociological and Political Studies of the Belarusian State University as part of the Joint National Awareness Raising Campaign to Counteract Domestic Violence under the auspices of the UN Office in the Republic of Belarus. During the 2008 survey 488 men and 512 women aged 18 – 60 with an experience of married life in an official or civil marriage and living in the Republic of Belarus were interviewed. The sample size for Brest Oblast was 145 people.

Glossary

Psychological violence is mockery, insults, intimidation, threats, coercion, blackmailing, preventing a person from meeting their family, friends, stalking and humiliation.

Economic violence is withholding income, lim iting resources, denying money for purchasing essential goods, demanding the victim to give an account of every penny spent.

Sexual violence is an act of violence wh ere a person is coerced or deceived into this or that form of sexual activity against their will.

Physical abuse is shoving, kicking, slapping, pinching, holding by force, beating, and inflicting injuries with various objects.