50 Per Cent Of Girls & Women In Developing Countries Accept Wife-Beating - Report

NEW DELHI, April 26 (Bernama) -- In an era of modernisation and struggle for equal rights between men and women, a report has revealed that nearly 50 per cent of girls and women aged 19–49 in the developing countries believe that wife-beating is justified under certain circumstances. The report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Wednesday, suggests that this percentage remained virtually the same, regardless of whether those surveyed were older or younger women, that is, girls aged 15–19 years held the same views as women aged 45–49 years. "Data shows that large percentages of 15- to 19-year-old boys also justify the practice under certain circumstances," it said. The report entitled "Progress for Children: A Report Card on Adolescents" is based on data collected from 74 countries and covers 69 per cent of the female population in the 15–49 age group in the developing world, excluding China. "In many places, child marriage, gender-based power relations, women’s low economic status and traditional practices or social norms perpetuate the practice, which is deeply rooted and difficult to overcome. "Societal attitudes that convey acceptance or justification of domestic violence may make girls or women more vulnerable to becoming victims," said UNICEF in the report. In India, 57 per cent of men and 53 per cent of women felt that wife-beating was justified. Among the 74 countries surveyed, women from Jordan had the highest percentage of sharing similar views, at 91 per cent, while the highest percentage of men who held these views was reported from the Solomon Islands, at 73 per cent. UNICEF, however, noted that "justification" should not necessarily be interpreted as a measure of approval of wife-beating, nor should it imply that a woman or girl will inevitably become a victim of domestic violence. Rather, it reflects societal views that accept such practices in situations where women and girls have a lower status or when they do not fulfil certain expected gender roles. -- BERNAMA