Sun, Feb 29, 2004 page8

• Domestic abuse must be stopped by society

  • By Chang Yi-jen 張懿仁
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  We can not know for sure if Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) has ever beaten his wife. But looking beyond this specific case, does the issue of marital violence belong only to the private domain, or also to the public domain?

  Spousal abuse is a type of domestic violence. The UN announced in 1992 that beating women is illegal and that it violates human rights. Marital violence, therefore, is not just something that particular women suffer, but is a universal threat to women and a serious legal and political issue in any democratic state.

  What we know about the extent of marital violence, no matter the statistical data or the stories presented in the media, may just be the tip of the iceberg. The ideology of saving face or hiding family secrets inhibits victims of marital violence from asking for help.

  The main questions about marital violence are as follows:

  Is it a domestic problem or a social problem? Can we tolerate it just because we can't see it happening behind closed doors? How can we deliver assistance and support to the victims? How can we make marital violence visible and discussable? Finally, how can we make people see through the myths about domestic violence?

  Myths about domestic violence are deeply rooted in traditional culture and daily life, intertwined with society's patriarchy. People go through their lives unaware of the inequalities in their gender relationships and act out myths in daily actions. The result of this is not only that men oppress women but also that women oppress women.

  When the justice system encounters issues concerning the private domain, such as domestic affairs, ambiguity or confusion often results. Violence or abuse may be thought as a silly or laughing matter because the criminal and the victim are spouses. People care more about the honor of families than about knowing a disgraceful truth. People encourage women to tolerate their fate in marriage no matter what their husbands do.

  The judicial system and police departments usually yield to the private domain, following the spirit of old sayings like "Making up is always better than breaking up (勸合不勸離)," "A wise judge can never settle family disputes (清官難斷家務事)" and "The law should stop at the family's door (法不入家門)."

  Poor handling of marital violence and improper treatment of victims may exacerbate wounds.

  An incorrect social culture results in incorrect attitudes, and discourages victims from seeking access to support services. It is the myths that surround domestic violence that produce such injustices.

  Both international and local gender studies indicate that culture is one of the crucial factors that encourage marital violence. When a culture is full of myths, things get even worse.

  If we want to stop marital violence, we have to ask in what kind of culture we have grown up and in what kind of culture our future generations will grow up.

  Do you believe that violence can ever be tolerated under any circumstances, for any reason? If the answer, from the bottom of your heart, is "yes," may you one day see through society's myths and stand on the side of justice.

  Chang Yi-jen is a student in the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning at National Taiwan University.
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