Socio-cultural context and characteristics of violence against women in Serbia

Abstract

Domestic violence as a specific form of violence disproportionately affects women and it is a manifestation of discrimination against them. Any genderbased violence is a violation of women’s human rights and an indicator of the unequal status of women in the society. In this paper we analyze the specific characteristics of violence against women in the context of post-conflict society in Serbia. Typical value beliefs that encourage violence against women in the socio - cultural environment of Serbia can be divided into: general value beliefs, institutional beliefs and bully’s or abuser’s beliefs. There are many factors correlated with family violence against women with influences that are complex and indirect. These are the structural, cultural, individual and family factors and the attitude towards institutions. Therefore, combating family violence against women has to be recognized as an integrative part of different policies and measures.

Porodično nasilje kao specifična forma nasilja najčešće se manifestuje kao nasilje nad ženom i ono predstavlja manifestaciju društvene diskriminacije žena. Svako rodno bazirano nasilje je nasilje nad ljudskim pravima žena i predstavlja indikator nejednakog statusa žena u društvu. U ovom radu analiziramo specifične karakteristike nasilja nad ženama u kontekstu post-konfliktnog društva u Srbiji. Tipična vrednosna uverenja koja podstiču nasilje nad ženama, u socio-kulturnom okruženju Srbije, mogu se podeliti na opšta socijalna i kulturna uverenja, institucionalna uverenja i uverenja koja ima nasilnik ili zlostavljač. Postoji mnogo činilaca koji su u uzajamnoj vezi sa porodičnim nasiljem nad ženama a njihovi uticaji su vrlo složeni i (in)direktni. To su strukturalni, psiho-socijalni, kulturalni, individualni i porodični faktori, kao i odnos prema institucijama (obraćanje institucijama). Iz ovih razloga, borba protiv nasilja nad ženama mora da bude prepoznata kao integrativni deo različitih politika i mera.