Violence In Violence Against Women

Violence is defined as behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. However, violence is not merely constituted by throwing punches or leaving bruises; violence also entails the sexual violation of one’s body. Of all people, women are especially prone to violence, present in sites such as fraternities on college campuses to intimate relationships with a supposedly trustworthy partner. While fraternities and intimate relations are sites of differing forms of violence, women in both situations neglect to report their abuse out of fear. Present on nearly every college campus, fraternities are stereotypically notorious for consuming only pizza and beer, hosting giant parties every weekend supplied …show more content…
However, rape is not the only type of violence women experience in relationships, and such abusive relationships are not easy to escape, especially for immigrant women and women of color. 48% of Latinas reported increased partner violence, such as battering, since immigration and physical and sexual abuse is more common amongst married immigrant women than unmarried (Violence Against Women, February 24). Despite this, the victim stays with their abusive spouse out of fear of being deported if they left (Crenshaw, 415). Immigrant women are also dependent upon their abusive partner due to cultural and language barriers. For example, the “typical immigrant spouse” may have zero understanding of telephones, thus forcing them to rely on their husband as link to the outside world (Crenshaw, 415). These women are thus discouraged to report or escape their dreadful situations. Comparatively, black women fear publicizing their abusive experiences because they do not want to contribute to the existing stereotype that all black men are violent (Crenshaw, 415). Women of color are thus stuck between a rock and a wall, since they cannot leave their partner or report them out of fear of contributing to the “stereotypical myth” that all domestic violence occurs primarily within minority families (Crenshaw, 418). In the case that these women do escape their situations, efforts against domestic violence support services are of no aid due because they exclude women of color due to language barriers and a lack of colored leadership within shelters (Crenshaw, 416). Local authorities are also of no use, since they dismiss domestic violence “as a minority problem” which does not require “aggressive action” (Crenshaw, 416). Domestic abuse is perceived as commonplace within intimate relationships, which is a similar case to rape on