Violence against women is a global issue of pandemic proportions, which has an
impact on all societies. It violates the rights and fundamental freedoms of victims.
Such violence can have a devastating effect on the lives of victims, their families and
communities. Studies conducted on all five continents suggest that no society can
consider itself immune from such violence. Violent practices that victimize women
and girls transcend social, cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries.
At least one in every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into
sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime—with the abuser usually someone known to
her
Violent practices against women take many different forms, which vary from country
to country according to cultural, social and religious contexts and between different
regions within countries. Equally, women do not form a homogenous group. Differences
in ethnicity, social status, religion and age mean that women experience similar
acts of violence differently. In particular, some groups of women are more vulnerable
to violence and therefore require special treatment and support services.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women of 1993 defines
violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is
likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or in private life.”
The Declaration further specifies (article 2) that this definition encompasses, but is
not limited to physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family and
in the general community, including battering, sexual abuse of children, dowry-related
violence, rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to
women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation, sexual harassment
and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in
women, forced prostitution and violence perpetrated or condoned by the State.
A broader, more humanistic definition of violence attributed to the famous American
civil rights leader Martin Luther King is that violence is anything that denies human
dignity and leads to a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. In this definition, violence
includes physical acts, use of words, social isolation and exclusion, and focuses on
the direct impact on the victim.
Reports of the violence to which many women are daily subjected first emerged in
the 1970s. Studies in Canada, the United States of America and some European
countries showed that the home was not, as believed, a sanctuary and refuge, but
instead was often the setting for violence and humiliation directed towards women
and girls by male members of the household. In the most extreme cases, women
were killed. The consequences began to be measured in terms of the impact on
family members’ physical and psychological health. While most victims were adult
females, effects of violence could be found in all members of the family, especially
in children who regularly witnessed repeated scenes of violence between parents
Over the next years, a political agenda addressing violence against women began to
be defined. The United Nations, and regional organizations such as the Organization
of American States, made the issue of safeguarding women and ensuring that their
rights were protected a fundamental issue to be addressed. That change in status led
to the recognition that violence against women constituted a violation of human
rights. By signing and ratifying United Nations treaties and conventions, such as the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women3
and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, States thus
undertook not only to protect women from violence but also to create mechanisms
for prosecuting and punishing its perpetrators.
In recent years, state efforts to curb and eradicate violence against women have
increased. In line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, many countries have adopted laws to deal specifically with
violence against women, including domestic violence. Such legislative reforms are
important in that they send a clear message to society by criminalizing violence
against women. Now, it is no longer seen as a private matter and it will not be
tolerated by society.
Experience has nevertheless shown that it is easier to change the law than to change
practices and beliefs. In many countries, public silence and government inertia have
ensured that rates of violence against women are often vastly underreported and that
offenders go unpunished. Without clearly targeted efforts to alter institutional culture
and practices and to mainstream the issue of gender in legislation and practice, most
legal and political reforms have little positive impact. Legislative measures are often
ineffectual unless accompanied by alterations in law enforcement standards, values
and conduct, such as those set forth in the Model Strategies and Practical Measures
on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and
Criminal Justice
Police are at the frontline of the criminal justice system. They are often called upon
to intervene when an act of violence is in progress or shortly after it has occurred.
Police work with victims, offenders, witnesses and various forms of evidence. Their
attitude and response to all involved can have a dramatic impact on ensuing developments,
including the prevention of future violent acts and the protection of victims.
For example, in situations of recurring acts of domestic violence, the police response
can help victims leave a violent relationship or, conversely, the victim, believing that
nothing and no one can assist them, may remain in an abusive, violent setting.
Through enhanced practices, ensuring greater access to services such as shelters,
counselling and legal assistance, improved presentation of evidence at trial and
application of effective measures to protect victims and witnesses, police can play a
significant role in bettering the lives of all women.
Police have long been under criticism for not doing enough to protect women from
violence and for an often apathetic attitude towards the problem. However, police
are only part of a much larger system: the cooperative, coordinated and effective
involvement of courts, prisons, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
and civil society is required to protect women against violence.
Suriname
For the purposes of Belem do Para Convention, a convection that was held in 2009, violence against women shall be understood as any act or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or the private sphere. Other than this Suriname also have a number of other legislation to eliminate domestic violence such as:
– The law on indecency offense;
– Even our Constitution guarantees the right to physical integrity;
– In the Criminal Code some forms of domestic violence are a criminal offense;
Taking a closer look at all the legislation that has been implemented the obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that there should be a dramatically reduction in Suriname However, the harsh reality is – that domestic violence is still a serious problem. This statement can be be staffed by data that was collected by the police force of Suriname ( Annual analyses of DCIV 2015). According to that the numbers of cases that were reported in the past three years where:
2013 2014 2015
1453 1865 1756
To deal with the different domestic violence cases the police force has implemented units in each police station where there are trained officers to attend these cases. The ministry of Justice and Police as also implemented a unit “ Slachtofferhulp” ( help/ support for the victims). The core business of this department is to support victims of domestic violence and give them shelter. Another counterpart of the police are the different NGO’s in Suriname dealing with domestic violence cases.
After implementing and taking all these different actions the complains of domestic violence are still high. Therefore it can be stated that there is something wrong with the legal and support system of Suriname. And with this statement I introduce my thesis problem.
Thesis problem:
What are the role of the Surinamese police force and the NGO’s in domestic violence in particularly violence against women in the period from 2013-2015 in the district Paramaribo.