Violence against Women: A Study of Underlying Factors in Tehran Forensic Center 2001

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a global human rights and public health concern. The WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence documented the widespread nature of IPV with lifetime prevalence of physical and/or sexual parter violence among ever-partnered women in the fifteen sites surveyed ranging from 15% in Ethiopia province to 71% in Japan.Across the world, violence against women is a major threat to their physical and mental well-being. This violation of the most fundamental human rights usually takes the form of family or domestic violence. This study was conducted to determine the violence against women in Tehran in forensic center in 2001. METHODS: Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from women referring to Tehran Forensic Center, with a view to obtaining a realistic picture of violence to women. Data were gathered on 120 subjects randomly selected women who completed questionnaires and interview. RESULTS: The women in this study had presented with wounds and injuries inflicted by their husbands. These women had been referred to the Center by family courts to complete legal formalities concerning injury diagnosis and duration of treatment. The main factors underlying family violence were examined from five different aspects: behavioral and educational problems (79.2%), financial strain (54.2%), and interference by the husband’s family (39.2%), sexual problems (13.3%), and differences in culture and social class (10%). CONCLUSION: Factors found to have an accelerating or interfering role included the woman’s age and the couple’s education level. However, many women declared that several factors were contributing simultaneously to the problem of violence.