Root Causes of Violence Against Women: A UN Perspective

Violence against women is not random. It is not the result of individual pathology or isolated incidents of aggression. According to the United Nations, it stems from deeply rooted structural causes that have been centuries in the making. Understanding these root causes is essential to dismantling the systems that allow such violence to persist across cultures, economies, and communities worldwide.

Historically unequal power relations between men and women
Control over women’s sexuality and reproductive choices
Harmful practices and bodily autonomy
Cultural ideology, gender roles, and justifications for violence
The doctrine of privacy: violence behind closed doors
Breaking the silence
Conflict zones and government inaction
Government negligence and lack of enforcement

Historically unequal power relations between men and women

The UN has identified centuries of political, economic, and social processes that have institutionalized male dominance over women as the primary driver of violence against women. This historical inequality is not merely discrimination but a foundation upon which violence thrives. The UN General Assembly recognized that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, creating a system where women occupy subordinate positions in nearly every sphere of life.

Gender inequality occurs when men hold higher status and possess the ability to control women across different domains. This power imbalance means women face limited access to education, economic resources, political participation, and legal protection. In many places, discriminatory laws and exclusionary social norms reinforce gender-based violence by undermining women’s opportunities for education, income, and independence. The statistics are stark: 49 countries still lack laws protecting women from domestic violence, 32 countries impose different passport procedures for women than men, and 18 countries require women to obtain their husband’s permission to work.

Violence serves as a mechanism to maintain these unequal power relations. It is used to enforce gender roles, reinforce women’s subordinate status, and punish those who challenge traditional hierarchies. This violence is both a cause and consequence of gender inequality, creating a vicious cycle that perpetuates discrimination across generations.

Control over women’s sexuality and reproductive choices

Many societies use violence as a tool to police and punish women’s sexual behavior, preferences, and autonomy when they deviate from cultural norms. Women are considered the property of male family members in many cultures, and the concept of ownership extends to their bodies and sexuality. In such systems, women are not allowed to exercise control over their own bodies; instead, their sexuality belongs to male relatives who must ensure virginity before marriage and then to husbands who control marital sexuality.

This control manifests in multiple forms of violence. Honor killings represent one of the most extreme examples, where family members murder women perceived to have brought dishonor through their sexual behavior. Victims of rape may be killed by husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, or cousins, even when they can prove they were victims of sexual violence. These killings occur across different religions and regions, reflecting how deeply entrenched the control of women’s sexuality has become in patriarchal systems.

Sexual violence itself is used to enforce these norms. Corrective rape targets women based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, intending to force conformity to heterosexuality or normative gender roles. Women who pursue education, careers, or relationships outside approved boundaries face harassment, assault, and other forms of violence designed to restrict their autonomy and choices.

Harmful practices and bodily autonomy

Female genital mutilation affects over 230 million women and girls globally, representing a 15 percent increase from eight years ago. This practice, deeply rooted in the desire to control women’s sexuality, has no health benefits and causes serious long-term complications. It exemplifies how harmful customs persist under the guise of preserving female purity and controlling sexual expression.

Cultural ideology, gender roles, and justifications for violence

Harmful customs, traditions, and religious interpretations are frequently invoked to justify violence against women who transgress culturally assigned subordinate roles. The 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women makes clear that states should not invoke any custom, tradition, or religious consideration to avoid their obligations to eliminate violence, yet such justifications remain common worldwide.

Traditional gender norms dictate that women should be modest, obedient, and confined to domestic roles. When women pursue education, employment, political participation, or simply make decisions about their own lives, they are seen as violating these norms. Violence becomes the punishment for such transgressions. In some contexts, men who perpetrate violence in the name of honor receive reduced sentences because courts accept that restoring family honor mitigates culpability.

These cultural justifications create environments where violence flourishes. Women who suffer from routine discrimination based on sex that leaves them impoverished and illiterate are ill-equipped to challenge practices that enable violence. The combination of economic dependence, social isolation, and legal discrimination makes it nearly impossible for many women to escape violent situations or seek justice.

The doctrine of privacy: violence behind closed doors

Perhaps no factor has impeded efforts to address violence against women more than the persistent belief that such violence is a private, family matter beyond public intervention. Historically, intimate partner violence was largely considered a private family matter by communities and police alike. A 1975 police training bulletin in Oakland, California, advised officers to encourage parties to reason with each other rather than making arrests. District attorneys resisted prosecuting abusers because victims were reluctant to pursue charges, often due to fear of further attacks.

This doctrine of privacy allowed abuse to flourish behind closed doors, protected from legal scrutiny or social intervention. The concept that family matters should remain private meant that women experiencing violence had nowhere to turn. Police refused to intervene, prosecutors declined to file charges, and communities turned a blind eye to obvious signs of abuse. Until the late 1970s, every state in the United States exempted husbands from prosecution for raping their wives, reflecting how deeply the law accepted marital privacy even in cases of violent assault.

In the landmark case Opuz v. Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights recognized that domestic violence is not a private family matter but that it is in the public interest to ensure state protection from it. The court dismissed Turkey’s argument that authorities were refraining from interfering in a private family matter, establishing that the state’s failure to protect women against domestic violence breached women’s right to equal protection under the law.

Breaking the silence

The transformation of violence against women from a private problem to a public human rights issue represents a significant shift. Mandatory arrest policies, domestic violence shelters, and legal protections have emerged in many countries. However, the legacy of privacy doctrine persists. Many women still hesitate to report violence, fearing they will be blamed, disbelieved, or face retaliation. Less than 40 percent of women who experience violence seek help of any sort, and fewer than 10 percent appeal to police.

Conflict zones and government inaction

Conflicts and situations of instability exacerbate pre-existing patterns of discrimination against women, exposing them to heightened risks of violations of their human rights. Sexual violence is increasingly used as a tactic of war, with 70 to 90 percent of conflict-related sexual violence incidents involving the use of weapons. Women in humanitarian contexts experience gender-based violence at twice the rate of women globally.

The breakdown of rule of law during conflicts creates environments where violence against women intensifies. Gender-based violence also spikes in post-conflict societies due to the availability of small arms, breakdown of social structures, and normalization of violence as an additional element of pre-existing discrimination. Climate-related displacement, which affects 80 percent women, further increases vulnerability to violence through resource scarcity and disrupted services for survivors.

Government negligence and lack of enforcement

Even when laws exist, government negligence in enacting and enforcing protective measures fosters community-wide tolerance for violence against women. Only 55 percent of countries have comprehensive laws addressing domestic violence. Over 60 percent of countries still lack rape laws based on the principle of consent. Less than half the global population of women are protected by laws against cyber harassment.

When governments fail to investigate complaints, prosecute perpetrators, or provide adequate services to survivors, they send a message that violence against women will be tolerated. This judicial passivity and lack of commitment to take appropriate action creates a climate conducive to domestic violence. Women who report violence to police often find their complaints not investigated, or police attempt to convince them to drop their cases.

What do you think? How can societies move beyond the doctrine of privacy to recognize violence against women as a public responsibility? What role should governments play in transforming cultural attitudes that justify violence against women?

References

PDF 📄

Root Causes of Violence Against Women: A UN Perspective

Table of Contents

Historically unequal power relations between men and women 🔗

Control over women’s sexuality and reproductive choices 🔗

Harmful practices and bodily autonomy 🔗

Cultural ideology, gender roles, and justifications for violence 🔗

The doctrine of privacy: violence behind closed doors 🔗

Breaking the silence 🔗

Conflict zones and government inaction 🔗

Government negligence and lack of enforcement 🔗