Male Violence Against Men and Women in the Caribbean: The Case of Jamaica

Abstract:

This article examines violence against women based on data from one month in 1994. It presents the levels of violence experienced by women and men and analyzes the context of that violence. In addition, the article explores the relationship between male-on-male violence and male-on-female violence as well as the power of the "gun man" in the community. For women, the forces which combine to keep them victimized are very powerful. This article explores the manner in which the community supports a woman's silence and views it as a way of ensuring safety for the community. In this manner, for a woman who is a victim of violence from a male partner, there is more support in the community and the legal system for her silence than her voice. Victims of domestic violence do not have the sympathy of the police, the community, or even her relatives who at some level find ways to blame her.

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