The College of Medicine at Karbala University organized a seminar on domestic violence and its impact on women. Women’s discourse refers to what is addressed to them or what they address to others, while violence is the opposite of gentleness, meaning something violent that has negative effects on the individual first and on society as a result.
It is observed that the personality of a woman subjected to domestic violence may be affected by many psychological and social factors due to continuous exposure to domestic violence. The characteristics of the discourse of an abused woman include:
- Low self-confidence
- Feeling of helplessness
- Continuous fear, anxiety, and depression that envelop her discourse
- Withdrawal and isolation
- Emotional and financial dependence
- Health and psychological problems
- Desire for revenge
How can she be helped?
- Psychological support:
- Providing protection
- Guiding her to legal entities that protect her
- Providing material and moral support
- Raising her awareness:
- Informing her of her legal rights
- Helping her realize that violence is neither acceptable nor justified
The seminar was presented by:
- Assistant Lecturer Suhba Hafiz
- Dr. Hanan Marzouk Shadhan
The seminar aimed to help women understand and demand their rights, develop their knowledge, enhance their linguistic abilities, and strengthen their potential. It also aimed to activate the role of women in society and stop the other party from committing violence against women.
The seminar included:
- Defining women’s discourse
- Defining the concept of violence linguistically and terminologically
- Explaining the characteristics of the discourse of non-abused women and comparing it with that of abused women
- Ways to address violence
The seminar targeted the college’s faculty, staff, and postgraduate and undergraduate students.
Assistant Lecturer Suhba Hafiz emphasized that the issue of violence against women in society faces various challenges, including:
- The absence of accurate statistics and real percentages due to the lack of comprehensive studies on the issue
- The fact that we were raised in a conservative society where it is shameful for a woman to complain, no matter how much she is abused. However, women’s empowerment has been significantly increasing recently, with the rise of awareness in society.
