For Many Men in Brazil, Beating Up Women Is a Right

Many men say they believe they have a right to beat up their wives or companions when they do not do domestic tasks as they should be done, reports Dario Córdoba, a psychologist at an NGO, the Promundo Institute.

Córdoba conducted a survey of 749 men between the ages of 15 and 60 and found that over 51% of the men interviewed used some form of violence – physical, psychological or sexual – against their wives or companions.


Over 25% said they used physical violence. The men resided in two low-income and one middle-income neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro.


Córdoba says the use of violence is linked to socio-cultural standards. “Men follow a pattern where sex is more important than affection. And violence rather than dialogue is seen as a legitimate way to resolve conflicts, such as whether or not to use a condom,” he says.


Based on the results of the survey, the Promundo Institute is promoting activities in Rio neighborhoods where violence is part of daily life.


Men are being shown that there are other ways to deal with problems in their relationships with the people they live with.


Córdoba says results have already begun to appear. “The big challenge is to rethink the concept of masculinity. Not just from a legal point of view, but in terms of behavior,” he concludes.


Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett

Tags:

You May Also Like

Japan Pulls Out Welcome Mat from Under Brazilian Dekasseguis

Everything was going just as planned for the Hashimoto siblings in Japan. Sheila, 29, ...

The Anatomy of Torture

By Brazzil Magazine 1. Following a request by the Special Rapporteur in November 1998, ...

Blame the USA

What is bad for Wall Street and the U. S. elites is good for ...

Bunge Foods Invests Over US$ 1 Billion in New Plants in Brazil

Brazilian food manufacturing company Bunge Alimentos has just inaugurated a soy processing factory in ...

Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Are Blossoming

The Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex/Brasil), linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, and ...

Brazil’s Farming Boom Favors Mostly the Midwest

Income from farming in the main crops in Brazil should reach 160.6 billion Brazilian ...

UN Chief Tells ‘Quiet Green Giant’ Brazil About Biofuel Perils

In Brazil, where he is in an official trip focused on climate change, UN ...

Pope Intercedes and Brazilian Bishop Ends Hunger Strike

Bishop Dom Luiz Flávio Cappio ended his 11-day hunger strike after a meeting with ...

Brazil Plays Its China Card

Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, in China with President Lula, said that ...

Brazil Ponders an Agribusiness Overhaul to Face Global Crisis

How the global agricultural crisis will impact agriculture should be the theme of a ...