Domestic violence within EU: experiencing the intimate terrorism behind closed doors

Abstract

The family often equates with sanctuary – a place where individuals seek love, safety, and security. However, for many, it is a place that imperils lives and breeds some of the most severe forms of violence perpetrated on women and girls by those they should be able to trust. Domestic violence is a global phenomenon found in all human societies. The ubiquity of this kind of violence, which knows no borders, transcends cultures and encompasses all social classes, is rooted within the patriarchal system and the systemic domination of women by men. It has imprisoned women in (un)affectionate relationships, where everything stays in-house, covered up and protected by intimacy. The magnitude of the issue became extraordinarily prominent during the Covid-19 pandemic. Staying at home on a mandatory basis is considered a fertile ground for violence, where seclusion with the potential aggressor increases the risk of abuse and hampers access to assistance and protection services. Although EU legislation is in place to address specific forms of violence against women, what emerges is a picture of extensive abuse. This study will emphasize the social context and cultural norms that nourish domestic violence and the fundamental human rights at risk, jeopardizing the own lives of abused women. This paper concludes that the passivity displayed by state and law-enforcing machinery, along with the scarce and under-resourced support services, create an unsafe environment for the victims, even after the separation from the abuser. Victims are perpetually vulnerable to revictimization and human rights violations because authorities worldwide still approach this issue as a private concern, despite the calls from the international community for a human-rights-based approach with consolidated state accountability.