Womens violence against men in intimate relationship : case studies of Lithuania and Portugal

Abstract

Intimate partner’s violence has been recognised as a serious social issue, public health problem and a violation of basic human rights. The notion has evolved that only men are using violence against their female partners and if women are using violence it’s only for self-defense. Many recent researches have denied this statement, and some researchers even claim that women physically abuse their male partners more often than men. This thesis is a call for recognision of physical violence by women against men. The work emphasises women’s violence as a serious social issue and examines particularity of women’s violence, violent women’s motivations and men victim’s experiences. The protection from domestic violence is analysed within discourse of human rights: the main international treaties and states obligations concerning domestic violence are overviewed. The work is complemented with two case studies of women’s violence and men victim’s protection in Lithuania and Portugal. In final part, the recommendations are given how to tackle women’s violence against men.