Introduction
An example is a relatively small country that, during its previous government’s rule, had limited relations with other states. Now, Examples government is building itself from the start, ensuring that the voices of its citizens will be heard in all instances. The following essay will present the domestic and foreign concerns that the nation’s new government has to acknowledge. The governing style, branches, local programs, and economic structures will be discussed. Then, two international organizations and their purpose will be presented. Finally, the essay will investigate how to combat the existing terrorism threat.
Domestic Concerns
After the era of dictatorship ended, Example established a direct democracy. It was designed to include every citizen in the conversation and policy creation (Altman, 2017). The principles of direct democracy are participation, transparency, and group responsibility. The government will establish local branches to separate areas by regional concerns. Each community will have two structures – an administration that deals with day-to-day issues and a council that considers disputes between territories. On a country-wide scale, the government branch of foreign relations will develop international relationships.
The first domestic program will make school-level education accessible to all citizens. This effort will raise the public’s preparedness for work and daily living, increase the level of literacy, and help the residents to participate in future referendums. The second measure is the establishment of a new public health care system. The previous dictatorship greatly limited people’s access to treatment, leading to an increase in infectious diseases and poor nutrition. Free healthcare based on people’s contribution through wealth-based taxation helps people from all backgrounds to solve these issues. The economic system will mix the public and the private sectors (Altman, 2017). This structure will be used to provide people with the financial support that they need due to the rigorous control of the previous dictatorship. People’s national unity will arise from constant participation in the country’s affairs.
Foreign Concerns
Examply will enter into two international organizations – the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). The WTO regulates standards for international trade and establishes fair conditions for financial operations (Baldwin, 2016). This organization will help Examply to create strong ties with other nations and begin trading goods and services, opening up to the world. To join the WTO, Examply will have to go through a long process of negotiation and assessment, during which its economic capability will be evaluated. Examply will apply to the General Council with a proposition that describes its policies. Then, countries in the WTO will review Examply’s background information and make some suggestions for Examply to comply with the WTO. The second organization is the UN, which has a Security Council that established peacekeeping operations and installs sanctions against non-compliant countries (Ralph & Gifkins, 2017). The UN will help Examply to receive the necessary protections against the terrorist threat. To enter the UN, Examply will submit an application that will be reviewed by the leading members.
To combat terrorism, Examply will work within and outside the country. First, deradicalization will be considered to address the communities that support the previous dictator. Local governments will work to locate radicalized individuals, eliminate channels for radicalization, and introduce rehabilitation programs for deradicalized citizens (Doosje et al., 2016). This program will disrupt the recruitment of new terrorists and provide people who are thinking to join radical organizations with an alternative. The second effort will be to seek support from other nations to install economic sanctions for the neighboring country. This action should limit the state’s ability to arm terrorists and increase its’ dependence on supplies.
Conclusion
The country of Examply’s new government takes radical steps to contrast the decision of the overthrown dictator. The lack of recognition of people’s voices under the previous ruler resulted in them demanding to be acknowledged. The country’s social programs are directed at mitigating the issues of poor education and health. Examply will aim to join the WTO and UN to gain economic support and security. The nation will introduce deradicalization efforts and economic sanctions to combat terrorism.
References
Altman, D. (2017). The potential of direct democracy: A global measure (1900–2014). Social Indicators Research, 133(3), 1207-1227.
Baldwin, R. (2016). The World Trade Organization and the future of multilateralism. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(1), 95-116.
Doosje, B., Moghaddam, F. M., Kruglanski, A. W., De Wolf, A., Mann, L., & Feddes, A. R. (2016). Terrorism, radicalization and de-radicalization. Current Opinion in Psychology, 11, 79-84.
Ralph, J., & Gifkins, J. (2017). The purpose of United Nations Security Council practice: Contesting competence claims in the normative context created by the Responsibility to Protect. European Journal of International Relations, 23(3), 630-653.
Revealing Marital Rape As Domestic Violence
Introduction
Marital rape entails sexual action with one’s partner devoid of his or her consent. Failure to get consent is the fundamental component that results in the involvement in violence. This type of rape was considered a contradictory term in the United States until recently. In the years leading up to the 1970s, every state had a rape law that exempted cases of husbands and wives (Jackson, 2015). It was in 1993 that all fifty states in the US agreed to illegalize marital rape.
Nevertheless, in some states, the influence of past exemptions is still felt, thus hindering prosecutions of spousal rape. In most nations around the world, marital rape is either outside the set laws or has been illegalized, although broadly tolerated. Since marital rape has negative effects on its victims, it requires proper intervention.
Impact of the Problem
Spousal rape is a rampant problem across the globe. Though there has been inadequate research on the issue in many nations, it has been established to affect about one in every four women (25%), mainly young couples, and it rarely happens to men (Chattopadhyay, 2019). Marital rape has far-reaching effects on the physical and mental health of the victim, stability of the family, and welfare of children. Although it does not often cause physical injury, the problem is also linked to a heightened risk of the scope of reproductive and sexual health concerns with both short-term and long-term effects. In some instances, marital rape is accompanied by physical assault after the occurrence of quarrels.
The negative influence of spousal rape on psychological wellbeing is as severe as the physical effects, and both may be similarly long-lasting. Deaths in marital rape cases mainly arise from victims committing suicide attributable to the loss of self-esteem or murder from the ensuing physical assault (Xue et al., 2019). Marital rape has a profound impact on the social welfare of the victims and usually results in divorce (Adams-Clark & Chrisler, 2018). Although a forced sexual act leads to gratification on the side of the perpetrator, its fundamental impact is usually the articulation of dominance and power over the victim. In most cases, a husband who compels his wife into a sexual act is convinced that his actions are justifiable since he is married to her.
Marital rape is mostly experienced by women and is a chronic type of violence that occurs in nearly all abusive marriages. An intricate web of national governments, cultural beliefs, and established ideologies that merge to tolerate each situation and occurrence in numerous ways perpetuate the problem. The failure to illegalize and prosecute the perpetrators of spousal rape is entrenched in the traditional perception of marriages, interpretation of spiritual doctrines, notions concerning sexuality, and anticipations in the culture of subordination of a woman by a man. Such views are widespread in most regions around the world.
Traditional perspectives on sexuality and marriage started being questioned in the Western world in the 1960s, particularly through feminist movements (Naqvi, Ibrar, Hussain, & Walsh, 2016). This has continually called for the recognition of the rights of a woman to self-determination of concerns regarding her body and the removal of existing exemptions or justification of spousal rape in the existing laws.
Many nations started illegalizing spousal rape toward the end of the twentieth century, and progressively more systems allow the prosecution of perpetrators than in 1970. The illegalization of spousal rape has been realized through different approaches, for instance, the withdrawal of legal exemptions, judicial resolutions, arguments of its occurrence as a form of domestic violence, or the creation of laws that prohibit particular offenses (Adams-Clark & Chrisler, 2018). Despite the efforts that have been undertaken, it is still not clear whether marital rape is covered by the existing rape laws in some countries, although in others, it is criminalized by statutes that outlaw family violence, for example, assault and battery regulations.
Studies have found that spousal rape can lead to more harm when compared to sexual assault by a stranger since the victims have to remain with their abusive spouses, and the problem persists (Honda et al., 2018). In most instances, victims of marital rape find it hard to identify the issue as a crime or their spouses as criminals and fear possible negative effects on their children’s wellbeing. They usually choose to silently persevere to avoid the escalation of the issue to physical assault or divorce. In some cases, marital rape is an abusive approach employed by a batterer to establish and maintain domination and subjugation over the partner.
Wives are often raped by their husbands as an extension of a beating and threatened with severe violence if they do not abide by sexual demands or are compelled to engage in the act to fulfill the abuser’s necessity to make up for the preceding physical assault. Research has established that husbands who both rape and batter their wives have a high probability of severely injuring or murdering them. Though spousal rape and family violence usually occur together, there is a need to look at the occurrence of these issues separately (Naqvi et al., 2016). It is essential to comprehend spousal rape as an issue distinct from physical assault because it is particularly distressing, and the trauma associated with both has to be tackled disjointedly and thoroughly by professional service providers.
The intricacy of the Problem
Marital rape remains a profoundly misconstrued type of domestic violence. The idea of one spouse forcing themselves on the other is usually believed to be a justifiable way of seeking one’s conjugal rights. The concept of consent in a marriage situation is commonly misunderstood, and instead, women are compelled to be in an unending situation of approval (Honda et al., 2018). Most people feel that spouses do not require consent.
Such primitive and patriarchal sentiments majorly propagate marital rape issues and let most occurrences go unreported. The reluctance of the government in most countries to illegalize rape within marriages strengthens such beliefs. Nevertheless, according to feminist movements, which usually have to reinforce their arguments through the testimonies of women who have previously been in abusive marriages, marital rape is an intensely perilous kind of domestic violence.
Although rape is just a one-time happening, when it occurs in marriages, it creates a situation where the victim is continuously assaulted and has to cope with it. In marital rape, over and above the violation of one’s body, there is an unspeakable betrayal of intimacy and trust. Though a husband may force his wife into a sexual act, treat her roughly, and issue threats, he does not leave her with injuries or bleeding, so many people may fail to understand the psychological torture she is going through. Failure to illegalize marital rape creates a situation where married women suffer and no one, not even the government, protects them (Kim, 2018). It also sends a signal that rape is allowed on the condition that it is done to a spouse.
In most jurisdictions, there is no need to create new spousal rape offenses. The government is only required to remove the existing exemptions in laws that prohibit marital rape. There is a need for governments to review their perspectives and start identifying marital rape as illegal as if it were done to a stranger since it carries similar or even worse consequences to the victims and their families. It is also illogical to criminalize domestic violence only where physical assault occurs and fails to include marital rape when it arises in the same setting, has similar concerns, and is strongly interrelated.
An increasingly higher number of countries are taking steps towards the illegalization of spousal rape (Adams-Clark & Chrisler, 2018). However, victims’ fear of violence from their abusive partners in retaliation, shame, guilt, cultural intolerance, and insufficient knowledge of the law leads to a low level of reporting and prosecution of the cases internationally. A sense of embarrassment among marital rape victims coupled with the failure of law enforcement officers to treat such occurrences as serious offenses inhibit the successful implementation of the regulations. The illegalization of marital rape will have more benefits than drawbacks. Moreover, it will make potential perpetrators of the crime fear prosecution hence act as an effective approach to reducing the occurrence of the problem.
Intervention
Because of the sensitive nature of marital rape and the profound trauma it inflicts, it is better to seek marriage counseling from an expert in the field early enough than initiate legal proceedings, unless in high profile occurrences where there are severe injuries or murders. Effective therapy will address emotional and mental health effects that occur in the course of the crime, in addition to tackling the underlying psychological issues, for instance, lost trust and a crushed belief system.
Although full recovery from the effects of marital rape is difficult, it is vital that affected couples go for effective counseling as it will also save other spheres of their lives. After repeated marital rape, victims lose self-esteem, feel fragile and helpless, and may lack faith in themselves and the world around them (Kushmider, Beebe, & Black, 2015). However, after a few counseling sessions, they regain their former strength, become the important persons they used to be before the occurrence, and recover the estimable love life they had.
Conclusion
Marital rape involves forced sexual activity with one’s partner without his or her approval. In 1993, all states in the US decided to criminalize spousal rape. This form of domestic violence requires proper intervention to avoid the negative effects it has on victims.
It is a rampant problem around the world and has been established to affect approximately 25% of women. Marital rape has harmful effects on the physical and mental well-being of the victim, peace in the family, and interests of children. Despite a full recovery from the impacts of marital rape being difficult, it is essential for affected couples to seek valuable counseling as it will also help in other aspects of their lives.
References
Adams-Clark, A. A., & Chrisler, J. C. (2018). What constitutes rape? The effect of marital status and type of sexual act on perceptions of rape scenarios. Violence against Women, 24(16), 1867-1886.
Chattopadhyay, S. (2019). The responses of health systems to marital sexual violence–A perspective from Southern India. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 28(1), 47-67.
Honda, T., Wynter, K., Yokota, J., Tran, T., Ujiie, Y., Niwa, M.,… Kamo, T. (2018). Sexual violence as a key contributor to poor mental health among Japanese women subjected to intimate partner violence. Journal of Women’s Health, 27(5), 716-723.
Jackson, A. L. (2015). State contexts and the criminalization of marital rape across the United States. Social Science Research, 51, 290-306.
Kim, D. (2018). Marital rape immunity in India: Historical anomaly or cultural defense? Crime, Law and Social Change, 69(1), 91-107.
Kushmider, K. D., Beebe, J. E., & Black, L. L. (2015). Rape myth acceptance: Implications for counselor education programs. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 7(3), 1-20.
Naqvi, R. H., Ibrar, M., Hussain, B., & Walsh, C. (2016). History of violence against women (VAW) in the West, recognition and emerging interventions. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 8(4), 94-97.
Xue, J., Fang, G., Huang, H., Cui, N., Rhodes, K. V., & Gelles, R. (2019). Rape myths and the cross-cultural adaptation of the Illinois rape myth acceptance scale in China. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(7), 1428-1460.
“Firm Father Figures” By Klann Et Al.
Summary
In their study, Klann, Joel Wong, and Rydell (2018) investigate the ways that fathers’ perceptions affect sons’ experiences and gender attributes. Scholars remark that the questions of males’ development of gender role conflicts, sexist behaviors, and subjective masculinity stress have not received sufficient attention from researchers. Hence, Klann et al. (2018) offer a model that reflects the relationship between perceived paternal sexist communication and modeling of masculine norms and perceived paternal authoritarianism. Alongside, scholars establish a connection between these issues and such outcome variables as “gender role conflict,” “sons’ sexism,” and “subjective masculinity stress” (Klann et al., 2018, p. 500).
The authors remark that masculinity-associated stress is likely to cause a variety of public health issues, including violence against women, sexual harassment, and gun violence. In the review of literature, Klann et al. (2018) note that sexual-based behaviors result in biased treatment of women and unfair distribution of work and social benefits. Scholars consider paternal modeling as the most influential aspect of developing negative attitudes in sons. At the same time, they emphasize that the problem of paternal sexist communication to their sons has not been researched to the necessary extent.
The sample consists of 170 male participants older than eighteen who have had a significant connection to their fathers for at least eighteen years. The median age is 19.2 since the younger the person, the more likely he can remember his communication with his father (Klann et al., 2018). The authors have employed the SPSS macro PROCESS to test their hypotheses. Findings indicate that there is a positive link between sons’ understanding of their fathers’ authoritarianism and the anticipated paternal modeling.
Critical Reaction
The article by Klann et al. (2018) covers an interesting and important topic, but it is difficult to follow some of the authors’ ideas and thoroughly grasp all of their points. Operational definitions suggested by Klann et al. (2018) are relevant and help the audience to understand the core of the study better. However, while mentioning three outcome variables, the authors neglect to assert their dependent and independent variables. This fact makes the reader confused and urges one to assume these crucial components.
Scholars have identified three hypotheses that are only partially supported as a result of the study. Specifically, Klann et al. (2018) have been able to prove that there is a positive link between the perceptions of fathers’ authoritarianism and sons’ sexist communication and modeling of masculine norms. Also, the authors conclude that paternal authoritarianism is indirectly associated with sons’ sexism by means of fathers’ modeling of male norms. Still, Klann et al. (2018) admit that they have not found a connection between such modeling and gender role disputes.
The study has some significant limitations, including the lack of opportunity for generalizability since Klann et al. (2018) enrolled mostly White undergraduate students from only one educational establishment. Thus, future implications are concerned with inviting male participants of different ethnicities and from diverse locations. Another weakness is the small sample and the use of respondents’ recollections as data for analysis.
There is no opportunity to check the authenticity of responses, and the study’s non-longitudinal nature is a disadvantage due to minimizing the possibility to compare results over time. Still, despite these and other limitations, Klann et al. (2018) have initiated the investigation of a highly important issue, and further research on this question is likely to produce more significant results.
Reference
Klann, E. M., Joel Wong, Y., & Rydell, R. J. (2018). Firm father figures: A moderated mediation model of perceived authoritarianism and the intergenerational transmission of gender messages from fathers to sons. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(4), 500-511.