Cm 220 Unit 6

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Unit 6 Project: Domestic Violence Education in the Pakistani immigrant community. Kaplan University CM220 Professor Thompson July 15, 2013 Domestic Violence Education in the Pakistani immigrant community. In the Pakistani immigrant community domestic violence is a widespread problem that has been influenced by culturally norms as well as religious beliefs. Domestic violence education is essential to empowering the victims to bring an end of their abuse, as well as help the abusers to understand what is socially acceptable in one country is considered to be a crime in another. According to Sukhdeo, there is no cohesive definition of domestic violence that is appropriate for all cultures (2010). Therefore, structural dynamics of the family; its closeness to religion and culture defines how domestic violence is interpreted. The factors that are associated with domestic violence in the Pakistani immigrant community living in the United States are patriarchal (man-controlled) belief, acculturation (adapting), isolation from family and religion (Mahapatra, 2012). The patriarchal belief in the Pakistani culture is influenced by not only culture but also religion. Patriarchy is defined as “a state or stage of social development characterized by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family in both domestic and religious functions, the legal dependence of wife, or wives, and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line” (Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language). Where is comes to religion Islam is the main religion in Pakistan, where Sharia laws, is enforced. These laws provide support for the seclusion of women and denial of their basic human rights. This belief can serve in power relationships where the gender roles are questioned resulting in male dominance which results in domestic violence.
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