INTRODUCTION

While it is true that the Constitution of the Republic recognizes the main purpose of the state, the effective protection of individual rights and maintaining the means to enable gradually improved within an order of individual freedom and social justice, support public order, general welfare and rights of all people, the fact remains that the Dominican reality is another kind of situations. Being so every 72 hours a woman dies at the hands of her life partner and that the mortality rate of women due to violence increases every year without the authorities and governmental and nongovernmental agencies to work together to protect large-scale this population sector still marginalized by the patriarchal society in which we live. This research reflects the social, economic, political and historical crisis that has developed for decades the cycle of violence against women. Media, governments, intellectuals, politicians, the Church have conspired to make women the main target of attacks and abuses not only in our country but in the world. My goal is to identify the different causes of violence against women and define each of the forms of abuse against women in the world. Statistics of violence in the country as well as the different laws that exist in the Dominican Republic to defend the rights of which are also revealed.

Eugenio Maria de Hostos, polymath and humanist educator, contributed extensively to the social development of women in education and gender equity. In Santo Domingo, Hostos created, on February 14, 1880, the Normal School of Teachers, in which includes for the first time in America the teaching of sociology. Since 1881 fight for the founding of a Normal School for Women , cultivating friendship for it in the most remarkable poet of his time : Salom Urea de Henrquez , who professes great admiration , and who gradually convinces assuming the project soon , made him transcend posterity. From there the first teachers are formed and so will inserted Dominican women in national decisions. At present, the Dominican woman walks toward the conquest of space in its participatory decision making. However, it remains the target of aggression and marginalization preferred by men. From the time of our ancestors, domestic violence is considered part of the culture, and in some ways, it is accepted as part of family formation.

Today there are rules that condemn the abuse and mistreatment of women, which are condensed in the Law on Domestic Violence 24-97, which amends the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code for the Protection of Children and Adolescent January 27, 1997. Violence against women and girls is an important issue of human rights and health. Taking as reference the global female population, at least one in five women has been physically or sexually abused by a man or men at some point in their lives. In many cases, including pregnant women and young girls, are under serious, sustained or repeated attacks. Worldwide, it is estimated that violence against women is a cause of death and disability among women as serious as cancer of reproductive age and is a cause of poor higher than traffic accidents and malaria combined health.

The abuse of women is sentenced in fact in almost all societies. The prosecution and conviction of the men who beat or rape women or girls are rare compared to the number of assaults. Therefore, violence operates as a means to maintain and reinforce the subordination of women.

What meant by violence?

Violence is the psychological pressure or abuse of force against a person with the purpose of ends against the will of the victim. The so-called " crimes of passion " are a vivid expression of the exercise of domestic violence in the country giving an alarming number of deaths , according to welfare organizations for women, notes that " every 72 hours a woman is murdered , being this the sixth leading cause of death in the Dominican females . "

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women , adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993 , defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or be in, physical , sexual or psychological , including threats , coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty , whether it occurs in public life or private.

Include, without limitation , physical , sexual and psychological violence in the family, including battering , sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry related violence , the marital rape , female genital mutilation and other practices traditional practices harmful to women, violence by non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation; physical , sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community , including rape , sexual abuse , harassment and sexual intimidation at work , in educational institutions and elsewhere , trafficking in women and forced prostitution , and violence perpetrated or condoned by the State , wherever it occurs " physical , sexual and psychological violence . Some years ago, diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer, preeclampsia, decimating the female population. However, in 2003 the deaths from abuse and mistreatment against women are placed among the top ten causes of death in the Dominican woman. So rape is recorded once per seven minutes in the Dominican Republic. Regarding rapes or sexual violation of minors, is 75 percent. Increasing numbers of girls and women raped by

friends or close relatives or living in the same house rises. Even, many women are not only raped but also are physically and verbally abused by their husbands.

Most common forms of violence against women In families: The most common form of violence against women is violence in the home or in the family. Men can kick, bite , slap, punch or try to strangle their wives or partners , they can inflict burns or throw acid in the face, paste or violating , with body parts and sharp objects , and use deadly weapons to stabbing or shoot them . Physical abuse: Some women may believe they deserve the beatings for any wrong action on their part. Other women refrain from talking about the abuse because they fear their partners hurt even more in retaliation for revealing family secrets " , or they may be ashamed of their situation. Moreover, in many countries there are no legal or social sanctions in cases of violence perpetrated by an intimate partner. Rape in an intimate relationship: In many societies, women do not define forced sex as rape if she is married or living with the abuser. In some countries this is condemned as a criminal offense. Surveys from several countries indicate that 10-15 % of women report that their partners are forced to have sex. Among women who are physically assaulted in their relationship, the odds are higher. Psychological or mental violence: This includes verbal abuse repeatedly, harassment, imprisonment and deprivation of physical, financial and personal resources. For some women, the incessant insults and tyranny that constitute emotional abuse may be more painful than physical attacks because they effectively undermine the trust and confidence of the woman herself. A single episode of physical violence can greatly intensify the meaning and impact of emotional abuse. It has been reported that women think that the worst aspect of abuse is not the violence itself but the "mental torture" and live in fear and terror."

Women in custody: Often, women who enter prison have been victims of violence. Violence against women confined in institutions and prisons can be generalized. The nature of the abused can range from physical or verbal harassment to sexual and physical torture. Several reports have revealed that women prisoners the guards naked, placed shackles on their ankles and inspect their body cavities. Women in many countries report having been raped while in detention Attacks on the dignity and personality: Any pattern of behavior by the use of physical force, or psychological violence, verbal, intimidation or persecution, against one or more family members or against any person who maintains a de facto relationship, consensual or not, that could harm a person or their property, made by a parent, guardian or partner or expartner, is condemned in the Law 24-97. Thus any act of discrimination against women constitutes abuse also conviction considered unfit to perform any work or study, either because of race, ethnicity, sexual preference, political, economic, social scale, age, illness, physical disability, which is often violated in the Dominican Republic, especially in the centers of massive work such as domestic and foreign trade zones (Article 9 of Law No. 24-97 amending Articles 336, 337 and 338). There are legitimate cultural myths and practices that historically have helped sow the culture of abuse, mistreatment and marginalization. It is a division of roles and personality profiles that define man as active, aggressive, possessive and dominant provider while the woman is defined as passive, submissive and dependent economically. The man was cured and subtract their capacity for tenderness in exchange for a model that often degenerate into cases of antisocial behavior. Women and Mass Media Communication: Similarly, women are mocked,

marginalization and abuse when the mass media or " more media" use it as a sexual object for product promotions or television programs designed to incite sexual desire heterosexual or homosexual. The practice guide Health Topics contained in the Declaration and Platform for Action (Fourth World Conference on Women, from 4 to 15 September 1995) contains

several topics related to the health of girls and women and related issues that have a profound effect on the health of the same. Definition of violence in this guide is more than full, blunt. Namely: Violence against women, a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, is one of the obstacles to achieving the goals of the Platform. Violence happens in private within the family , including battering, sexual abuse of children in the household , dowry-related abuse by husbands abuse, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women , abuse exercised by persons other non- husband and abuse related to exploitation.

Preventing Violence: A Public Health Priority During the 49th World Health Assembly in 1996, Member States agreed that violence is a public health priority. 49.25 The resolution of the Assembly supported the recommendations made in previous to tackle the problem of violence against women and girls and address the health consequences international conferences. The consequences of violence against women cannot be deadly and take the form of physical injuries, from minor cuts and bruises to chronic disability or mental health problems. They can also be deadly, whether it be for murder, by death from AIDS or permanent injury, or due to suicide, used as a last resort to escape the violence. There are three reasons why violence against women should be a priority for health care workers: Violence produces considerably suffering negative health and a significant proportion of the female population (over 20 % in most countries) consequences; It has a direct negative impact on several important health issues such as safe motherhood, family planning and prevention of STDs and HIV / AIDS; For many women who have been abused, health workers are the main or only point of contact with public services that can offer support and information.

CONCLUSIONS

The issue of human rights of women is both the same and different than that of men. Like men, women are victims of repression, torture, disappearances, starvation. In turn, women may also be individual victims, such as rape and forced pregnancy and definitely everyday discrimination repressive methods. Women work longer, earn less, and often do not have the right to his belly, his name, and his children. On this page we aim to provide information and links about particular problems of women. On the other hand, abuse and mistreatment of womens health greatly affects not only her but also her children or people around them. There is therefore a risk that violence predisposes women to ill health. An increasing number of studies on the health indicates the increase of the negative effects of violence.