Buddhism as an approach in addressing Gender Based Violence

Kundasale Subhagya Meheninwahance
Lecturer, Religious course coordinator;
Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education
Affiliated to the University of Peradaniya.

" The role of members in Buddhist community in supporting to reduce the gender based violence is vital. The Buddhism presents the way of cleansing the mind from all of its hindrances such as lust, ill will, drowsiness and mental inactivity, restlessness, doubt as the assured means of curbing anger and preventing dispute. The Buddha advised to maintain the friendliness and mutual understanding with all the beings."

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a particular kind of violence that is directed against an individual, because of one’s gender. The definition covers a very wide range of activities which can be grouped as violence within the family, violence within the community and state violence.

Violence against women became an internationally attended issue only recently. The feminism is a social concept which always gives priority to the women development. Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women.This includes seeking to determine academic and skilled opportunities for ladies that are adequate to those for men.Feminist movements have campaigned and still campaign for women's rights, together with the proper to vote, to carry position, to work, to earn truthful wages or equal pay, to possess property, to receive education, to enter contracts, to own equal rights at intervals wedding, and to own maternity leave. Feminists have additionally worked to confirm access to legal abortions and social integration, and to shield ladies and women from rape, molestation, and force. Changes in dress and acceptable physical activity have typically been a part of feminist movements.

In Sri Lanka it was found that out of nearly 400 cases of domestic violence reported to police or admitted to hospital, only 7 were for violence perpetrated on men by female partners. As the great majority victims are females, the Gander Based Violence is known as Violence against Women. Woman does not live in isolation but she is an integral part of a family and a community. Women's influence on family is a two way process. Two way in the sense that Women's influence to the family and families influence to the women are equally important. The woman interaction with the rest of the family unit is of a complex nature, depending on the particular position she holds within the family. While this constant flow of interactions with the rest of her family members, she should be mindful about the rights well. In the same manner the family members should also understand and respect the rights of the women. In the absence of this mutual understanding, honor and respect for each other’s rights there is room for conflicting situations to arise in the interactions within the family. Very often these end up in acts of violence. Giving due respect to women as any other human being born to this world would undoubtedly enhance women standing at domestic and community levels. The women maintain communications of a varied nature with the members of the community, government and non-government organization. The environment in which a woman lives also helps us understands her predicament.

According to the Sri Lankan Committee of the Elimination of Discrimination against Women 83% are committing to the domestic violence, 26.4% reported loss of consciousness or fainting, 8.35% reported emergency admission to the hospital, 35% reported emergency attendance, 22.2% were prevented from going to the doctor by the perpetrator and 21% commit to suicide due to the gender based violence.

The advent of Buddhism is the golden age of the history of women. According to the Buddhism, being woman is capable of doing anything equal to her counterpart in the society. This idea was splitting the Brahmanical ideology as woman is sinful by birth, vulgar, unsteady and idiot. The Buddhism evaluates woman with due respect and appreciating her independence to. And it emphasizes that the responsibility and the nature of a state is to give her the necessary protection. Further states that the similar society would be flourished day by day. Here the Buddha elucidates that there is no run down of a society until they respect the young damsels in that society.

Buddhist teachings of human rights are full of eternal values. The concept of human rights is a universal. The teachings which the Enlightened One had advanced in this regard were practically confirmed and proved meaningful through the action of society which comprises accordingto Buddhist thought the four groups Bhikkhu, Bhikkuṇī, upāsaka and upāsika.

Buddhism has Non-violence or Avihiṃsāas one of its basic principles. The five precepts are mandatory to the lay Buddhist cover the issue of gender based violence through the first and third precept as pāṇātipātāveramaṇī and kāmesumiccācārāveramaṇī. Catubrhamavihᾱra or four sublime states are practices that elevate a human being to a higher level. Such as loving- kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity. Mettāthe philosophy of universal love is the antidote to violence of any nature. The worship of six directions described in the SigālovādaSutta of D.N. which is the code of ethics for a marital relationship for lay Buddhists. Buddhism offers such pragmatic and practical codes of conduct, extremely relevant to the day to day life of the lay people and if these teachings are highlighted to perpetrator and the victim alike we would succeed in reducing gender based violence more successfully than through modern techniques of counseling. According to the Buddhism all the human beings have equal status in the society. Neither the male nor female is supreme. As Samajī vīSutta in A.N. the male and female have to cultivate equal saddhā,sīla, cāga and paññā. Cultivating this kind of good qualities is much helpful to eradicate the gender based violence. The meditation of loving – kindness, mettābhāvanā is another excellent practice, especially effective in preventing anger.

The role of members in Buddhist community in supporting to reduce the gender based violence is vital. The Buddhism presents the way of cleansing the mind from all of its hindrances such as lust, ill will, drowsiness and mental inactivity, restlessness, doubt as the assured means of curbing anger and preventing dispute. The Buddha advised to maintain the friendliness and mutual understanding with all the beings.