Youth as perpetrators of DV

Parents generally have more power in parent-child relationships, so youth often experience DV in these relationships as victims (as described in the previous entry). In relationships with siblings and peers, however, the balance of power is more even, and youth can be both victims and perpetrators of DV.

Youth as perpetrators:

In some SA communities in the U.S., there is some evidence that brothers may keep their sisters from having or meeting friends or boyfriends in order to maintain their honor or purity. Although in traditional SA culture there is some expectation that brothers will protect their sisters, this kind of intimidation and exertion of control goes far beyond the bounds of what is considered merely ‘brotherly’. If males perceive themselves to be a member of a marginalized minority, they may view this as a way of gaining power and respect in society.

There have also been news reports about young men who sexually abuse the sisters with whom they share rooms. In these cases, too, youth are stuck in the liminal space between U. S. culture (where sharing rooms between opposite sex siblings is unusual, but there is a lack of supervision) and their traditional culture (where sharing rooms is not unusual, although social control is exerted by the many other individuals also in the room).

When SA youth are involved in dating relationships, girls usually bear the full brunt of traditional expectations (chastity, family honor) but also the burden of penalties (such as pregnancies). As a result, SA girls who find themselves in abusive relationships may be unable to access traditional support structures, such as extended family members, for help. Boys are generally not held responsible for their actions, and may even be considered victims by people who believe the girls to be demanding, needy, or even liars.
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In all of the scenarios described above, SA youth appear to be trapped in a liminal space, where they are neither children nor adults, neither South Asian nor American. Their negotiation of these identities is further complicated by gender roles and expectations of the dominant culture versus their traditional culture. While their unique place in society does not provide an explanation for DV in SA youth, Purkayastha’s descriptions provide a framework in which to understand their lives better.

[For more information, see: Purkayastha, B. (2000). Liminal Lives: South Asian Youth and Domestic Violence. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 9(3), 201-219.]