Fatima Bapumia

Rationalizing Violence Domesticizing Abuse: South Asian Experience in Tanzania Fatima Bapumia

Asian sub communities in Tanzania, despite their heterogeinity, share a common pattern that differentiates the Tanzanian Asian community from other Tanzanian ethnic communities. One such pattern is what reflects the perception of the Asian community towards spousal abuse. The purpose of this research was to look into the problem of the meaning attached to spousal abuse in order to understand the perception and experience of abuse in the Asian community.. Findings reveal that Spousal abuse is perceived to be private affair between the married couples; it is shameful; forms of abuse vary in regard to class, caste and social status; certain forms of abuse are gendered.