Harmful norms and practices arise from actions and behavior that negative impact on people in a society, especially on women. These used to be referred to as “cultural practices” however, because cultures are cherished by people who define themselves by their culture, it was liable to create hostility by referring to them as harmful cultural practices. For this reason, anything that society or culture does that is harmful is simply called a harmful practice. Harmful practices are usually thought of as arising in backward and rural based communities where culture is entrenched. However, this is not the case because every society, whether urban or rural has harmful practices that are peculiar to it. For instance, the culture of guns and drugs in America is a harmful practice, as is the culture of fast food in most of Europe. Violence against women is a harmful culture, that is endemic throughout the world and that is condoned, cultivated and kept alive by the patriarchal society we live in which has historically placed women in a disadvantaged position.