Many women in the world are faced with domestic violence. Some of these women do not have the strength to leave the man who is abusing them. Other women leave the home or relationship and will find themselves in poverty or even worse, homelessness. They aren’t always trapped in homelessness alone, sometimes they have either children or pets. If domestic violence is prevalent in a relationship a woman can either be trapped or it can lead to homelessness and in most cases being homeless is the better option and for many women who have been abused it can be hard for them to get back on their feet, especially if they have children. For my service work I went to The Shade Tree, it is an organization for homeless and abused women as well as children and their pets. While working at The Shade Tree I saw many different things. I had the opportunity to talk to a woman and hear her story. The experiences of these women may vary and the one I talked to had a positive outlook on her future but she also stated that many women in the shelter are extremely negative and only dwell on the awful things that have happened to them in the past. This woman was abused and left with her cat and found herself homeless and right now she is trying to get a job and get back on her feet, she says she hopes to get out of The Shade Tree in a few months. When I was doing volunteer work at The Shade Tree I specifically served food to the women and children that lived in the shelter. While I was there, there were many things that I saw. I saw moms struggling to care for their children, their children were often dirty and wore the same clothes almost everyday. I saw nice people as well as bitter people. Some of the women were so thankful and always thanked mysel... ... middle of paper ... ...bsite: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/domestic.html Doorways for Women and Families. (n.d.). Impact of Family Violence on Children. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from Doorways for Women and Families website: http://www.doorwaysva.org/children-youth/ impact-of-domestic-violence-on-children/ Golbourne, C. (2014, April 13). [E-mail interview by the author]. McCue, M. L. (2008). Contemporary World Issues: Vol. 2. Domestic Violence (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO NNEDV. (n.d.). Domestic Violence, Housing, and Homeless. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from NNEDV website: http://nnedv.org/downloads/Policy/NNEDV_DVHousing__factsheet.pdf Swick, K. (2008). The Dynamics of Violence and Homelessness Among Young Families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 81-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-007-0220-5
Today in the U.S. there is a large percentage of people that are homeless. There are so many questions when one sees a homeless person, for example why doesn’t he or she get a job and get out of the streets? People that make comments like the one just made probably doesn’t really know anyone that is homeless so they do no understand what they go through. In the book “ Tell Me Who I Am,’’ Elliot Liebow tries to explain what the cost and gains are for women living in a homeless shelter.
Domestic Violence is a widely recognized issue here in the United States. Though many people are familiar with domestic violence, there are still many facts that people do not understand. Abuse is not just physical, it is mental, emotional, verbal, sexual and financial. Many victims of physical abuse are also fall victim to these abuse tactics as well. An abusive partner often uses verbal, mental, emotional, and financial abuse to break their partner so to speak. It is through this type of abuse the victim often feels as though they are not adequately meeting their partner’s needs.
“Such a woman faces two major obstacles: fear and finance -- fear for her safety and that of her children and a lack of money to support herself or them. The most dangerous time in the life of a battered woman is when she attempts to leave her abuser. Threatened by the loss of control, the batterer is likely to become even more violent and may even try to kill her. There are simply not enough shelters to protect all the women who need them” (1).
Women will continue to suffer from domestic violence unless there is some sort of intervention to help them. When dealing with this population, it is essential to create a safe environment where the woman can talk freely about the abuse without any retaliation from the abuser. When someone comes into a therapeutic session, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and care. This in turn will create a sense of hope that a different type of life can be possible. Also, knowing that there is a support system can help the woman begin the process of change. Despite this, the process of leaving the abusive partner is slow (Warshaw, n.d.)
Other factors include inadequate income supports, displacement, physical and mental illness, job loss, child abuse, domestic violence etc. According to NLCHP (National Law Center on Houselessness and Poverty), more than 90% homeless women are victims of domestic violence which results in their escaping from their homes. Most homeless children are on the streets because they have been forced by circumstances that make them to think that they are safer there than in any home they once knew.”
...mestic violence become homeless, their social economic status begins to decline. Going from a potentially middle class lifestyle they must resort to living in a shelter or on the street, simply because they are mentally or physically unable to find work due to the abuse they have experienced. As individuals lose their social economic status the social gap between the rich and the poor grows inevitably. The widening social gap can lead to discrimination and disparities such as growing food insecurities which can be described as the struggle for poor and homeless minorities to obtain food. The result of homelessness due to domestic violence will, negatively affect interaction between individuals, consequent to the social gap that will detach the victims of violence from their desired social economic status.
Rather than approach domestic violence as a direct cause of homelessness, one might hope to understand how such violence could help create the circumstances that might make a woman more susceptible to homelessness. Domestic violence and poverty may intersect with other issues to produce the circumstances that often leave women no other choice but to seek temporary shelter for the short-term, and therefore remain precariously housed.
Domestic violence covers a large array of abuses. Some of the different types of abuse include Physical, Emotional, Verbal, Sexual and Economical. Women suffering abuse usually suffer from all the different types. Often one type of abuse will bleed or lead to another and most abuse cases never start out with something physical. Most of the time one form of abuse is being used to enforce another.
Domestic abuse is a significant and threatening issue in the United States. Sadly, the rates of this shameful violence are increasing. This violence is not limited to the privacy of relationships and homes, it occurs everywhere and in all relationships. Football player, Ray Rice portrayed an act of domestic violence when he punched his wife and knocked her unconscious on February 15 of 2014. Women are heavily affected by this abuse and it’s the leading cause of injuries on women. According to crime reports (qtd. in “Domestic Violence”), one woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States. Also, according to a report (qtd. in “Domestic Violence”), domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Domestic abuse is not simple, it has a historical context to it, it creates abusive cycles in relationships, and it links to economic statuses.
They are not uneducated, “just lazy”, or con artists they are simply the group of Americans who have been hit the hardest by this recession we are trying so desperately to get out of, the homeless. Homelessness is one of the most prevalent problems in America today. There are homeless people of every gender, race, and age. In 2011, an estimated 643,067 people where homeless. The idea of anyone having no place to call their own is depressing, but in such a large quantity, it’s simply ludicrous.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person. It happens to all ages, all genders, it is physical, it is mental, and typically women are the victims of their male partners. Domestic violence happens in every corner of the world so the world needs to unite and fight domestic violence. Even though domestic violence goes back to 753 B.C, it has not been until recently, coalitions of domestic violence prevention agencies have provided help and guidance for battered women. If you have been abused in any way, then you should definitely get in touch with the organizations that are mentioned this essay to liberate yourself.
What to do? The issue of abused and homeless women is one that has recently been brought to the forefront of social issues in Pakistan. Abuse, most often begins after marriage. According to local traditions, once a girl’s baraat (wedding procession) enters the husband’s house, only her janaza (funeral pyre) should leave. Loyalty and devotion to the husband and his family come above every thing else. When family support is pulled away, the girl is then at the mercy of her husband. This total control of the girl’s life sometimes leads to her death. Often times it leads to abuse. The girl cannot return to her father’s house for fear of dishonoring him and so continues to suffer. In some cases she may chose to run away therefore igniting her husband’s anger that then is left with no choice put to pursue and kill her to redeem his honor.
Without women’s shelters, millions of abused women would not have a “way out” of the danger they face each and every day. Based on the statistics, survival stories that are typical of victims helped at a shelter, and the beneficial resources provided at shelters, it is obvious that women’s shelters are very effective and necessary. It is crucial that these shelters receive adequate funding in order to give victims of domestic violence a hope for a better future.
Table of Contents Literature Review — 3 Methodology — 5 Findings — 6 Summary — 8 Works Cited/Works Used — 9 Appendix: Survey Form — 11 LITERATURE REVIEW In this information behavior study, our group examines the everyday information resources, needs, and behaviors of the homeless. Literature research has led us to many key resources. Important literature on our topic includes Everyday Information Needs and Information Sources of Homeless Parents, The Homeless and Information Needs and Services, and Are the economically poor information poor? Does the digital divide affect the homeless and access to information?
Around the 1950’s and 60’s, the Civil Rights and Anti-war movements began to lay the ground work for the feminist movement. During the 1970’s, spousal abuse became a public issue and the battered women’s movement was brought to the public eye. At this time there were several movements under way such as, women’s liberation, women’s health, and anti-rape movements. As a results of the success of these agencies and the resources and networking that already was in place, many battered women’s shelters were opened across the United States. The first of these, was the Women’s Advocates shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota which opened in 1973. It was not until 1984 that a bill, The Family Violence Prevention Services Act was passed through Congress. This act would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Service to give grants to States that would assist them in creating, expanding, and maintaining programs and projects that aid in the prevention of family violence.