Domestic Violence: And They Didn't Live Happily Ever After

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“And they lived happily ever after...” Little girls all over the world desire their love story to follow the path of these six promising words; but unfortunately for many young dreamers, this fairy tale finale becomes just the opposite of what they crave. These little girls grow up to become young women, and one out of every four will experience some sort of domestic violence in her lifetime. Domestic violence is “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and other abusive behavior perpetrated by one intimate partner against the other.” While there are occurrences of domestic abuse against men, women account for eighty-five percent of all domestic violence cases (NCADV). Domestic violence against women is a much too common problem in the world today, but by raising awareness and teaching people to identify domestic brutality, the ability to eliminate the issue becomes a more realistic possibility. Every nine seconds in the United States a woman is assaulted or beaten; that works out to nine thousand six hundred women every twenty-four hours (DVS.org). This type of abuse occurs everyday, all over the world, but most cases are neglected and never reported to the police. Domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes in the world. It is estimated that only one-fourth of all physical attacks, one-fifth of all rapes, and one-half of all stalkings against women are reported to the authorities (NCADV). The lack of reported cases that take place just give abusers another foothold in the climb to the top. There are an estimated sixteen thousand eight hundred homicides each year due to intimate partner violence, and one-third of female homicide victims that are reported are kil... ... middle of paper ... ...d a free and healthy life, but unfortunately not every little girl gets her fairytale ending. Making a difference begins with educating people about domestic violence and making sure that they know how to identify the abuse when they see it happening. That is why those with voices that are heard must speak out for the women who are being ignored. Works Cited "Domestic Violence Statistics." Domestic Violence Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . "Domestic Violence: Fast Facts on Domestic Violence." Domestic Violence: Fast Facts on Domestic Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . "National Coalition Against Domestic Violence." National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. .

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