Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Other terms for domestic violence include intimate partner violence, battering, relationship abuse, spousal abuse, or family violence. Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, or other factors. Both women and men can be victims of domestic violence.
It is widely assumed that most estimates of the incidence of domestic violence are underestimates. Even large population surveys cannot provide accurate estimates of the extent of domestic violence. This is partly because many victims feel unable to speak out about domestic violence. The pressures of negative community attitudes toward victims, feelings of shame, and fear of retribution from the perpetrator contribute to low levels of disclosure of domestic violence. Also, because domestic violence often occurs in the privacy of the home, there are few outside witnesses. Surveys often require fluency in English, which means that the experience of people from non-English speaking background may not be adequately represented.
Statistics from public agencies such as police, courts, counseling and accommodation services are another source of information. However, these can only provide information about people who come to public attention, many victims never contact such agencies. Some agencies do not collect statistics on domestic violence, and those that do define and record domestic violence in different ways.
The Women's Safety Survey in 1996 surveyed approximately 6,300 women about their experience of actual or threatened physical and sexual violence. Based on the survey results, they estimated that, in the 12 months prior to completing the survey:
· 7.1 % of the adult female population experienced violence. 6.2% of women experienced violence perpetrated by a male, and 1.6% experienced violence perpetrated by a female.
· 2.6% of women who were married or in a defacto relationship had experienced violence perpetrated by their current partner.
· 4.8% of unmarried women had experienced violence by their previous partner in the last 12 months.
Of women who had been physically assaulted in the 12-month period, 58% spoke to a friend or neighb...
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...ability, appearance and so on.
· having familiar belongings of pets destroyed.
All of these behaviors can lead to developmental problems in children that can happen at any age. Violence soon becomes a learned behavior and can be reproduced in other aspects of their life, such as school, dating, and other interpersonal relationships. These changes can be life-long and affect many other people than just the abused person.
Both child abuse and violence against women are extremely detrimental to the institution of marriage and family. It can tear family apart, beyond any repair, and destroy the lives of all who are involved.
Bibliography
1. Violence and the Family, Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 2007.
2. Dating Violence: Young Women in Danger. Barrie Levy. 2003. The Seal Press.
3. Parental Kidnaping, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Changing Legal Responses to Related Violence. American Prosecutors Research Institute's National center for Prosecution of Child Abuse Parental Kidnaping Project, by Eva J. Klain, March 2005.
4. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, http://www.ncadv.org/
Domestic violence can often go unnoticed, unreported and undeterred before it’s too late. Unfortunately, recent awareness efforts have gathered traction only when public outcry for high profile cases are magnified through the media. Despite this post-measured reality, a general response to domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) by the majority of the public is in line with what most consider unacceptable and also with what the law considers legally wrong. Consider by many, more than just a social discrepancy, the Center of Diseases Control and Prevention currently classifies IPV and DV as a social health problem (CDC, 2014).
In the study involving 2,143 married couples living together completed in 1975 and the study involving 6,002 couples completed in 1985 these studies showed that females had a slightly higher rate of assaulting their spouse than men did (Straus & Gelles, 1986, 1990). The overall rates in the 1985 National Family Violence Survey was 124 per 1,000 women assaulted their male partners compared to 122 per 1000 men who assaulted their female partners (Dutton, 1988; Stets & Straus, 1990). These studies show that women have the same if not hig...
The most notable discovery or key concept behind intimate partner violence with women as victims, would be that the overall rates have seen a general decrease. As found in the National Trends in Intimate Partner Homicide report, "Spousal homicide rates for both women and men have declined between 1974 and 2000" (Bunge, 2002). Many of the authors discussed present different perspecti...
The statistics available on violence against women are startling. Domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for European women ages 16 to 44 and accounts for more deaths and injuries than automobile accidents and cancer. The Russian government estimates that over 14,000 women were killed by family members in 1999, but there is still no legislation that specifically addresses domestic violence. In South Africa, more women are shot in the home by relatives than are shot on the streets or by intruders (web.amnesty.org).
“Domestic violence is an emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse perpetrated against a person by a person's spouse, former spouse, partner, former partner or by the other parent of a minor child” (McCue 2). While it is these things, the violence is also considered a pattern of demeanor used to establish power and control over another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation (“Domestic Violence Sourcebook” 9). It has many names, including spouse abuse, domestic abuse, domestic assault, battering, partner abuse, marital strife, marital dispute, wife-beating, marital discord, woman abuse, dysfunctional relationship, intimate fighting, mate beating, and so on (2). Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Accommodations, believes that domestic violence is “terrorism in the home” (2). This type of abuse involves threats, harm, injury, harassment, control, terrorism, or damage to living beings/property (2). It isn't only in relationships with spouses, it also occurs within family, elderly, and children (9).
The Need for the Group. Domestic violence is a terrible curse to all those involved. It inflicts harm on the victim, the perpetrator and witnesses, whether they be children or not. While support services have long been available to assist women and/or children overcome any issues that arise as a result of domestic violence, these services have left out a significant portion of victims, those that are male. In 2012 the Australian Bureau of Statistics found “That 33.3 per cent of victims of current partner violence during the last 12 months were male” (ABS, 2012) and “37.1 per cent of victims of emotional abuse by a partner during the last 12 months were male” (ABS, 2012).
Domestic violence occurs in many different ways. Domestic violence can be sexual, physical, emotional, mental, and psychological. All domestic violence cases are different, but have the same pattern. According to The United States Department of Justice, domestic violence is “any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone”. In other words, people show domestic violence in different ways, they can physically or mentally try to hurt or harm their partners. Most people who was experiencing domestic violence kept it a secret, because they were ashamed. However, nowadays people are becoming more vocal about the issue and they are defending themselves by speaking
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is historically referred to as domestic violence. It describes a pattern of coercive and assaultive behavior that may include psychological abuse, progressive isolation, sexual assault, physical injury, stalking, intimidation, deprivation, and reproductive coercion among partners (The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), 1999). IPV leads to lifelong consequences such as lasting physical impairment, emotional trauma, chronic health problems, and even death. It is an issue effecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003). More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2012). Thirty to sixty percent of perpetrators tend to also abuse children in the household (Edelson, 1999). Witnessing violence between parents or caretakers is considered the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next (Break the Cycle, 2006).
"Around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family." (C,J Newton, 2011)
“Domestic violence is a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, or fear of physical harm” (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). In most places domestic violence is looked on as one of the higher priorities when trying to stop crime. Domestic Violence cases are thought to be influenced by the use of alcohol, drugs, stress or anger but in reality, they are just learned behaviors by the batterer. These habits can be stopped as long as one seeks help (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). For instance, a child is brought up in a household that is constantly involved in criminal acts. As this child grows up, the criminal lifestyle will be synonymous with his/her behavior. With that being said, it is also a given fact that if a household and its members are surrounded with violence, the relationships between one another will be strained. Eventually this will end up in a divorce or even worse, death, depending on how far the violence goes. If there is violence in a family, then the ones who are affected by it may feel like they deserve it because of what the batterer is accusing them of doing. Battering occurs among people of all races, ages, socio-economic classes, religious affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). Domestic violence can affect families in more aspects than one; the husband-wife relationship, the children, and also the financial stability.
Attention Getter: According to The National Coalition of Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women are victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. A woman is assaulted or beaten every 9 seconds in the US.
Domestic violence is not just fighting, hitting or an occasional argument. It’s a chronic abuse of power. The abuser of domestic violence, controls and tortures the victim of threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of violence in America. The abusers are not only men, women can be abusers as well. Women make up the vast majority of domestic violence. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), 90-95% of domestic violence victims are females and 70% of intimidating homicides are females. Domestic violence is a serious crime and everyone needs to be aware of its effects. This essay presents and explains the evidence supporting the major risk factors for intimate partner homicides.
The scary part is that this number does not even account for the numerous cases that are not even reported. Many victims are threatened or even hurt so badly that they must keep their mouth shut in fear of even worse abuse to come. Of course, a large portion of these victims are women, which makes it even more understandable. In order to deal with the after effects of domestic abuse, women need social and emotional support (Svavarsdóttir et al.).
In 1974, a study was done which compared male and female domestic violence. In that study, it was found that 47% of husbands had used physical violence on their wives, and 33% of wives had used violence on their husbands (Gelles 1974). Half of the respondents in this study were selected from either cases of domestic violence reported to the police, or those identified by the social service agency.
Domestic violence is a worldwide issue in past and present society. Domestic violence, or battering, is a pattern of psychological, economic, and sexual coercion of one partner in a relationship by the other that is punctuated by physical assaults or credible threats of bodily harm. People in all social, ethnic, economic, or religious groups are affected by domestic violence; whether the couple is married, divorced, living together, or dating. The victims of domestic violence can also be young, old, straight, or gay. Domestic violence usually involves women as the victims and men as the perpetrators, but that does not suggest that others cannot be battered or perpetuate abuse, such as women on men, or same sex abuse. Domestic violence has become a common occasion in society today, and more and more couples are experiencing it. All relationships experience disagreements, but battering involves every aspect of a relationship. Domestic violence has ultimately been demonstrated to be socialized in society and questions why women are more likely to be victimized over men.