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INTRODUCTION
Spousal Abuse is a rising issue today in the United States. Spousal Abuse affects individuals of all social classes and gender and both males and females are victims of spousal abuse. Abuse of men is not a topic commonly known or discussed in our society as easily as abuse of females for various reasons. However it is a topic that needs to be examined so men who are being abused know they are not alone and society treats it as problem and not over look it. Bedsides the individuals directly involved it also affects children, other family members and friends that surround them.
More than five million people are battered every year alone in the United States. (Business Wire) It is estimated each year violence occurs in sixteen percent of all relationships. Both American and Canadian wives have reported to be more likely to physically assault their husbands than for their husbands to assault them. (Mills) In California one third of all murders of women are a result of domestic dispute. Six percent of spousal abuse is severe involving some of the following: kicking, biting, beating and attacks with a gun or a knife. (Gross) Twenty five percent of victims require medical treatment. (Business Wire) Between forty and sixty percent of men who abuse their wives also abuse their children. (Issues and Controversies)
WHAT IS SPOUSAL ABUSE?
There is a wide range of definitions for spousal abuse. The literal meaning of spouse is a husband, wife or a common law partner. (Spousal Abuse) The following definition is compiled from various sources to better define it. Spousal Abuse is abuse of spouse or partner in a relationship in which the two people are dating, married or living together; abuse may be physical, mental or emotional or sexual.
PHYSICAL ABUSE
Physical Abuse may begin with minor acts and later on escalate to more serious acts upon the victim. The results of these acts may lead to marks and/or injuries that may be in need of medical treatment. (Jacobs) The most common forms of physical abuse are striking acts, throwing or destroying property, control or choking acts, repeated beating using objects and humiliation violence. (Wallace)
Striking acts are when the abuser may strike various with an open or closed hand to various parts of the body. Throwing or destr...
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... brewery janitor, to a cellar. A beat up lawn chair was his bed and a single bulb his only light source. He used a convenience store restroom a half a mile away. When hungry he rang a bell, clapped twice and his wife would bring food.” (U.S News)
Conclusion
It is obvious to say that spousal abuse alone is a rising problem today in the United States. But what is more alarming is the growing problem of men being abused by wives and girlfriends. There are very few resources out there in society to help a man cope and deal with this domestic issue and changes need to be made in order to accommodate their needs. An obvious change that needs to be made is the number of resources available but more importantly this issue needs to be brought to society as a common issue so abused men do not feel ashamed or embarrassed to report such abuse to police or medical personnel. Laws also need to be accommodated for abused men in order to protect their rights as victims along with their children. Such changes can not be made however until abused men start coming forward to tell their story otherwise this domestic issue will continue to go unresolved for years to come.
Although domestic violence is a significant societal problem, which continues to receive public and private sector attention, intervention and treatment programs have proven inconsistent in their success. Statistics by various organization show that many offenders continue to abuse their victims. Approximately 32% of battered women are victimized again, 47% of men who abuse their wives do so at least three times per year (MCFBW). There are many varying fact...
Physical abuse takes many forms including hitting, punching, pulling hair, slapping, grabbing, biting, kicking, breaking bones, bruising, burning, twisting arms, throwing victims against walls and furniture, throwing objects and using weapons. It also includes damaging household goods, killing pets, and denial of human needs, like sleep and nutrition. Assault can be of a life-threatening nature resulting in broken bones, miscarriages and other serious injuries. A substantial proportion of victims are threatened or assaulted with weapons such as knives,
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.
Domestic violence can affect anyone. Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another through emotional attack, fear, and intimidation. Domestic violence or battering, often, includes the threat or use of violence; this violence is a crime. Battering occurs when one person believes he/she is entitled to control another. Domestic violence affects people in all social, economic, racial, religious, and ethnic groups; whether the couple is married, divorced, living together, or still dating. Another reality is that abusers and their victims can be gay, strait, young, or old. Violence develops from verbal, physical, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse. Most domestic violence victims are women by men, but that doesn’t suggest that others cannot be battered or are perpetrators of abuse -- such as women on men, or same sex abuse. Battering or domestic violence, is now mutual and it is not a ‘couple’s quarrel’. Disagreements arise occasionally in all relationships, but battering involves every aspect of a relationship. While physical violence is the “enforcer” or the criminal act, other behaviors erode the partner or victim’s sense of self, self-determination, and free will; this is ultimately lethal for many women.
Physical abuse is recognised as a person making contact with their victim, causing pain or
Domestic abuse, also known as domestic violence, can occur between two people in an intimate relationship. The abuser is not always the man; it can also be the woman. Domestic abuse can happen between a woman and a man, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. Domestic abuse shows no preference. If one partner feels abusive, it does not matter their sexual orientation, eventually the actions they are feeling will come out towards their partner.
Domestic violence affects a large amount of relationships in the United States each year. As the times have changed, abuse has become less accepted as a normal occurrence, and society has begun working together to provide awareness towards violence in intimate partner relationships. “Problems of family violence are potentially the most destructive in our society” (Kurland 23). Domestic violence is a problem that begins in the home, and spreads to affect the world around it. Violence is present in relationships of all demographics, be it race, sexual orientation, or social class. No one is entirely safe from experiencing abuse, but if society is taught to recognize the signs it can save a life or even prevent abuse from happening.
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).
Physical abuse is any non-accidental physical injury to a child. Physical abuse is an injury that results from physical aggression. Types of physical abuse can consist of beating, whipping, hitting, pinching, biting, or spanking.
“One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States” (Stewart & Croudep, 1998-2012). Domestic violence can interfere with the husband-wife relationship because one spouse is always in constant fear of the other. This violence could vary from physical abuse to ps...
“Physical abuse is any intentional and unwanted contact with you or something close to your body. Sometimes abusive behavior does not cause pain or even leave a bruise, but it’s still unhealthy” (e.g., “types of abuse,” n.d., para. 1).
Domestic violence is much more common than one may think. In fact, “a woman is beaten by her husband or partner every fifteen seconds in the United States” (Domestic Violence). This statistic doesn’t take into account how many women are verbally abused or women who are abused worldwide. It’s overwhelming to think how many women experience domestic violence each and everyday. More than likely, you have encountered a woman who is represented by this statistic. By the time physical abuse starts, a woman has already suffered from psychological abuse in a relationship. Women lose their self-esteem and dignity and often times feel alone. The immediate effects of abuse are heart-breaking when put into perspective. “‘I was very frightened of him, I had a great fear of him in my mind, it was like a beast had come, not a husband. I would shake if he came into the room. I would go to one side of the room and stay there and shake”’ (Fawcett, Featherstone, Hearn, and Toft 12). Many times, women are too afraid to report abuse to the police in fear of losing their husbands or making matters worse. Women sometimes are afraid of what...
Even those of us who like to consider ourselves liberated and open-minded often have a difficult time even imagining that husband battering could take place. Although feminism has opened many of our eyes about the existance of domestic violence, and newspaper reports often include incidents of abuse of wives, the abuse of husbands is a rarely discussed phenomenon.
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.
Spousal abuse is a very serious issue that affects many families in Canada. Spousal violence is identified as one of the most common forms of violence against women in Canada. In fact, 83% of all spousal violence victims are women. This is partly due to the fact that women are sometimes seen as an easier target. As well as some men believe that they should be in charge of making decisions in their household, therefore when their spouse provides their opinion they may not handle the situation correctly. When experiencing spousal abuse it is very important to report any assaults to the police. If the victim does not feel comfortable doing so he or she may also receive help through support groups, counselling and phone help lines. It is important to always have someone that the victim can speak to and trust. This way the victim doesn’t have to face such hard times like these alone.