The Affel Effects Of Domestic Violence: Building New Beginnings

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Throughout the United States, women who are victims of domestic violence seek refuge in battered women’s shelters. Here is where they can leave their abusive situation and find safety. Here is where a woman can begin a fresh start with her children. Though these shelters make a difference in these women and children’s lives, there are still problems that a temporary home cannot fix. These women and children need more intervention. Building New Beginnings is a new, innovative program that reaches out to both women and their children living in these shelters. Its goal is to prevent the residual effects of domestic violence from negatively impacting their lives. Domestic violence affects numerous women across different aspects of their lives. The main cause of injury to women is domestic violence (“Domestic Violence Statistics,” n.d.). Factors that contribute to the occurrence and continuation of this form of violence towards women include isolation, economic aspects and access to resources. Abusive men socially isolate their partners from friends and family. The women have restrictions in contact with other people. This manages to keep the battering hidden and makes it harder for the victim to find help and leave. Perpetrators of domestic violence may also isolate their partner from employment. It is a control tactic and enables the abuser to have complete control over the finances of the household and her ability to access the money. This also socially isolates the women because she no longer has co-workers to be around and is forced to stay inside the home all day by herself. She is now totally economically dependent on her abuser, which decreases her opportunity to leave the relationship and to have stability once she leaves. ... ... middle of paper ... ...employment and housing (Haj-yahia & Cohen, 2009). Building Better Beginnings provides all of these wants and it does so innovatively and effectively. In conclusion, Building Better Beginnings provides a more effective route to helping the victims of domestic violence leave violence in their past. This program can provide this support and resources because of the greater community. The community, the United States and what makes it up, cannot step over domestic violence victims. They are a major part of society and they need the community to come together in order for them to escape and survive their abuse. Support and resources are what they need most, and a community can provide these things to them. This program can intervene with domestic violence and its continuation, which betters that family. If our families benefit, then our community will benefit as well.

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