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Domestic Violence and its impact on society
Domestic Violence and its impact on society
Domestic violence as a social problem
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Why would a woman that has been abused by her spouse continue to remain in the relationship? Why would no one step in despite the woman needing help? What would it take to finally leave an abusive relationship? These questions and more arise every day and in “The Day It Happened” is a story written by Rosario Morales that tells a story of overcoming abuse. Josie must leave her husband of only six months and the discovery that she is pregnant after so many months of mental and physical abuse as she believes her child will be unsafe otherwise. The kind of abuse Josie is going through is common but not many get the courage to leave for many reasons. A brief history of Rosario Morales, Josie’s story, and issues of domestic abuse in real life to …show more content…
give an idea of what Morales’ point was that she wanted to get across. Anderson an educator, historian, and community activist interviewed Rosario Morales the author of “The Day It Happened.” Morales, the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, was born in 1930, and was raised in El Barrio of New York City.
In 1949, Morales joined the Communist Party and married Richard Levins, the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants and a scientist. Together they moved to Puerto Rico in 1951 .They became active in the Puerto Rican Communist Party and the Fellowship of Reconciliation while working at a small farm in the mountains. They eventually returned to the U.S., first to Chicago then to Cambridge, but the people and culture of Puerto Rico remained at the center of Morales’ work. Morales and her daughter Aurora Levins Morales became active in the women’s movement in the late 60s. They were a part of the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union, and co-authored a book of poetry and prose called Getting Home Alive in 1986. Morales is recognized as a major contemporary Puerto Rican writer. She focused on her writing in the feminist movement and on the communism/Marxism. Morales died in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2011 (Sophia Smith …show more content…
Collection). In the story “The Day It Happened” Rosario Morales explains what has been happening in majority of the Hispanic societies and families. This story is all about continual domestic violence, something that has been happening, despite the fact that the society seems to be aware about it. “The Day It Happened” is a fiction story narrated by a 12 years old girl who witnesses Josie, a pregnant woman, being abused by her husband. The Ohio University “family and consumer science” program has done a research on understanding the Hispanic culture and states that in Hispanic society it appears that everyone is aware of what happens with everyone around. Josie appears to care much about the child she is carrying. The story begins in the narrator’s thin-walled apartment where she is washing her hair next to Nosy Maria – a nickname given by the narrator. Maria had been leaning out a window when she spotted Josie leaving the apartment with a suitcase in hand. They also know the time, 5 o’clock and Maria fears and prays for Josie as it is about the time that Ramón, her husband, gets home from work. The narrator and Maria knew that Josie was leaving her husband because their neighbor, Olga, visited them to explain to Mami, the narrator’s mother, about it. Mikey, a kid that hailed a cab for Josie, had been telling everyone the news. There are several people helping Josie pack her things into the cab for her as they were supportive. The narrator has a flashback of Josie and Ramón’s marriage from the past six months. Ramón had been physically and mentally abusive for a long time. He would scream at Josie through the night frightening the narrator even through the walls. If she had missed putting his meal on the table or messed it up he would yell at her and call her a lousy cook. He would even start on her if she had managed to get everything right. When they partied on Saturdays, Ramón would get angry with her if men admired her and he would call her a tramp, a woman that has sex with many different men. If she chose not to make herself “beautiful” for him, he would state, “no fun, a man can’t be a man with such a wet rag around” (307). After so long he began to beat her. When she found out she was pregnant was when she decided to leave as she feared for the child’s safety. She knows that the child will not be safe while she is living with him. The neighbors all around had gathered to protect Josie when Ramón came home but she calls to him from the taxi. She explains that she needs to leave for the benefit of their child and herself. Josie can never be sure that she could prevent Ramón from hurting their child before or after he is born. Ramón completely breaks down in front of Josie and begs her not to leave while he is on his knees. He only stops when Olga wraps herself around him and explains it is the best thing if they both want a healthy baby when it is time. Finally, Josie enters the cab and tells the driver to leave after he is stunned by the sight of the sobbing man outside (308). The story is first set in the narrator’s apartment giving no hints that the story would be about her neighbor Josie. The author kept her readers in the dark by opening with an innocent girl to give the idea that anyone can see or hear what Ramón is doing to Josie. The author is just pointing out that everyone is effected by abuse including twelve-year-old children not experiencing it. The effect of fearing for a woman that is only her neighbor before she should even experience something such as this. By the end the setting changes to the street of the apartment building and watching the exchange between Josie and Ramón. This is where Josie decides to bravely express why she is leaving right in front of her abuser without batting an eye. Nearly all of their neighbors are on the street at this point, ready to guard her, which makes Josie’s speech even more powerful and meaningful. It does this by showing she is confident in her ability to be independent and as someone who can protect their unborn child from Ramón’s abuse. The setting has also effected Ramón’s breakdown by proving that he cannot handle being without the woman he loves. In anyone’s opinion, Josie did the best choice of leaving him. His begging at the end might have meant something if she could positively believe that he would never harm their child. Ramón appears to have changed from his macho personality to a blubbering fool at the end only realizing that she could have left him at any time right at the moment that it was happening making it too late to have Josie change her mind. He cried for her not to leave him but did not apologize to him. Josie would never be sure if he would change his ways for good or if the begging was all an act. There is a current study of a longitudinal measurement of cortisol in association with mental health that shows the role of hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical axis activity in abuse impact on woman mental health. The cortisol acts as a mediator between abuse and mental health (Morris) The cortisol would cause her protectiveness for her child and make it hard to forgive regardless of any love she may feel for Ramón. The character Josie has finally found the courage to leave her abusive partner after learning that she is pregnant.
She is aware that the abuse will not end if she stays despite the fact that she is carrying a baby. She might be correct as research about intimate partner violence reveals that violence does not stop when women become pregnant. There have been studies that estimate that higher rates of abuse of pregnant women—as many as 324,000 women per year and rates as high as 20% of pregnant women—have been reported (Gazmararian). It is unfortunate that Josie was unable to leave Ramón but that could have been for a number of reasons such as: they have no help from others, they fear losing mutual friendships and familial support, and they lack financial resources (Doak). Victimization is another reason they avoid leaving. There is an argument that women are victimized and coerced into staying in violent relationships by a combination of different forces. Women are victimized first and foremost by violent abusers; second, by a society that sanctions the right of men to hit women and socializes women into staying in abusive relationships; third, by representatives of institutions who are in a position to help but who instead ignore the plight of battered women; and fourth, by the everyday realities of being a woman in a patriarchal system that expects women to raise children and denies them access to education, job skills, and good employment
(Rothenberg). Fear is another serious reason as to why women choose to stay in abusive relationships. The abused are afraid that if they retaliate or try to leave, fighting the violence, will lead to even worse violence. They also fear that the sanity of their abuser is a risk because they will not be there to keep them together. Another reason is because they blame themselves or see it as normal and rationalize the violence as “not that bad.” Escalating levels of violence in a relationship often lead to greater use of violence by the woman as a means of self-defense or retaliation. This can result in still more self-blame, because the woman feels she is at fault for the violence. It may also deter her from seeking help and prompt her to believe no help is available (Doak). Morris, Richard et al. “Longitudinal measurement of cortisol in association with mental health and experience of domestic violence and abuse”. BMC Psychiatry. 2013, Vol 13. P 1-8. EBSCO host academic search premier. Web. 8 Dec 2014. Anderson, Kelly. “Rosario Morales”. Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: Sophia Smith Collection, Smith Collage Northampton, MA, 2005. Web. 6 Dec 2014. Gazmararian, Julie A. "Violence and Reproductive Health: Current Knowledge and Future Research Directions." Maternal and Child Health journal, vol 4, no. 2 (June): 79-83. Ebsco Host. Rothenberg, Bess. ""We Don't Have Time for Social Change": Cultural Compromise and the Battered Woman Syndrome"." Gender and Society, vol. 17, no. 5 (2003): 771-787. Sage. "Causes, Effects, and Prevention of Domestic Violence." Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. Melissa J. Doak. 2009 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Dec. 2014. McMahan, Elizabeth et al. “Litrature and the Writing Process”.Pearson. NY, 2012. Print.
Although, father is the person that provides care and protection to their children with Josie it is different. She has an unnecessary childhood which she is facing with discrimination and illegitimacy.
DSS received a report of physical abuse, physical neglect and substantial risk of physical abuse on March 3, 2017 alleging there is chaos in the home. After returning with his brothers from their cousin’s house, the boys had to go to bed. The reporter stated that Xzavia banged on his mother’s bedroom door on three separate occasions wanting something to eat. The first time he was told to go back to bed and a popping noise was heard. The second time Ms. Kimberly Dawkins grabbed Xzavia by the head, shook him little and told him to go back to bed. The third time Ms. Dawkins grabbed Xzavia, threw him on the bed, got a gun, held him down and pointed it at him. Reporter states there was no clip in the gun. Ms. Dawkins was reported being upset and it was reported that she left the home for twenty minutes but came back. It was reported that while Ms. Dawkins was gone, Xzavia was very upset and he was crying and Tyzhaun stared punching holes in the wall. It was reported that Xzavia says he wanted to die and that Atmorris went and got a knife, stated to Xzavia, “You want to die?”, here’s the knife and the two older brothers, Tyzhaun and Atmorris left the house and Xzavia chased them. It was reported that Xzavia was outside crying and he spent the night with the neighbor.
Josie's father has had very little immediate impact on her life thus far. When her father did arrive in back in Sydney Josie is naturally angry at him. This is a totally acceptable form of behaviour considering the circumstance, but her anger not only stems from her own personal experience. Josie had to grow up knowing that her father had abandoed her and her mother, pushing her Christina into being a single parent bringing up her child alone.
“The Day It Happened,” written by Rosario Morales, is a brave and strong story about a woman named Josie who once was madly in love with her husband Ramon in spite of being physically abused by him. Josie’s neighbors noticed the domestic violence, helping her create a friendship bond between them. The neighbors became a type of support group to her, like many woman have in today’s society, helping her gain strength to leave Ramon for their future child’s safety. Sadly, women today still struggle in search for strength and courage that Josie gained. It is estimated at least 1.8 million women are physically abused in a relationships every year (Strube, Barbour 785). Throughout multiple researches, many people do not have a specific answer of
From facilitating this safety plan, I have learned how to help women move through their options for safety. I have seen that women can be even more creative, strong, and empowered than I imagined possible. Most importantly, this assignment has given me the opportunity to truly consider and offer an alternative to a life of abuse that many women have never heard of before. I believe that the safety plan is important to both the woman seeking safety from her abusive relationship as well as the advocate having trouble seeing the victim as able to overcome the risks of intimate partner violence.
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
Domestic violence involves the systematic use of force, threats and intimidation by one partner upon another in order for the dominating partner to have control over the victim. In general, women who are abused physically are often isolated. Their partners tend to control their lives to a great extent as well as verbally degrade them. Even though the Latina women are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence because of their culture, it does not mean that this situation does not exist in other societies. Domestic violence happens in all races, religions and social statuses. It could appear in any family and in order to prevent it, everyone in the society must have knowledge of the problem, and try to contribute to stop it. There are many reasons why Latina women that have been abused by their husbands do not ask for help or call the police. The most common ones are the cultural background, the language barrier, and the fear they have of being alone. In the Latin culture there is the belief that when a woman gets married, she should obey he...
There are many different types of domestic violence. Physical abuse is the most obvious form, but this is not to say that outsiders always recognize it. Generally, physical violence causes bodily harm, using a variety of methods. Slapping, pushing, throwing, hitting, punching, and strangling are only a few methods. An object or weapon may or may not be used. There is not always physical evidence of physical abuse such as bruising, bleeding, scratches, bumps, etc., therefore, absence of physical marks does not necessarily mean physical abuse had not occurred. Physical abuse sometimes escalates to murder (Morris and Biehl 7, Haley 14-17).
...sn’t she just leave?” However, when informed of the actual complications that victims of domestic violence face, a bystander may instead ask, “How can I help her leave?” Katie may not think that leaving is an option and may not even see her situation as abuse, but an informed advocate for domestic violence victims may be able to recognize the signs and share with Katie that her life doesn’t have to be that way. There are many explanations for why she does stay and only few that should guide her otherwise, as a bystander or a survivor becoming learned of the issues revolving domestic violence and intimate partner abuse can increase the odds of victim survival. Victims must become educated and connected with resources before they will begin to feel that there may be hope for a better life and only until then will they remain victims and not become survivors.
It is common knowledge that Ray Rice used his wife as a punching bag in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino. What is truely remarkable is that his fiancé became his wife after that vicious left hook to the face left her unconscious. Why do women stay with men who beat them unconscious? Domestic violence is a serious and complex plague of society that affects all, but women make up the largest number of victims in most case studies. In the United States alone, '1.5 million women are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year. More than 500,000 women victims require medical treatment, and 324,000 victims are pregnant at the time of assault' (Berlinger, 'Taking' 42). Numbers like these show how intense the situation of domestic violence truly is. 'Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner and domestic violence accounts for 22% of all recorded violent crimes' (Jamil 70). Domestic violence takes such a large number in percentages regarding violent crimes, yet often is dismissed by many with the idea that 'this won't happen to me'. Somehow, somewhere, domestic violence will touch everyone whether by someone they know or by televised publication. Though domestic violence affects men as well, the female subject is more often the victim. Domestic violence has a continuous cycle that has been influenced since birth and can be stopped with intervention but each victim's reason for staying will vary.
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.
During the 1980s and 1900s, domestic violence was one of the most unreported crimes that involve females and males getting hurt and dying. Kicking, choking, killing, and saying brutal or despise words that could hurt the victims physically or emotionally are considered domestic violence. In fact, many victims are afraid to seek for help. According to “The Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC), women account for approximately 85 percent of all intimate partner violence, with women aged 20-24 at greater risk” (Batten, par.16). Most pregnant women are at risk as well. “But underlying approach is still one that assumes the perpetrators are men and the victims are woman” (Haugen, par. 1). Moreover, both males and females believe that domestic violence is a solution to their issues.
This paper will discuss a thirty-two year old pregnant woman named Regina, who was brought into the emergency room with many superficial injuries. She is accompanied by her five year-old son. Later in the conversation, Regina discloses that she is a victim in intimate partner violence. Violence is a very common occurrence in partner relationships. According to McHugh and Frieze (2006), it is estimated that more than a quarter of relationships involve at least one violent incident. Partner violence can include anything from a heated argument or yelling, to physical attacks or threats such as hitting, slapping, or pushing (McHugh & Frieze, 2006). Often, the women in relationships are the victims of the abuse, posing the simple question, “why doesn’t she just leave.” For most women, it is near impossible to remove themselves from the relationship because of psychological factors. She may be worried that her partner will abuse her worse should he ever find her. She may fear the guilt that she could experience for leaving the relationship, or she may be concerned about money situations, had he been the sole provider (McHugh & Frieze, 2006). There are many reasons why a woman may feel ‘stuck’ in an abusive relationship, which is why support groups and therapeutic communication are important. The purpose of this paper is to create a therapeutic conversation with Regina and her son, in order to build an appropriate intervention for intimate partner violence using the psychoanalytical theory.
Statistical evidence can be used to stress the seriousness of domestic violence and the importance of having women’s shelters dispersed throughout the nation. According to recent surveys, one in every three women will experience domestic violence at some time during her lifetime. Domestic violence is also the leading cause of injury to women, with the abuser usually being a member of her own family. Finally, up to ten million American children witness some type of domestic violence every year (Fantuzzo and Fusco, “Children’s Direct Exposure to Types of Domestic Violence Crime: A Population-based Investigation”). These statistics show that domestic violence is a reality and that the efforts of women’s shelters are not in vain.
It is not always easy to determine in the early stages of a relationship if one person will become abusive. Abusers may often seem wonderful and perfect initially, but gradually become more aggressive and controlling as the relationship continues. Violence and control always intensifies over time with an abuser, despite the apologies (ncadv.org). I Choose Life attempts to give a voice to the victims and survivors of domestic violence. Along with, offering an understanding to domestic violence, we construct educational seminars and programs that will help to drive that change. Domestic violence is the sole responsibility of the abuser.