Domestic violence covers a large array of abuses. Some of the different types of abuse include Physical, Emotional, Verbal, Sexual and Economical. Women suffering abuse usually suffer from all the different types. Often one type of abuse will bleed or lead to another and most abuse cases never start out with something physical. Most of the time one form of abuse is being used to enforce another. “Women have throughout history been the most victimized by someone they knew (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg. 1) Most abusers usually start out with emotional abuse because it makes the target emotionally weaker and less likely to fight back. It also probably has the most different ways to inflict abuse. Characteristics of emotional abuse usually consist of putting her down, making her feel bad about herself, name calling, mind games, humiliation, making her feel guilty, and think she’s crazy. A more specific action would be using the children to make her feel guilty about them (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.2). This is usually done by using visitation to harass her and or the children, using the kids to relay messages, and threatening to take them away( National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.2 ).Abusers are also known to use things like “coercion and threats”( National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Pg2 ). “Two of the most common threats are to leave them or commit suicide” (National Coalitional Against Domestic Violence pg 2 ). “Most domestic abuse cases are never reported to the authorities (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.1 ).” This is probably due to the fact that most are too ashamed of what is going on and feel that they let it happened or they deserve the horrible ... ... middle of paper ... ...t there especially alone” (Staying Safe in a Women’s Shelter pg. 3). “The longer you stay at the shelter the harder it will be to leave, do not become too dependent on the shelter” (Staying Safe in a Women’s pg. 2). Works Cited “Domestic Violence Facts” NCADV. (2005-2011) 13 September 2011.http://www.NationalCoalitionAgainstDomesticViolence.org Jackson, Caron “Domestic Violence and Abuse” Food/cooking/nutrion/community 3 December, 2009, 26 October 2011. http://www.thefreelibrary.com Renee, “Staying Safe in a Women’s Shelter” 11 July 2006, 5 October 2011. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/43031/staying_safe_in_a_womens_shelter.html Smith,M. , Segal, J. “Help for Abused and Battered Women” 2011, 13 September 2011. http://www.helpguide.org “Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)” 17 February 2008, 26 October 2011. http://www.thefreelibrary.com
Domestic violence can have specific victims, such as a spouse or domestic partner, a child, or an elder. Domestic violence can affect men as well as women. Some types of domestic violence are physical, verbal or nonverbal, sexual, stalking or cyberstalking, economic or financial, and spiritual. Domestic violence affects the victim physically often times causing injuries that could lead to hospitalization or death, psychologically involving gaining control over the victim as well, and socially by isolating them from family and friends. When we think of the effects of domestic violence it becomes clear that it not only affects the victim and the family but as in recent years, the violence can spill beyond the walls of the home into the neighborhood and the workplace resulting in what has become more and more common, domestic violence related workplace shootings.
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.
“Such a woman faces two major obstacles: fear and finance -- fear for her safety and that of her children and a lack of money to support herself or them. The most dangerous time in the life of a battered woman is when she attempts to leave her abuser. Threatened by the loss of control, the batterer is likely to become even more violent and may even try to kill her. There are simply not enough shelters to protect all the women who need them” (1).
54% of women victims of serious sexual assault were assaulted by their partner or ex-partner (Stern 2010). 19% of women have experienced stalking since the age of 16 (Smith (Ed.), Coleman, Eder and Hall January 2011). These statistics help give a picture of the problem but do little to shed light on the solution. There are many programs and shelters offered to victims of domestic violence, Hill Country Cares is one of them. Hill Country Cares is a government funded women’s shelter better known s HCC. This is a place where victims of domestic violence are referred to from many sources. (i.e. local authorities after reporting a domestic violence incident). HCC is a safe place where victims receive many different types of assistance while their situation, as well as the painfully intimate details of their abuse, are kept entirely confidential.
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...
Rather than approach domestic violence as a direct cause of homelessness, one might hope to understand how such violence could help create the circumstances that might make a woman more susceptible to homelessness. Domestic violence and poverty may intersect with other issues to produce the circumstances that often leave women no other choice but to seek temporary shelter for the short-term, and therefore remain precariously housed.
Mental or psychological abuse has the most expansive list of methods. Mental abuse is harming a woman emotionally or psychologically and has an endless list of effects. This type of abuse may take form verbally by being humiliated, destructively criticized, removing self-confidence, yelling, threatening, accusing, or even remaining silent, overly authoritative, or disrespectful. A man may emotionally abuse his partner by destroying something important or sentimental to her or threaten to take away th...
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.
What to do? The issue of abused and homeless women is one that has recently been brought to the forefront of social issues in Pakistan. Abuse, most often begins after marriage. According to local traditions, once a girl’s baraat (wedding procession) enters the husband’s house, only her janaza (funeral pyre) should leave. Loyalty and devotion to the husband and his family come above every thing else. When family support is pulled away, the girl is then at the mercy of her husband. This total control of the girl’s life sometimes leads to her death. Often times it leads to abuse. The girl cannot return to her father’s house for fear of dishonoring him and so continues to suffer. In some cases she may chose to run away therefore igniting her husband’s anger that then is left with no choice put to pursue and kill her to redeem his honor.
Domestic violence is becoming more and more of a reality in today’s world; 57,000 people have been killed in domestic violence situations in the last 25 years (Fantuzzo and Fusco, “Children’s Direct Exposure to Types of Domestic Violence Crime: A Population-based Investigation”). This alarming statistic has prompted the increase of women’s shelters, usually known as “safe houses,” across the nation. Since safe houses are usually non-profit organizations dependent on donations, critics wonder if these shelters’ benefits outweigh the high cost it takes to keep them running. Are women’s shelters actually effective? Based on statistical evidence, the beneficial resources that safe houses provide, and multiple survivors’ stories, it can be proven that women’s shelters are indeed effective and very necessary.
Domestic violence consists of verbal, financial, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse within the household, generally involving partners and families. This occurrence of violence is acted to gain and maintain control over somebody. Abusers have the tendency to enforce fear, guilt, shame and intimidation to brainwash and maintain power. The...
Around the 1950’s and 60’s, the Civil Rights and Anti-war movements began to lay the ground work for the feminist movement. During the 1970’s, spousal abuse became a public issue and the battered women’s movement was brought to the public eye. At this time there were several movements under way such as, women’s liberation, women’s health, and anti-rape movements. As a results of the success of these agencies and the resources and networking that already was in place, many battered women’s shelters were opened across the United States. The first of these, was the Women’s Advocates shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota which opened in 1973. It was not until 1984 that a bill, The Family Violence Prevention Services Act was passed through Congress. This act would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Service to give grants to States that would assist them in creating, expanding, and maintaining programs and projects that aid in the prevention of family violence.
To begin with, the definition of domestic violence is “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (“What Is Domestic Violence”). Ranging from grown women to young children, many are victims to abuse. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States” (“Statistics”). Just by calculating, that is 28,800 people who are abused in just ONE DAY! The scary part is that this number does not even account for the numerous cases that are not even told. Many victims are threatened or even hurt so bad that they must keep their mouth shut in fear of even worse abuse to come. Of
There are many forms of domestic violence but the more prevalent types that I will discuss are physical abuse, verbal abused, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, social abuse and economical abuse. Every nine seconds, a husband physically abuses his wife in the U.S. (Schwartz & Scott, 2003). Physical abuse is any action that is taken against another person that inflicts pain and harm in order to control or intimidate whether in public or private. Pushing, slapping, punching, biting, kicking are just so...