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Domestic violence in america apa paper
Domestic violence in america apa paper
The physical effects of domestic violence
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Somewhere in America at this very moment, a woman is being abused. She
will be left with bruises, cuts, broken bones, and scars. The scars that last
forever are not physical; however, they are ones of mental anguish. Her abuser
is not a stranger, rather her husband or boyfriend. In this country, domestic
violence is almost as common as giving birth. There is, however, hope for these
women; help is available.
Domestic violence occurs way too often in American society. There are
many reasons why people need to speak out against domestic violence. One reason
is that statistics show that most abusers will continue to abuse until they are
arrested. Another reason is that domestic violence doesn't only physically harm
a woman; it also mentally harms the woman and any children involved. The third
reason is that help is available.
A man who physically abuses a woman can not be stopped unless he is
given counseling, jailed, or killed. He will continue to abuse until he is
stopped, and ignoring the problem will definitely not help it go away. Husbands
and boyfriends send more women to the hospital each year than strangers do
(Campbell 95). The US Surgeon General reports that, “domestic violence is the
leading cause of injury to American women between the ages of fifteen and forty-
four” (Briggs and Davis 94) . Abusers need to be stopped before its too late
for their victims.
Wo...
This is the tenth time that Lisa has been admitted to the hospital within the past two years. At least this time there aren’t any broken bones or concussions to worry about. Lisa only has two black eyes, a patch of her beautiful long hair forcibly yanked from her head, a nasty black and blue bruise on her neck and a few nails ripped directly from the newly manicured nail beds. Lisa swore to God and her best friend Brandy that this was the final straw. Actually, she made that exact same pledge under oath just three months ago, yet she is coincidently in the same position she vowed never to return to. This time was different though. She was making plans to move her things out of the small apartment that she shared with her boyfriend the minute she was discharged from Sinai Grace Hospital, and what seem to be her home away from home. Lisa has made plans for her mom to babysit her 2 year old daughter while she searches for work, and Brandy has already told Lisa she can stay with her as long as she needed to. Yet, the very next day, Lisa calls to inform Brandy that she decided to stay with Jason despite of the awful things that he has done to her. Lisa believes that Jason has changed overnight and that he deserves a second chance, besides a child needs to be raised with both parents in the home. Unfortunately Brandy was not at all surprised by the phone call, in fact, she was expecting it. As the wave of guilt and the “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” attempts to overcome Brandy again, she quickly snapped back into reality, wiped the tears off her face and placed the white roses on Lisa’s tombstone. A story like Lisa’s usually raises the million dollar question; why do women stay in abusive relationships? Across the nation...
Historically, legal and social traditions in the United States have permitted and supported the abuse of women and children by the male head of household. This historical phenomenon helps explain why women are the primary victims of domestic violence. In this country, civil rights and legal responsibilities were first granted to free, property-owning men. Wives, children, and slaves were considered "chattel" or personal property of male citizens who were held responsible for their public behavior.
The purpose of this research paper is to prove that criminal law in America has failed to provide a defense that adequately protects women suffering from Battered Women's Syndrome. Battered Women's Syndrome, or BWS, is a very complex psychological problem facing criminal courts today and has caused great debate on whether or not it should even be allowed in the courtroom. Although the syndrome has been given more consideration as a warranted issue by society, those who create our laws and control our courtrooms, have not developed a defense that sufficiently protects these women. United States courtrooms, instead of protecting battered women, have put these women on trial and found them guilty of murder.
“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).
Domestic violence include sex abuse and intentionally or unintentionally use of physical force such as slapping, hitting and causing other injuries to your partner, children, friends, etc. A psychologist and law school professor, Mary Ann Dutton, who is an expert in domestic violence described it as "a pattern of behavior in which one intimate partner uses physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation, isolation and emotional, sexual or economic abuse to control and change the behavior of the other partner." (Taken from an article in www.womenslaw.org, by Valerie Despres)
Domestic violence, we all hear about it, in fact over 6 million kids witness domestic violence annually. Many people believe that domestic violence isn’t a huge issue but it has major effects that can result in physical injury, physiological trauma, and sometimes death. Annually, 37 billion dollars are the health costs of domestic violence, 37 billion dollars that could be put to better use. The consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and truly last a lifetime, therefore community programs, education and intervention, increased censorship in television, and harsher penalties as well as easy accessible help needs to be a focus throughout high schools as well as throughout the mid-twenties.
North or South, home is the best. This is common saying that summarizes the common and widely accepted belief that home is a place of peace, safety, privacy and happiness. People tend to think that beyond the doors of a beautiful house is a happy family in which husband, wife and a child enjoy time with each other. The view of a family as a happy institution is valid and true for most people, but some families do have dark secrets that often go unnoticed in society. Violence at home is one of the increasingly common problems in households today and in harsh reality for families in all societies worldwide. Domestic violence or assault occurs within the household as one party dominates over or controls the other partner in an intimate relationship. It is the deliberate coercion, control, abuse or dominance over one partner through physical, emotional, psychological or sexual abuse in a marriage or intimate relationship.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person. It happens to all ages, all genders, it is physical, it is mental, and typically women are the victims of their male partners. Domestic violence happens in every corner of the world so the world needs to unite and fight domestic violence. Even though domestic violence goes back to 753 B.C, it has not been until recently, coalitions of domestic violence prevention agencies have provided help and guidance for battered women. If you have been abused in any way, then you should definitely get in touch with the organizations that are mentioned this essay to liberate yourself.
Domestic Violence Statistics states, “Around the world, at least one in every 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime” (1). The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (para. 1). Domestic violence is a crime that numerous citizens fall victim to in every country. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence regardless of race, gender, sexuality or religion. Being a victim of domestic violence can affect a person’s way of life permanently and the way these victims interact with other people can become a difficult task and can eventually affect their future. Domestic violence is substantially wrong because it can cause drastic permanent effects in a person’s life, can cause physical, emotional and intellectual damage, and affects a child’s state of mind of what is normal and what is not if they are in a domestic violent atmosphere. While women are usually victims of domestic violence, men are victims of this crime as well. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney states that, “According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, men account for approximately fifteen percent of the victims of reported intimate partner crimes” (Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, par.1). Physical, emotional, economic and physiological abuses are all forms of domestic violence that many people would consider to fall under another crime. There are many crimes that many citizens commit, but domestic violence is one of many that should not be taken lightly.
Statistics like these outlines the severity and seriousness of the domestic epidemic in Canada. This is an epidemic with dramatic and negative effects not only affecting individuals, but communities as a whole, it is a crime that knows no economic, racial, ethnic or religious limits. “At some point in their lives, more than forty percent of women will experience violence, and in most cases this violence is in the hands of a man.” Although research may suggest that these statistics may be under-reported as many of these assaults go unrecorded, this is largely due to society’s refusal to recognize such violence as an infringement on women’s human rights. The violence Canada has experienced against women can be attributed to the result of a power structure that exist in society. While there has been a widespread recognition of this type of violence, it remains the case, that there are many areas of society where women are still subjected to this type of violence and in some way are seen as responsible for the man’s behaviour.
Steubenville, Ohio is a town that was put on the map because of very publicized rape case. On August 11, 2012 a high school girl was repeatedly raped by her peers while incapacitated by alcohol; the whole ordeal was documented by other students via video cameras on phones and twitter. She was raped by two of her classmates, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond. (Valenti) She was seen leaving the party she was at with four football player. During the car ride to one of the football player’s house the victim’s shirt was removed, revealing her breasts, and Mays’ used his fingers to penetrate her vagina, also called digital penetration. (Oppel, Jr.) She was photographed during this. Once at the house, she was drug to the basement where Richmond then tried to orally penetrate her and then digitally penetrated her vagina. She was photographed again during this. (Oppel, Jr.)
Most people in society are one sided when it comes to domestic violence. Most people automatically think domestic violence as men abusing women. Most people believe domestic violence is associated with gender. For instance, some people associate men with violent, destructive, and belligerent behavior. While women are often seen as innocent, fragile, and vulnerable. For many years men were the ones showing violent behavior, so most people believe men are usually the aggressor. Many people believe men should never abuse a woman, and if he does he will charged and most likely serve jail time. Although, women are not viewed the same way. Over the years women have become just as aggressive and violent as men have been portrayed. Many women who are violent are given a pass if they abuse a man. More simply, their behavior is overlooked, because they are not seen as a threat to society, so they will most likely not be jailed or punished for their behavior. In addition, there are many resources to help women get out of domestic violence situations. For instance, there are hotlines they can call, shelters they can visit, and support
The media has become one of the main sources where people obtain their information from. This information can be taken in knowingly, or through subliminal messages. The media includes magazines, videos, commercials, television shows, and movies. Since, media has major influence over the public; violence being portrayed in the media is causing problems. Violence against women in the media has been happening for decades. The violence has been taking shape in many forms, as in emotional and physical violence. The types of emotional violence portrayed in the media include sexualizing, degrading, and treating women as less than human. The types of physical violence used in the media include hitting, slapping, kicking, sexual assault, and strangling. For a social advocacy project, a PowerPoint and letter were made, describing how media has been using the violence of music to sell products using research and theory from a psychology of women class.
When the topic of abuse comes up, many different forms of abuse pop into individuals heads. Whether its Physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or even drug abuse, the list just keeps going. Now take all those different forms abuse and imagine them happening in a family. A father physically abusing his children, a mother verbally berating her daughter about her body image, a child growing up in fear. According to the research by David Wolfe in the Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, that the number of children that have suffered a physical injury due to physical abuse is between 1.4 and 1.9 million annually. With such a high number of physical abuse happening to children, one can imagine how high the number of all the
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.