Domestic Violence: A Social Plague

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Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that threatens many families and individuals throughout the world. There are five major classifications of domestic violence: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and economic abuse. Domestic violence involves any form of abuse inflicted upon an individual within a close intimate relationship or household. According to the United States Office on Violence Against Women, domestic violence is defined 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.” Those directly afflicted by domestic dispute and violence suffer from many physical, psychological, financial, and long-term side effects. However, domestic violence has devastating effects on all individuals involved. Domestic violence is believed to be a preventable public health problem. With millions of cases occurring each year, domestic abuse continues to threaten the safety and well-being of the nucleus of American society: the family.

History of Domestic Violence

Because of changing views in society throughout history, domestic violence is a difficult issue to track. The phrase “domestic violence” was not used in its modern context until late into the twentieth century. As familiar relations and gender dynamics have evolved over the years, domestic violence has been somewhat redefined. Modern opinions on domestic violence began with the women’s movement of the 1970s. Women’s rights activism gained much needed attention to the looming problem of domestic abuse. Likewise, with the rise of the men’s movement in the 1990s, attentions have turned to the problem of violence against men in domestic partnerships.

Basic Information and Facts:

  • Domestic Violence is one of many organizations dedicated to aiding those who are tormented by domestic abuse. This resource works to carefully and concisely define domestic violence, providing further information on common myths, who the victims are, who the abusers are, what abuse is, what victims can do to be safe, and where to find help.
  • Helpguide delineates all of the basic signs and symptoms of domestic violence and abuse. This resource gives details on understanding domestic violence, identifying various types of domestic abuse, recognizing warning signs, and speaking up against domestic violence.
  • The Hotline offers a concise definition of domestic violence and provides specifications to help identify what kind of domestic abuse an individual is involved in.
  • National Coalition Against Domestic Violence explains what battering is and who is affected by it, discussing incidents of abuse within marriage, between teens, among older individuals, and between different socioeconomic statuses.
  • Family Doctor gives concise definition of domestic violence, focusing on providing information on children afflicted by domestic disputes. This resource also presents links to other organizations dedicated to ending domestic violence.
  • Domestic Violence Factsheet provides a comprehensive look at the staggering facts and statistics concerning domestic violence in the United States.
  • United States Department of Justice offers simple definitions of the five types of domestic abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and psychological abuse.
  • National Institute of Justice explains the causes and consequences of intimate partner violence, focusing on risk factors to be aware of. This resource also supplies a works cited section with several links to useful articles and sites concerning domestic violence and abuse.
  • The Advocates for Human Rights gives basic information on domestic violence, looking at research and reports, law and policy, training materials, and drafting laws on domestic violence.

Prevalence of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a widespread problem that has plagued society for many years. According to statistics provided by the National Institute of Justice there are approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men who are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year in the United States. As indicated in the National Violence Against Women Survey, the lifetime prevalence of all domestic violence for women ages 18 and older was nearly 25 percent and nearly 8 percent for men. These numbers are staggering. Even with ongoing efforts in both legislation and education, domestic violence remains a pervasive issue within society. Moreover, new research indicates a strong association between exposure to domestic abuse as a child and abuse in all forms as an adult. The continued prevalence of domestic abuse foreshadows a dangerous prognosis for our society.

  • Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women provides a detailed examination of violence against women in a broad sense, giving close consideration to incidents of domestic abuse. This report provides important statistics concerning domestic violence as well as policy implications.
  • National Institute of Justice: Interventions discusses the common intervention strategies used when confronting issues of domestic violence, providing statistical data about arrests, protection orders, court interventions, prosecutions, and Batterer Intervention Programs.
  • Measuring Domestic Violence offers a general summary of several major national surveys exploring the prevalence, type of injury, severity of injury, and gender of offender. This resource also provides links to several other reports measuring intimate partner violence.
  • The Prevalence of Domestic Violence provides a thorough overview of the prevalence of domestic violence in the United States and several other countries around the world.
  • Assaults by Women on Their Spouses of Male Partners examines 275 different scholarly articles, papers, and studies that demonstrate cases of domestic violence where women are the primary perpetrator.
  • Intimate Partner Violence: Consequences provides statistics concerning the monetary cost intimate partner violence inflicts on society.
  • Journal of Family Psychology discusses the prevalence of partner-violent families in the United States, working to estimate the number of American children living in such families.

Domestic Homicides

In the worst situations, domestic abuse becomes fatal. According to studies performed within the last decade by the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately one third of female murder victims were killed by an intimate relation. Domestic homicide occurs when one spouse or intimate partner murders the other. All too often, households plagued by violence and abuse enter a dangerous cycle. In this cycle, abusers seek to gain control and manipulate their victims at whatever cost. If violence continues within a home, it typically escalates. Men who kill women usually show a pattern of long-term violent and threatening behavior. There are several organizations throughout the United States dedicated to educating individuals about this dangerous cycle and helping victims and abusers avoid it.

  • Murder-Suicide in Families looks at risk factors, the role of guns, the role of shelters, and the role of the economy in rare cases of familicide.
  • Lethal and Extremely Dangerous Behavior provides basic information concerning domestic violence that result in severe injury or death.
  • Lethality Assessments explores the different aspects of personality and situation that might lead an individual to become lethally dangerous in a domestic dispute. This resource also provides a comprehensive look at various research efforts put towards to topic of lethal behavior in domestic situations.

 

Health Issues

The health related costs of any sort of abuse is astronomical. Domestic violence has negative health effects on every individual involved. In addition to the immediate injuries suffered from an assault, victims of abuse suffer severe psychological and emotional damage. While psychological abuse is often considered less severe than physical abuse, healthcare providers and legislators are increasingly recognizing the harm psychological distress causes an individual’s overall health. Furthermore, domestic violence does not only affect the immediate victim of the abuse, but also any witnesses to the injury. Children who witness domestic abuse within their own homes often suffer from severe psychological and even physical consequences.

  • Health Effects of Domestic Violence explores the severe effects violence has on a victim’s physical, mental, and emotional health. This resource also provides links to several different organizations dedicated to preventing domestic violence and abuse.
  • Domestic Violence, HIV/AIDS and Other STIs offers a comprehensive look at the relationship between domestic violence and sexually transmitted disease.
  • Role of Health Care Providers provides a brief exploration of how health care systems can positively influence the efforts against domestic violence. This resource evaluates the role of health care providers in confidentiality and support, screening and referral, documentation and reporting of domestic violence.
  • Domestic Violence in Emergency Medicine Patients provides information for doctors and medical professionals on how to detect domestic abuse in their patients early on.
  • Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse looks at the effects substance abuse has on the incidents of domestic violence, discussing simple statistics concerning alcohol abuse and violence in general.

Domestic Violence among Teens

While abuse in dating relationships is common among teenagers, it often goes unnoticed or unmentioned in mainstream society. Teens develop false beliefs about what relationships should consist of and fail to recognize abuse. Dating violence, like domestic violence, is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner. While this commonly involves the male counterpart controlling and abusing the female counterpart, this is not always the case. Dating violence can consist of physical abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse. While these types of abuse are the same for both teens and adults, the methods of dating abuse among teens are specific to youth culture. In today’s society, teens are experiencing threats via technology, such as social networking, text messaging, or email. There are several warning signs of abuse that teens can watch for in their partner. Individuals who are more likely to act violently towards their dating partner will show signs of constant put-downs, extreme jealousy or insecurity, explosive temper, possessiveness, or mood swings.

  • unicef: Domestic Violence Against Women and Girls offers a detailed overview of violence against women and girls throughout the world, discussing the scope of the problem, the magnitude of the problem, the causes of domestic violence, the consequences, the costs, and strategies and interventions.
  • Love Is Respect provides information about what healthy relationships should be and what abuse looks like. This site is geared toward teens and adolescents that may be caught in abusive relationships.
  • Choose Respect gives guidance to teens and adolescents on how to make healthy decisions in their relationship with friends, family, and dating partners.
  • Break the Cycle offers educational material for teens on domestic violence, with hopes of empowering youth to end domestic violence.
  • The Safe Space gives comprehensive information concerning dating violence. This site provides ways to stay safe, speak out, and learn the basics about relationship violence among teens.
  • A Report from the Teen Parent Project provides information concerning the demographics and characteristics of teens involved with partner abuse, focusing on how relationship violence affects the use of birth control.

Domestic Violence and Children

In homes where domestic violence occurs, children suffer very severely in many respects. Children forced in these situations are at a higher risk for suffering physical abuse themselves and nearly always suffer from severe emotional damage. Children who witness violence within their family are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. In these cases, children are often unable to establish nurturing relationships with their parents. Studies have shown that over 3 million children witness violence in their home each year. Witnessing this abuse has potential negative effects on a child’s emotional, behavioral, social, and physical wellbeing.

  • Child Abuse and Maltreatment discusses the varying definitions for child abuse and maltreatment and provides links to several articles concerned with child abuse and neglect.
  • Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence gives information about the common co-occurrence of child abuse and intimate partner abuse. This resource explores how prevalent this co-occurrence is in society and evaluates programs dedicated to reducing this problem.
  • Effects of Domestic Violence on Children briefly examines the effects domestic violence has on children who live in families suffering from this issue.
  • Role of Child Protective Services provides information on the law governing domestic abuse and children.
  • Child Custody Issues discusses the devastating effects domestic abuse has on a child’s perception of family and home, focusing on custody issues and using children to leverage the victim.

Rape

While domestic violence is often associated with physical battering, sexual assault within a domestic relationship is also an aspect of domestic violence. Sexual assault and rape are forms of control in much the same way domestic battering is. An abusive spouse or partner may use forced sexual interactions as a way to assert their power and control. In many cases, domestic abuse is a precursor to domestic rape. Domestic violence and rape are serious problems within our society that are disproportionately focused on women.

Stalking

According to The Federal Government Source for Women’s Health Information, one of every 12 women has been stalked at some point throughout her life. Stalking can be defined in many ways. In the context of domestic violence, stalking involves any form of unwanted contact between two people that causes the victim any sort of fear or distress. While many imagine “stalkers” as individuals who are strangers to the person they are stalking, oftentimes a stalker is an individual from a former personal or romantic relationship. Stalking can be an extremely traumatic experience for a victim.

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