Victimization of Children - Essay Example

Victimization of Children Submitted: Victimization of Children Introduction One of the main problems of society is the issue of domestic violence and the gender that is mostly subjected to this kind of violence is females. Domestic violence is referred to activities such as assaults that are physical, emotional and sexual in nature, conducted by any one of the two partners who have an intimate relationship. Body Around twenty-five to thirty-five percent of females who are in an intimate relationship are subjected towards this kind of violent activities (Carlson, 2000). The Bureau of Justice reported during 2005 that forty-three out of one thousand females between the ages of 18 and 24 are domestically violated each year (Durose, 2005). Individuals who are directly targeted in domestic violence are not only suffering its adverse effects; others, especially children, are even experiencing the negative effects of this sort of violent behavior. Children are being exposed to this sort of violence in their everyday life in different forms; exposure might be in form of hearing, seeing, experiencing and being informed about such assaults. According to the US Census Bureau, during 2001 a total of 15.5 million children were living in households where domestic violence was taking place (McDonald, 2007). Children who are violated in cases of domestic violence are not only the ones being negatively impacted; even children who live in households where domestically violent activities are taking place are being negatively impacted. The degree of impact may vary according to factors such as age, sex, frequency, and whether the child has been directly abused or has experienced indirect abuse. Consequences The negative effects domestic violence on children are said to be short as well as long term in nature. Short term negative effects associated with domestic violence include: increase in anxiousness, depressing state of mind, and depreciated level of performance in academic life and self-esteem. The long-term negative effects associated with domestic violence are those concerning the way domestically violated children exhibit as they grow up. College going students that have been violated indirectly reported the various issues stated in the short term negative effects of this kind of violence as compared to those college students that do not experience intimate partner violence (Stark, 2009). Studies even report that individuals who have been abused sexually and emotionally in childhood have even reported the same kinds of abuse in their adulthood (Stark, 2009). The social learning theory states that if children observe their parents perform violent acts against each other, they assume that such acts are not anti-social and may perform same activities with their intimate partners during their adulthood (Stark, 2009, p. 25). The theory of intergenerational transmission of violence states that a child learns about treating their intimate partners from their parents and they behave the same way as their parents behave with each other (Stark, 2009, p. 37). Attachment theory states that children depend on their caregivers for safety (Stark, 2009, p. 27). The theory further states that children get attached to their caregivers if their caregivers actively seek to keep the child safe and they become distant from their caregiver if the caregiver does not take participation in helping children during their stressful events. Assistance Programs Various assistance programs are in place to help those who are directly or indirectly effected by domestic violence; these programs are especially designed for children and females. One such program is recognized as NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence); this program started functioning during 1978 and is an umbrella to more than two thousand domestic violence programs and victim help centers. It is created to help children and women in US who have been victims of domestic violence (Underwood, 2006, p. 228). This program stands against the use of power against females and children, and even stands against the way individuals try controlling each other in a relationship and highly promotes equality in relationships and helps women gain control of their lives. The programs even provide education to the citizens of US about the issue of domestic violence and are in favor of all the punishments levied by law on those who conduct domestic violence. Another program created to help the victims of Domestic Violence is recognized as NNEDV (National Network to End Domestic Violence); the program started functioning during 1990 and played a major role in the development of Violence against Women Act of 1994 (Underwood, 2006, p. 228). The main purpose of the program is to make sure that policy makers are alert to help women and children who experience domestic violence and parties that are standing against domestic violence are working together. Policing Recommendations If police have to stop and become an obstacle in the path of those who conduct domestic violations, they should treat this crime as any other normal crime (Reuland, 2006, p. 23). This means that police should investigate such crime scenes in the similar way they investigate any other crime scene or crime and arrest those who are indulged in such activities. They should look for evidence instead of relying on the statement provided by the victim or “may be” victims. These investigations should be in-depth and include: taking pictures of the scene, taking into consideration the environment of the incident place, the behavior of those who have violated and those who were abused and take possession of any weapons available at the scene. The police officers have to treat domestic violence cases as a criminal act rather than treating it as a family issue (Reuland, 2006, p. 24). Thirdly, the police and victim assistance programs should work together as police have less expertise of domestic violence than assistance programs (Reuland, 2006, p. 25). Conclusion Domestic violence is a major problem experienced by US households. It is negatively impacting those children that are directly abused in the cases of domestic violence; it is even negatively impacting those who are not being directly violated. The issue effects children and is both long and short term in nature. The police and victim assistance programs should work together to help those being violated and negatively impacted. Summary Domestic violence is even recognized as intimate partner violence which refers to violent activities conducted by one partner on another. Violent activities involve: assaulting sexually, physically and psychologically. Statistical research proves that women most commonly become the victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence not only negatively impacts the individuals that are being violated; it even has a negative impact on the individuals who live in such households. Children are one of those individuals who become affected negatively if they live in households where domestic violence takes place on a regular basis. Children are affected adversely even if they are not being abused directly. Those children who only hear assaults taking place, witness such assaults, or are informed about such assaults, even experience the negative consequences of domestic violence. Negative effects domestic violence on children range from depression, anxiety, bad grades to issues they face in their adulthood and the negative ways of operating during their adulthood. These impacts have been divided into both short term and long term in nature. College students report short term negative effects of domestic violence, such as anxiety, bad performance, and low self-esteem. The long term affects are the negative ways in which these children behave in future. Various theories even provide insight into how children are being negatively impacted by domestic violence. The social learning theory states that children observe their parents behavior and consider that behavior as appropriate. Similarly, the intergenerational transmission of violence theory states that children internalize the way their parents treat their children and adopt the same way of treating their intimate partners as they grow into adults. The attachment theory states children make close ties with those caregivers who participate in their stress moments and try to calm the situation for them, whereas children remain aloof from those caregivers who do not actively participate in helping them during the stressful situations experienced by children. Various programs are in existence to help children and women who are experiencing domestic violence and are being suppressed by those who have more power in the household. One such organization is NCADV (National Coalition against Domestic Violence). The program became operational since 1978 with the aim of helping battered women and children. It monitors and controls 2000 help centers and shelters created for women and children in US. The program helps women exercise their power, and provides education on domestic violence and stands against inequality in relationships. Another such assistance program is the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). This program works towards the betterment and security of the violated individual and has been a major part of the development of the policy of the Violence against Women Act 1994. Police departments can even help in controlling domestic violence by working with assistance programs as assistance programs have higher expertise on the crime of domestic violence and by treating the crime as any normal crime and conducting investigation and not ignoring the crime by believing that it is a family issue. Annotated Bibliography Carlson, B. E. (2000). Children exposed to intimate partner violence. Trauma Violence Abuse, 1, 321–342. Durose, M. R., & United States. (2005). Family violence statistics: Including statistics on strangers and acquaintances. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. McDonald, R., Jouriles, E., & Ramisetty-Mikler, S. (2007, November 01). Estimating the number of American children living in partner-violent families. Sage Family Studies Abstracts, 29, 4. The above three sources were used to obtain statistical information about the number of women and children experiencing domestic violence. One of these sources is a government source providing information about the number of children being affected by domestic violence. Reuland, M. M., Police Executive Research Forum, & United States. (2006). Police-community partnerships to address domestic violence. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services. This source was used to obtain information about how police departments can help in controlling domestic violence. Various ways through which police can control domestic violence is by treating it as a crime and not as a family issue and they can even join hands with assistance programs to investigate such crimes. Stark, E., & Buzawa, E. S. (2009). Violence against women in families and relationships. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger/ABC-CLIO. This source was used to obtain information about the long-term and short-term impacts of domestic violence on children. This source was used to obtain theories that help in understanding how children are affected in the long term by domestic violence. Underwood, T. L., & Edmunds, C. (2003). Victim assistance: Exploring individual practice, organizational policy, and societal responses. New York: Springer Pub. This source was used to obtain information about the various victim assistance programs especially created to help abused women and children. References Carlson, B. E. (2000). Children exposed to intimate partner violence. Trauma Violence Abuse, 1, 321–342. Durose, M. R., & United States. (2005). Family violence statistics: Including statistics on strangers and acquaintances. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. McDonald, R., Jouriles, E., & Ramisetty-Mikler, S. (2007, November 01). Estimating the number of American children living in partner-violent families. Sage Family Studies Abstracts, 29, 4. Reuland, M. M., Police Executive Research Forum, & United States. (2006). Police-community partnerships to address domestic violence. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services. Stark, E., & Buzawa, E. S. (2009). Violence against women in families and relationships. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger/ABC-CLIO. Underwood, T. L., & Edmunds, C. (2003). Victim assistance: Exploring individual practice, organizational policy, and societal responses. New York: Springer Pub. Read More