Analysis of the Causes of Domestic Violence - Essay Example

? Dynamics and possible causes of domestic violence Introduction It is difficult to define domestic violence in few words because of the complex parameters and associations involved in it. With respect to relationships, domestic violence can be defined as the violence that occurs in the “context of marriage or co-habitation between heterosexual partners, between siblings, between parent and child, and in Gay and Lesbian cohabitating relationships” (Hanmer & Itzin, 2000, p.26). In short, domestic violence is an act or behavior used by a person in a relationship to take control over the other. Even though domestic conflicts often occur between husbands and the wives, some of the recent reports have shown that it is taking place between parent and child, brothers and sisters, between siblings, between children and grandparents etc. Sexual abuse of children by the parents is also increasing day by day as a result of that domestic violence can occur. In many cases, domestic violence may end up in physical assault, mental torture and verbal torture. In most of the cases the victim would be the wife and the offender could be the husband. There are 16,800 homicides and $2.2 million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion to America. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. 85% of domestic violence victims are women” (Domestic Violence Facts, 2009, p.1). The cases of domestic violence are increasing day by day because of various social, cultural, economic and individual reasons. Current generation is experiencing huge stresses in their family, social and professional circles and in many cases; these stresses will get converted into domestic violence cases. This paper analyses the dynamics and possible reasons of domestic violence. Dynamics of domestic violence “A survey of the large cities by the US conference of mayors found that domestic violence was the primary cause of homelessness among women” (Roberts, 2002, p.16). Women often leave their homes when they have some kind of disputes with their husbands. It is difficult for women who were abused by their husbands to stay home. Physical assault is one of the major characteristics of domestic violence. Physical assault and torturing may sometimes ends up in the death of the victim. In order to avoid such things, women (victims most of the times) usually leave their home and take shelter in community rehabilitation centers. “Guilt is usually more important than anger because guilt contributes directly to shame and low self-esteem” (Edward et al, p.24). In many of the domestic violence cases, the victim would be the innocent rather than the culprit. For example, many people have the habit of clashing with their partners in order to avoid their own mistakes or illegal relationships. A male who may have illegal relationship or extramarital relationship may often quarrel with his wife for unnecessary reasons. His guilty consciousness often motivates him in doing so. There is a common link between domestic violence and child abuse. Among victims of child abuse, 40 per cent report domestic violence in the home. One study in North America found that children who were exposed to violence in the home were 15 times more likely to be physically and/or sexually assaulted than the national average. This link has been confirmed around the world, with supporting studies from a range of countries including China, South Africa, Colombia, India, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico (Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children, n. d, p.7) Domestic violence can affect people both directly and indirectly. Children are the indirect victims of domestic violence. While engaging in fierce battle, both the husband and the wife may not think too much about the future of their children. Children, the silent witnesses of domestic violence may often develop psychological problems. Children from problematic countries may have the possibility of developing aggressive behaviors and in many of the school violence cases, the offenders could be from troubled families. It is not necessary that all the children from troubled families may exhibit violent behaviors. Some of them may become introvert or extremely depressive as a result of the problems in their family. In any case, it is a fact that children from problematic families may face problems in their physical as well as mental developments. As they grow up, children who are exposed to domestic violence continue to face a range of possible effects including trouble with school work, limited social skills, depression, anxiety and other psychological problems. They are at greater risk for substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and delinquent behavior, according to the report (Some of the biggest victims of domestic violence are the smallest, 2006). Socialization is an activity which assists children in their development. Children from troubled families may stay away from friends and they may not show many interests in normal childish activities such as playing, joking, socializing etc. Socializing is a much needed activity which helps people to release their mental tensions. In the absence of socializing, people may accumulate mental stresses beyond the limits and may become mental patients. “Domestic violence in the household is often accompanied by other major developmental risk factors for children such as poverty, female-headed household, and low education level of primary care giver” (Domestic Violence and Children: Effects of Domestic Violence on Children, 2005). Parents have a huge role in the educational process of their children. Children from troubled families may not get effective supervision from their parents in their studies. Lack of education prevents children from getting proper jobs when they grow up. In short, poverty and health problems are some of the major consequences of domestic violence. Destruction of family relationship is another major consequence of domestic violence. In many cases, domestic violence forces the victim to seek divorce from the offender. Divorce often ends up in single parenthood to the children. Children during their developmental stages need the care and love from their father and mother. Father’s love cannot be substituted for mother’s love or vice versa. In short, breaking of family relationships is not only a problem to the present generation but also to a problem to the future generation as well. “It is also common in an abusive relationship for the abuser to isolate the victim from friends and family. This allows the abuse to continue until the victim becomes brave enough to speak up and get help” (Martin, 2007, p.1). There are many people who try to adjust with the abusive behaviors of their partners. Such people may have huge beliefs in ethics and religious beliefs. For example, Christian belief is always against the idea of divorce. So, many of the Christian victims of domestic abuse may try to adjust with the deviant behaviors of their partner somehow. Such habits could be taken as a weakness of the victim by the offender and he will continue his abusive behavior more strongly. Possible causes of domestic violence According to Mooney (2000), “Some men are conditioned into thinking that violence is acceptable within a domestic environment” (Mooney, 2000, p.7). Nobody can deny the fact that we are living in a male dominated world. Even though male domination has been reduced considerably over the past few decades because of the efforts of many of the sociologists and feminist organizations, still the waves of discrimination against women are visible everywhere. Many of the males have the tendency to visualize women as a symbol of weakness and beauty. They are considering women as a commodity rather than a human. They believe that God has created women only for making the life of men comfortable and there is no point in arguing for equal status to women. They cite the physical weakness of women compared to men, in order to prove their arguments. It should be noted that in Muslim communities, male domination is more than any other communities in the world. It is impossible for a Saudi Arabian woman to drive her vehicle on public roads or go out independently to do something. They were forced to cover their entire body with clothing because of male domination in Saudi social life. Muslim males can have more than one wife whereas Muslim women cannot have such facilities at a time. Moreover, women beating are allowed in Muslim culture and Quran has no objection in doing so. In Christianity also, women are disallowed from doing the duties of a priest in churches. In short, religious customs and traditions are always in favor of men in all cultures and religions. At the same time, it should be noted that modern women are not ready to accept male domination either in family or in social life. They argue that women should have same status with men in all family, social, economic and political matters. In their opinion, women and men are the two sides of the same coin and a coin has no existence without two sides. In other words, both men and women are playing equal roles in the sustainment of human life in this world and therefore both should have equal status. Men are not ready to accept the arguments of women. The differences in views and opinions about family and social life between men and women often end up in domestic violence. Maguire et al. (2007) have pointed out the “strong relationship between domestic violence and child abuse” (Maguire et al., 2007, p.202). Morality and ethics are rapidly disappearing subjects from this world. The cases of sexual abuses are growing day by day everywhere in the world. One of the most unfortunate cases of sexual violence reported from various countries in recent times is the child abuse by the parents. In other words, many of the children all over the world are facing sexual abuse form their parents itself. In most cases, the offenders will be the father. Mothers who came to know about such behaviors may often come into the rescue of their children. In short, the contrasting views of the husband and wife about the sexual exploitation of children often result in domestic violence. “The most significant predictors of domestic violence re-offense were offender drunkenness and women’s perceptions of safety” (Ireland et al., 2008, p.52).Alcoholism and drug abuse are often end up in domestic violence. It is impossible for a person to behave normally under the influence of drug or alcohol. The abnormal behaviors of the partner under the influence of psychoactive substances may often result in domestic violence. Both males and females or husbands and wives are equally responsible for substance abuse. In other words, the habit of substance abuse is common not only among males but also among females. However, in a marital relationship, it is not necessary that both the partners have the interest in such activities; one of them may have interest in using alcohol or drug whereas the other need not be so. The opposing views about alcoholism and drug abuse may end up in domestic violence. There are many cases of domestic violence in which even smoking play a part. If one of the partner doesn’t like the smoking habit of the other, problems can develop in their family life. “A growing body of research links domestic violence to reproductive health outcomes, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and painful intercourse” (Ryan & Bylander, n. d, p.1). One of the major reasons of domestic violence is the unhappy sexual life of the couples. If the people in a sexual relationship are not ready to respect the interests of the partner, their marital life and sexual life may end up in failure. Sexual relationship is the major pillar upon which family relationships can be constructed. If the husband and wife in a family fail to enjoy proper sexual life, their family life may not develop properly and problems may develop in such lives. For example, there are many cases in which contrasting views arise in family life about the necessities of children. Some wives or husbands do not like the ideas of having children. Such people consider children as a burden rather than a blessing. If both the partners have the same view, then no problem may takes place in their family life. However, if any of them have a different view, the chances of conflicts cannot be ruled out in their family life. Conclusions Domestic abuse has lot of social, economic and cultural dimensions. No country or culture seems to be free from domestic violence cases. Domestic violence cases are growing even in most developed and highly civilized countries like America and Britain. Women and children are the major victims of domestic violence. The major reason for homelessness among women is domestic violence. In many cases of domestic violence, the victim may try to keep his/her relationship as long as possible; however, when it becomes impossible to stay with the abuser, the victim may break the relationship. One of the major reasons for divorce is domestic violence. Children are the indirect victims of domestic violence. Divorce of their parents force them to live under single parenthood. Single parenthood is not good for the proper physical and mental development of children. Some children from a troubled family may become more aggressive whereas others may become depressive. In any case, lack of education, poverty and improper physical and mental development are some of the impacts of domestic violence upon children. Male domination is the major reasons for domestic violence. Extramarital affairs, unhealthy sex habits, opposing views about family life, poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse etc can also cause domestic violence. References 1. Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children (n. d). UNICEF. [Online] Available at: http://www.unicef.org/protection/files/BehindClosedDoors.pdf [Accessed on 08 January 2012] 2. Domestic Violence and Children: Effects of Domestic Violence on Children (2005), [Online] Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/508291_3 [Accessed on 08 January 2012] 3. Domestic Violence Facts. (2009). National coalition against domestic violence. [Online] Available at: http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf [Accessed on 08 January 2012] 4. Edward S., Ph.D. Kubany, Mari A. McCaig, Janet R. 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