Women with Children Dealing with Domestic Violence - Research Paper Example

Women with Children Dealing with Domestic Violence Understanding the Dimensions of a Community Beliefs and Attitudes Issues of domestic violence affect people from across different cultures. Some of the beliefs and attitudes of the culture of the victims promote domestic violence. In most of the European culture, the victims are usually blamed for the violence. In such cases, men, who are the main perpetrators of domestic violence, insist that the victims, mainly women and children, push them into the offensive acts. The architects of domestic violence in most cases deny that they are involved in the domestic violence when confronted. In the men of colour, domestic violence is not considered as a crime. Most of the victims admit that it is common practice back at home. Other victims also believe that the culture promotes violence against women and children as it is part of being a man (Hanmer & Itzin, 2013). The men of colour also believe that being a man means that women and children should not raise their voice at them or argue with them. This therefore indicates that tradition and culture contributes to the problems that the victims are facing. Religion of the victims is also to blame for the domestic violence. The Islamic and Christian religion which is common in the United States of America does not condone the use of violence against the women and children but it requires the women should respect their husbands. On the other hand, the children should be disciplines in case they make mistakes. The victims usually believe that the culture, tradition and religion alienate them and hence exposing them to the domestic violence. This is because some of the victims do not receive support from their community members who consider it normal or part of the culture, tradition or religion. There are also tensions between the cultures which have contributed to mixed reactions and views concerning the domestic violence. Some of the cultures don not condone the use of violence against women and children by men while other cultures seem to condone violence. Most of the victims usually feel that they are innocent and do not condone the violence. Some have received support from other members of the society. This can also be attributed to the work of the activists in campaigning against domestic violence (Naples, 2012). When it comes to others, most of the victims feel sorry for them. It is for this reason that groups have been formed by the victims in the United States of America to support each other. Local politics In the United States of America, the federal system is in place. The country has different states, counties, city council, town council and the local authorities. The structure is aimed at ensuring that the issues affecting the people are addressed easily. The government works closely with the people during the decision making process. The system is democratic and it allows the community members to participate in decision making process as the decision will affect their lives. In the United States of America, there are two main dominant parties which the Democrat and the Republican parties. The two political parties have a huge support from the citizens and it also been operation for many years. Most of the political leaders are usually elected based on their agenda and what they are willing to do for the people. The issues that are currently under debate include the foreign policies, health and the justice system. The justice system has come under scrutiny after various events that have lowered its credibility (Abel, 2014). Violence against Women Act is the Federal law that is in place for the purposes of dealing with domestic violence against women and children. The women who are victims of domestic violence are free to obtain a restraining order to prevent the continuous violence on the victim. The restraining order can also prevent the perpetrators from visiting their children who are victims of the violence. Most of the victims of the domestic violence in the United States of America are usually from the poor neighborhoods. However, it is also important to note that domestic violence happens across members of all the classes. According to statistics, 4 to 6 million incidences of domestic violence occur in the United States of America. 35% of women who are presented to the emergency department are suffering from domestic violence. 25% of the female’s population in the United States has been victims of domestic violence. 33% of women murdered are usually murdered by their intimate partners. 35% of the black women are usually victims of domestic violence (Itzin, 2013). About 6% of the Hispanic women are victims of domestic violence while 4% of the white women are victims of domestic violence. 65% of the Hispanic women report domestic violence while 67% of the Black women report domestic violence to the police. The poorer women experience more domestic violence as compared to the women of higher income. About 67% of the domestic violence occurs in low income areas. It is also important to note that about 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence. Local economy and businesses The retail and service industry are the main sources of employment in the United States of America. There are a lot of retail chain stores that employs thousands of people in the country. Most of the businesses are owned by major corporations. Some of the businesses are also owned by the residents. Very few businesses are owned by the government as the economy of the country is driven by the private sector (Shimer, 2012). Currently the economy is performing well as it registered some growth during the past year. It is also important to note that the economy of the country is the best in the world. Most of the workers in the country are permanent residents. However, a large number of people usually travel to work in the country due to its stable economy. The country usually grants millions of immigrants’ permanent residents and hence increasing the number of workers with permanent residence. Most of the workers use their own cars for transportation when going to work. This is because the public transport is not commonly used in the country when traveling to certain places. Most of the employees live near their place of work and some travel for as little as less than 5 kilometers to work from their homes. However a few travel for up to 20 kilometers to work. The women who are victims of domestic violence work across all the sectors of the economy. This is because domestic violence has the potential of affecting any woman. Programs have been up in place to assist the women who are jobless and face domestic violence. Some of the women have been offered jobs counselors with most of them working in the community centers where victims of domestic violence receive help (Dutton, 2011). Other women are also offered jobs in other industries that do not require heavy manual work. Income distribution The media income for the community is $ 2000 dollars every month. A lot of variations between the different segments of the community exist in the United States of America. The white earn a higher income as compared to the other communities in the country. The blacks and the Latinos earn the least in the community (Shimer, 2012). This can be attributed to the educational levels and the other job requirements. There is also a variation in the income in terms of the neighborhoods that different people live. This is considering that the most of the people prefer living in neighborhoods with most of their community members. It is for this reason that it is common to find a high number of Blacks, Whites, Asians or Latinos in the same region. The women who face domestic abuse however come from all ethnic groups and neighborhoods. The level of poverty in the country is low although some people live in extreme poverty. It is estimated that the poverty level in the country is less than 10%. However, it is important to note that the number of domestic abuse is high as the problems is not confined to only a particular ethnic group of people with low income. This is despite the statistics indicating that the number of domestic abuse is high among the poor. Some of the cases also go unreported by the victims for different reasons. References Hanmer, J., & Itzin, C. (2013). Home Truths About Domestic Violence: Feminist Influences on Policy and Practice-A Reader. London: Routledge Publishers. Naples, N. (2012). Community activism and feminist politics: Organizing across race, class, and gender. London: Routledge Publishers. Itzin, C. (2013). 20 Gendering domestic violence. Home Truths About Domestic Violence: Feminist Influences on Policy and Practice-A Reader, 356. Dutton, D. G. (2011). Rethinking domestic violence. UBC Press. Abel, R. L. (2014). The Politics of Informal Justice: Volume 2: Comparative Studies. Elsevier. Shimer, R. (2012). Reassessing the ins and outs of unemployment. Review of Economic Dynamics, 15(2), 127-148. Read More