Domestic Abuse as America's Most Widespread Offense - Research Paper Example

Domestic Abuse Domestic abuse is America's most widespread offense. Domestic violence all through the preceding 20 years has been accepted as an emergent health affair in American society. Consequently, the communities all over the country are operational in developing policies to prevent the violence and offer new defensive means for battered women and children. Statistics show that American nation is encountered with the development of a chief public health crisis. Because of considerable initial analysis, domestic violence is mounting swiftly among all the classes, cultures, and age partners, monetary and sacred groups of USA. DOMESTIC ABUSE Domestic abuse and violence is an aggressive altercation between family or household members including spouses, former spouses, and a dating relationship, adults related by blood or marriage, along with those comprising a biological or legal parent-child bond. Domestic abuse, forever and a day, is regarding power and control. One partner deliberately acquires increasingly power on his/ her partner. Domestic violence ruins the relationship and breaks up the home. It is not the fault of victim but of abuser (Stewart, pg. 6). Abuse is a force used by one individual to oppress another. Relationship Abuse is a configuration of offensive as well as coercive actions. Abuse is a force used by one individual to oppress another. Abuse can be in the following forms. For instance, “physical abuse involves kicking, hair pulling, slapping, pinching, biting, punching, choking, shaking, pushing, pinching, choking, kicking, and hitting” (Department of Justice, 2003). On the other hand, emotional abuse entails bullying, humiliation, calling names, insulting, threat, control and power. Another type of abuse is sexual abuse that takes in degrading remarks, forced intercourse, sexual comments, redundant sexual touching, kissing, grabbing and depriving of food or sleep. In addition, economic abuse includes snatching money, asking for money, demand of control in household affairs, prevention from getting a job, and providing allowances. Lastly, intimidation is to scare through gestures and actions like abusing pets, smashing things, rash driving and displaying weapons. Isolation involves control on everything like watching, visiting someone, reading something, limitation to house, show unwillingness to get job, to learn driving, restrictions on using car or telephone. VICTIMS It is apparent through an expansion in domestic abuse appreciation and perception that abuse can take place in several relationships, for instance, between spouses, roommates and dating couples, abuse of elders by family members and in lesbian and gay relationships. Violence against women is one of the vital social device through which women are forced into an inferior status as compared to men. Since decades, women have continued to confront the problem of issues in their societies. The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women, "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life” (Khan, pg. 2). Domestic abuse is the foremost social issue of America. Reports have indicated that approximately three million women confront issues of domestic violence from their husband or a friend annually (McCue, pg.29). The domestic abuse does not occur instantly but it is a cycle. This cycle goes through various phases, such as build-up phase, honeymoon phase, pursuit phase, remorse phase, explosion phase, and lastly, stand-over phase. Normally, events turn excellent as the relationship begins. Gradually, tension is created to finish with an act of violence that may be verbal or physical. Tension between the partners gives rise to domestic violence. The factors behind the aggressive behavior may be numerous including financial problems, stress, family pressure, etc. An abusive person loses trust and reverence of his partner and other family members as well. Security is the right of every person. If a person has a partner with learned behavior like power, control and intimidation, then do not ignore these behaviors as these lead towards insecurity and harm. Burns mentions, in her book, interviews of some women about domestic violence. One of them was Sheri, a fifty-year-old woman, who told that her mother told her “if a man hits you once, it’s his fault. In addition, if he hits you twice, it’s your fault”. Ann, 20 years old girl, received advice from her mother, “always be careful about boys you date. If a man was to ever hit you once, to just get out because he is never going to change” (Burns, pg.18). The offender is accountable for his/her abusive behaviors and he is the only person who can amend them. The victim must talk to the friends and relatives about the violent situation and must think about getting help. Abuse against children is the physical and emotional ill-treatment, harm, threat and negligence against them. Mostly, child abuse takes place in a child’s home. Child abuse does occur in schools, in organizations or communities but to a small extent. Bowker's study of over 1,000 women residing in refuges observed that 70% of the women with children believed that their partners had been physically aggressive to the children as well. Studies practiced by Hughes observed that child abuse and woman abuse occur together in 40-60% cases. Ninety percent of incidents involve children in domestic violence (NIWAF Organization, 1978). Parents can cure this abuse through being nurturing parents, taking care of children, monitor child’s activities and avoiding frustration. Community can help by getting involved to meet the requirements of healthy children, promoting prevention programs in schools and always inform suspected abuse. Numerous older Americans are mistreated, deserted and exploited. In accordance with the estimates, between one and two million Americans, age 65 or older have been offended, exploited, or neglected by those who care and protect them. A random sample survey observes 1 in 14 incidents of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation in domestic setting (National Center on Elder Abuse, pg.1-2). Elder abuse prevention requires strategies like listening to the elders, intervening just in time, give others information about how to report elder abuse. As a caregiver measures like finding day care and respite care agencies, so that he can take a break for avoiding depression that leads to elder abuse. It is not men only who beat women, but women attack men, as well. Research indicates that men and women are equally involved in aggressive behavior. However, the injury rates are not similar. Men hurt more than women did. Women get injured more than men get, as they hit women hard disregarding their reciprocal relationship. A psychologist of the Oregon Social Learning Center said that she is shocked to learn about the rate of violent acts by women and by the quantity of men who are scared of their partners who attack them physically. Cure and treatment of both men and women are supposed to be in the management of dispute and violent behavior between them. Both should understand their role in reciprocal relationship (Peterson, 2003). Teens do experience abuse like children, women and men. SMS service and chatting is particularly popular among them. These services are providing basis for harassment, intimidation and stalking. Teens find it tough to break contact with abuser because they find him every day in school and at times in the similar course group. YWCA, an American organization has found that teenage women experience more violence than the women of other age groups do. The rates of teens’ involvement in violent behavior are higher. Teenagers, between twelve percent and thirty percent have encountered variety of violent behaviors-- from pushing and shoving, to hitting-- in a dating relationship. “In 1999, on the whole per person rate of domestic violence was 5.8 acts of violence per 1,000 for women in all age groups, it was 15.6 acts of violence per 1,000 among females age 16 to 24” (Hoffman, pg. 281418). Currently, some institutions and organizations are working to provide awareness to teens about the dangers of dating violence. “Candice Hopkins, director of loveisrespect.org, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, stated, ‘We know that education is absolutely crucial to breaking the cycle of abuse and strengthening healthy relationships’” (Twohey, pg. 771). Domestic violence is rampant among gay and lesbian communities as well. It is not absent in same sex relationships. “According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) survey, the prevalence of domestic violence in LGBT ¨ relationships was comparable to that in heterosexual couples, between 25% and 33%” (YWCA, 2009). PREVENTION Domestic violence is a physical, official, financial, educational, developmental and human rights snag. Policies should be put forward to manage a wide range of regions. Crucial fields for arbitration take in a number of responsibilities, such as encouraging support and spreading awareness, emphasizing strict enforcement of law, ensure education and training for a nonviolent society. In addition, some other preventive measures include establishment of violent tribunals, introduction of abuse prevention programmers, arranging shelters for people in suffering, nonstop service provision to casualties and the person behind, and organizing interaction with community mobilization. Furthermore, organizations can avoid domestic abuse through lawful reformation, effective screening procedures, data compilation and examination, and most importantly, by early identification of ‘at risk’ families, communities, groups, and individuals. Domestic violence is the primary basis of offending people in America. Numerous organizations within America are working to support the victims of abuse and to prevent domestic violence through various educational, health and abuse prevention programs. These organizations (Burns, pp. 30-52) include ‘Abuse Empowered Survive Thrive’, ‘Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence’, ‘American Bar Association’, ‘Commission on Domestic Violence’, ‘Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, ‘Family Violence Prevention Fund’, ‘American Institute on Domestic Violence’, ‘Communities against Violence Network’, ‘Family Violence Department’, ‘National Network to End Domestic Violence’, ‘Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence’, ‘The Sounding Board Counseling Center’, ‘Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community’, ‘National Training Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence’, etc. CONCLUSION It is a requisite to assure people that domestic abuse is not a private matter but a crucial national issue having an influence in every family, community, workplace, institution and organization. There is a need to take evocative measures, for instance, law enforcement, hard-line trials, efficient prevention programmers and accessible secure shelters for tormented people. Works Cited Burns, Nancy. Framing the Victim. Walter de Gruyter, 2004. Department of Justice. Family Violence Initiative, 2003. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/facts-info/dati-freq.html Hoffman, Desiree. Violence and Its Impact on Womens Lives, 2009. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=281418 Khan, Mehr. “Domestic Violence against Women and Girls.” UNICEF Innocent Digest. Issue 6, pp. 2, 2000. McCue, Margi Laird. Domestic Violence. ABC-CLIO, 2008. National Centre on Elder Abuse. Factsheet, 2003. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/NCEAroot/main_site/pdf/publication/FinalStatistics050331.pdf NIWAF Organization. Figures being updated, 1978. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.niwaf.org/Domesticviolence/factsfigures.htm Peterson, Karen S. “Studies shatter myth about abuse.” USA Today. Issue of June 22, 2003. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-06-22-abuse-usat_x.htm Stewart, Steven D. What is Domestic Violence, 2009. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/what.htm Twohey, Megan. “Press”. Chicago Tribune. Issue of Feb 20, 2000. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.tru-insight.com/pressrelease.cfm?page_id=771 YWCA. Violence and its Impact, 2009. Retrieved on November 28, 2009: http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=281418 Read More