Argumentative Essay: Intimate Partner Violence And Women In France

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016) states “intimate partner violence includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual violence, stalking and psychological aggression…by a current or former intimate partner”. Furthermore, the CDC reports that “more than 1 in 3 women (35.6%)…in the U.S. have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, nearly 1 in 3 women (30.3%) has been slapped, pushed or shoved by an intimate partner…, and nearly half of all women in the U.S. (48.4%) have experienced at least one form of psychological aggression with 4 in 10 (40.3%) reporting some form of expressive aggression (e.g., their partner

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is described a psychological, emotional, sexual or physical harm to a person by their spouse or former partner (Breiding et al, 2015). National reports have revealed that about one in three women experience IPV (Sharron et al, 2015). Intimate partner violence is a growing epidemic in the United States. However, recent studies have focused on rural regions, such as Appalachia.

Intimate partner violence is prevalent around the world. Domestic violence is accepted in many cultures and is considered a private matter meant to be kept in the home. The majority of the perpetrators are men and the victims are women. Victims are usually blamed for the violence which influence the likelihood of women reporting abuse.

Without a question, it is not fair that overweight people go through their entire lives being criticized and taunted for their weight. Worley explains how rude comments discourage fat people from exercising because they are embarrassed and “they don’t have the support they need to continue” (494). It is the stares and snide remarks that give overweight people low self-esteem. Worley justly states that “you’re entitled to the space you take up” (496). No person should feel like they need to hide away from the world.

Domestic violence exists everywhere and affects all people regardless of socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, sex, ethnicity, or religion. Most times physical violence is accompanied by emotional abuse and controlling behaviors. The result of domestic violence includes physical injury, psychological issues, and death. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) occurs in 1 of 4 women in the United States and can be correlated with a loss of emotional, social, physical and mental health. Intimate Partner Violence is an issue that does not receive a lot of recognition and is overlooked majority of the time. There is a lot of information on women in intimate partner violence relationships that explains how it affects women physically, mentally, and socially.

1)F.Scott Christopher and Tiffani S. Kisler(2012)surveyed mental health issues faced by women who experienced intimate partner violence.339 college women were surveyed and analysis showed that verbal aggression and minor and major physical violence overlapped.Experiences of sexual assault and minor physical violence also co-occurred.Women who experienced verbal and physical abuse but not sexual violence showed symptoms of hostility,anxiety,and depression and those who experienced sexual abuse displayed signs of depression.

Furthermore, in past years, there were rules that permitted a husband to beat his wife, “As long as the instrument he used had a circumference that was smaller than the circumference of his thumb.” (Davies, 2008 pg. 134). Back in the day, the killing of a wife was not seen as a crime. In many areas, if a man or woman discovered infidelity, and killed their spouses in result, was viewed as acceptable. Intimate partner violence is treated differently from state to state. The criminal justice system overall has made improvements when dealing with intimate partner violence over the last 15 years. Many states have implemented laws dealing with domestic abuse, which include: anti-stalking laws in every state, and spousal exemption laws in rape cases. Additionally, every law enforcement personnel have to make an arrest without a warrant for domestic violence cases and penalties are being enforced in violation of court orders.

“We define domestic violence 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.  Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.”

Aggressing: Aggressive forms of abuse include name-calling, belittling, accusing, blaming, threatening, ordering, and stalking. These behaviors are usually direct and very obvious. Through this behavior, the abuser undermines the equality and autonomy needed to have a healthy relationship. The relationship takes on a more parent-to-child pattern of communication. A more indirect form of emotional abuse can be disguised as “helping.” Abusers may use criticism, advice, probing, and questioning as a sincere attempt to offer their partner help. In some instances, however, these behaviors can be used by an abuser as an attempt to belittle, control, or demean their partner or spouse rather than to help them.

What is Intimate Partner Violence? If one has not lived through it, the meaning is unknown. When we hear the term, we tend to picture a woman covered in bruises. In reality, the damage is much worse. There is many long term effects that run deeper than the physical injuries (Giardino, 2010). Victims experience shame, isolation, detrimental physical and mental health consequences and financial stressor. This also causes dramatic effects on the families of the victims. This violence also affects the children who may be at an increased risk of physical abuse. Children who live through IPV suffer through the trauma of witnessing the violence and having feelings of fear, guilt, and shame.

The targeted objective of this report is to increase awareness for counselors-in-training to incorporate Intimate Partner Violence training in their course of studies. What is Intimate Partner Violence? Intimate Partner Violence is sometimes referred to as domestic violence. It is associated with a display of repetitious violent behaviors between intimate partners in close relationships. Power and control are the antecedents associated with the consistent episodes of this type of violence. According to Erickson (2010) Intimate Partner Violence is defined as "physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse or the threat of abuse from a current or former intimate partner," (227). Any violent behaviors which encompass the actions to

What is Intimate Partner Violence and who does it affect? According to Wilcoxon, Remley, and Gladding (2013), “Domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV) have emerged in the professional literature as descriptors of chronic as well as episodic patterns of abuse, ranging from harsh criticism to aggressive brutality, between adults in intimate relationships” (p.105). IPV does not discriminate, it refers to both married and unmarried individuals. This type of violence affects men, woman, and children.

Pressure, guilt trips, lying, cheating, violating trust, laying blame on her or other forms of harassment are all forms of mental abuse. Generally, to some degree, all three types of violence are used because they tend to overlap. For example, mental abuse and physical abuse can occur simultaneously when a man is yelling at his wife, telling her how worthless she is while he is beating her (Morris and Biehl 36, Haley 9-13).

Domestic violence is not a label that can be boxed and defined. No, it is emotions of pain, fear, shock, confusion, and most surprising, love. It is difficult for many to comprehend if not brought up within a violent home; the true, passionate emotions that fall as a burden upon the victims, who often stay quiet. What brings the traumatic pain to domestic violence is that a person who is supposed to cherish and love another, ends up creating fear and panic when even mentioned. Domestic violence, which is indeed a form of abuse, is an issue that needs to be handled with delicate, yet able coherence. Within the society of America, the fight against domestic violence needs to be accepted instead of ignored. In doing so, there are many questions

Battered husbands have historically been either ignored or subjected to ridicule and abuse. In 18th-century France, a battered husband "was made to wear an outlandish outfit and ride backwards around the village on a donkey" (Steinmetz & Lucca 1988).