Domestic Violence And Sexual Abuse

The purpose of finding the appropriate definition of domestic violence is to clearly distinguish domestic violence from physical violence in general. Due to its nature, cases of domestic violence require specific treatment and perspective as it can be identified in many concealed forms and would not leave behind physical wounds. Therefore to know the types and forms of violence the victims have to face is crucial to develop a legal response.

Violence in any form can have a lasting effect on a person. Children who witness violence are permanently scarred because of what they are seeing. Children who witness family or domestic violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. Children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent and are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect if he or she lives in a violent home. Statistics show that an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members in their home each year (Ackerman & Pickering, 1989). When a spouse, woman or male is abused, and there are

Domestic Violence is one of the most occurring situations found in the United States. This form of violence, also known as spousal abuse, happens within a relationship that is intimate or within a marriage. This particular issue seems to be found to affect women more often than men in varying ways such as injury or even death. Some of the injuries found in domestic violence cases are the head, neck, chest, face, breast, and abdomen, which are the most frequently injured. Many people believe that domestic violence is something that pertains to physical damage, but it has more of a psychological affect. The emotional aspect of domestic violence seems to be overlooked because one’s idea may vary

“Every year, in the United States there are over 3 million incidents of reported domestic violence. Every year, 4,000 victims of domestic violence are killed.” (Domestic Violence: Disturbing Facts about Domestic Violence). Domestic violence is a crime that is not just committed in the United States, but worldwide. This crime is committed every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. Anybody can be a victim or the abuser. This can happen to any child, man or woman. This is a horrific crime. Women are more likely to be the victim in domestic violence than men. “Forty-five percent of all violent attacks against female victims 12 years old and older by multiple

“It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million women and 830,000 men experience physical or sexual assault annually in the United States by intimate partners” (De Jong, 2016, p. 201). “In the United States more than 15 million children live in families in which domestic violence occurs and almost half of these children witness severe violence in assaults of a parent” (De Jong, 2016, p. 201).

The United States Department of Justice defines 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 in timate partner.”(President’s Proclamation 2016). Domestic violence includes verbal, physical, sexual, or psychological attacks, even economic coercion. Bancroft et al. (2002 p.1)have claimed that 7 million or more children being exposed by acting of domestic violence each year in United States. Many of this cases are caused by witnessing violence between their caregivers, particularly conflicts between their parents.In part,since 2003, UNICEF,in coorperation with CPFC,Save the children Sweden and plan International,has been working on a

Intimate partner violence (IPV) which falls into the category of domestic violence, is an epidemic among individuals in every community affecting twelve million men and women each year. IPV has no discrimination when it comes to characteristics of the victims. Although victims of IPV are predominately female, men are just as capable of becoming victims as well. The term intimate partner violence describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner (CDC, 2015). Such violence does not always require sexual intimacy and can occur among same-sex or heterosexual couples. Some risk factors for IPV victimization include: previous childhood victimization, low self-esteem, young age, low income, and heavy drug and alcohol use.

It is estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence annually (Carrell & Hoekstra, 2010). What are the thoughts and feelings of children who are exposed to violence within the home? Children who are exposed to domestic violence can become fearful and anxious. They tend to be on guard, watching and waiting for the next event to occur, a sense of hypervigilance. What are the outcomes of these children as they get older? Does the cycle of abuse continue as adults? The answers to these questions will be further discussed in this paper.

“Intimate partner violence” (IPV) not only includes spousal abuse (as does “domestic violence”), but also extends to unmarried, cohabiting, and same-sex couples. Moreover, IPV, is also not restricted to physical abuse; threats of physical abuse, or sexual abuse, and emotional abuse are all considered different forms of intimate partner violence. Intimate partner violence is a major public health concern in the United States that often results in terrible consequences for victims, families, and communities at large. According to the CDC, “[i]n an average minute, about 24 people are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner”. Furthermore, The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that intimate partners

Domestic violence is defined as violent or aggressive behavior, usually abuse involving a spouse. Domestic violence is a very dangerous act and has been occurring for decades. In most cases the abusers are men and the victims are women, being physically and emotionally abused. Physical abuse is an intentional act of causing injury to one, in other words “putting your hands on someone”. Emotional abuse is the act of verbal assault, humiliating one ,and tearing one’s self-esteem down .Sadly in a lot of cases that I have research a child is involved, or the couple has a child who witnessed the abuse occur. Children who have witnessed abuse or experienced it go through a lot. In all of the cases the child is witnessing a parent usually the victim, being abused by their spouse (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, etc.), who watched or was once abused as a child so they think it’s normal. The book titled “Damage, children” explains how about 90 percent of the time the abusers are men who” suffer from a drug problem or was once abused as a child”. Continually elaborating into great detail about how” 15.5 million “children witness domestic violence, whether they see it or its being illustrated on them, now I’m not talking about a regular old slap or a pop to the backside but a brutal unnecessary assault. Witnessing domestic violence as a child affects the mind, these children are likely to deal with

In many states, all over the world, some children reside in homes where domestic violence takes place. Domestic violence can be defined as a man or woman, family member, or spouse(s), physically threatening to harm each other within their home. Though domestic violence is considered a criminal law, it is sometimes not reported, and the physical attacks and harassments could be a continuous act upon these individuals (Newman, 1975).

Domestic violence is any incident or repeated incidents of coercive, threatening, or controlling abuse, behavior, or violence between intimate or former partners and family members, which can involve emotional, financial, physical, psychological, and sexual abuse (Domestic Violence, 2014). Women are at a higher risk of experiencing violence at home than they are in the street, Most women who die due to homicide are more likely to be killed by their partner or ex-partner and domestic violence is a major cause of death during pregnancy (Lee, 2013, p. 1350). Even in circumstances where the abuse does not become lethal, domestic violence survivors sustain serious injuries physically, neurologically, psychologically, emotionally, and

In today’s society, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault often experience some form of victim blaming. Victim blaming occurs when society partially condemns the victim for what has happened to them. This tendency to assign criminal responsibility to the victim occurs in all segments of our society regardless of race, gender, social class, or occupation (Hamilton, 1979). Currently, rape is a big issue throughout society. The word rape is defined as sex without consent. Rape is about power and dominance, not sex. The cultural message in America is “don’t get raped” as opposed to “don’t rape.” Many public figures have been known to blame victims of sexual assault for their situation. In 2012, during an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan,

Domestic violence by definition is a violent or aggressive way of being within the confines of the home; in most occasions it is typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. There are various cues that display an abuse relationship; domestic violence is just the definition of the type of abuse itself. Abusive individuals that are most likely to commit domestic violence actions are said to need to feel in charge of the relationship. They will make decisions for you and the family and want to be made aware of everything going on so to make a decision, abusers want to tell you what to do, and expect you to obey without questions. People that commit domestic violence aren’t necessarily bad people, they might have the belief that since they went through it as a child, it is but their right to want to instill the same type of order in their homes.

“My father was one of those men who sit in a room and you can feel it: the simmer, the sense of some unpredictable force that might, at any moment, break loose, and do something terrible” (Burnside). Many family units silently suffer from domestic abuse inflicted by a parent figure. According to the United States Department of Social Justice, domestic violence is 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.” Even when an abused partner, typically the woman, is removed from the abusive situation, pain does not cease. There are extensive emotional and psychological repercussions from domestic abuse. As the most commonly abused sector of the population is made up of woman and children, they will be the parties analyzed. This domestically abused sector requires aid from individuals, such as social workers, who are educated in the area of domestic abuse and are trained to work through the repercussions of domestic abuse. This paper discusses the history of domestic violence, the nature of lingering pain in the psychological and emotional sense, what can be done to recover from the trauma, and how Christian social workers should approach helping those who have been domestically abused.