Domestic Violence Personal Statement

Ellen Pence, also known as the “mother of domestic violence intervention” and “rockstar of the battered women’s movement” was a social activist for battered women, helped build the foundation of batterer programming with the Duluth model (also known as the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP)), which assisted in connecting the concerns of criminal justice officials and advocates by developing a “Power and Control Wheel” (Gondolf, 2010, p. 992). She also created the Coordinated Community Response (CCR), which brings all community service providers to help victims of domestic violence, and created a shelter for battered women. In addition, Ellen is the founding director of Praxis International, a nonprofit corporation that aims to eliminate violence in the lives of women and their children.

Hello, my name is Dee and I am a survivor of domestic abuse. A good friend asked me if I would write a piece about domestic abuse. He said it would be therapeutic for me and beneficial for other women who have been abused or are being abused, and I think he is right. So here I sit wondering where to begin, after about an hour of emotional flashbacks. And when I do think about this I wonder how on earth could I have let it go on, and for as long as it did. And more-so, what did I ever do to deserve it. I was never abused as a child. Never beaten or abused emotionally or mentally, never called names, or cursed at, and I suppose I grew up thinking this was how it was for everyone. I was only 19 when I met my abuser. I already had a son, and had been out on my own for 2 years. Life was hard, bringing up a baby, surviving on living assistance, living in ghetto like neighborhoods. I had always aspired to be a journalist, but my dreams were broken when I became pregnant right out of high school and was forced out of the house to care for my son. I met my abuser one day when I was down town shopping with my son. He came into my life like a "wolf in sheep 's clothing", and was just about as nice as he could be. I suppose I was somewhat lonely since I never got to go out very often. He soon moved in with me and helped me with my son, helped in the house, and helped financially so things were definitely looking up. Or so I thought. He was from an abusive home himself, and years

The first guest speaker to present was Doreen Lesane, an Advocate against Domestic Violence. She gave a general power point presentation on what domestic violence is and how to properly assist a client in that predicament. She goes on to explain that domestic abuse and domestic violence are consider two different forms under the law. The law does not recognize domestic abuse as a criminal act and is categorize as nonphysical form of abuse. As a social worker our goals is not to get the client to flea an abuse relationship but to provided serveries to better Accommodate client by helping them create safety nets. Prof. Elaine Reid makes a startling claim, woman are more likely to be murder when they are trying to leave an abuse spouse, and this is also refer as separation violence. Nevertheless it is important not to judge these individual and to handle the case in a professional matter. As social workers it is essential that we safety guide our client with their approval, out of domestic situation by providing resource, support, understanding and professional services.

Although we lost Ellen Pence, a woman who changed how domestic violence is addressed, in 2012, there are many lives that are being saved to this day because of her work. Ellen Pence found her calling in 1977 when she began working for the Minneapolis Housing Authority that helped individuals relocate with housing complications (StarTribune, 2010). It was then that she immersed herself through domestic violence cases and set the standard for addressing these cases. Ellen Pence is especially known for establishing the Duluth Program, a program that address batterers in the court systems, and Praxis Training, which are training on addressing domestic violence for law enforcement, advocates, community agencies, and institutions. Pence’s 35 years of service change the way domestic violence cases were handled, educated key players in domestic violence cases, and showed the world what it was like to be a victim of domestic abuse. Without her efforts, many individuals in power addressing these cases would be lost and those to who are victims would not be understood as they are today.

The PEACE Domestic Violence agency’s mission is to “reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services” (University of Phoenix, 2012, para. 9). Also, according to University of Phoenix  Appendix B (2012),PEACE also strives to reducing the occurrence of sexual assault and domestic violence by educating the abused and the community and proposing ways to fight against social norms and beliefs. It will reside in the city of Portland, a large metropolitan city, that has been experiencing a rise in reports of not only domestic, spousal, and child abuse, but also youth violence, assault, and road rage over the last five

Since funding is limited, not all agencies has the resources to hire internal and external evaluators (Yuen & Terao, 2002, Chapter 8). Therefore, funding institutes may provide the necessary resources. As stated earlier, PEACE’s mission is to reduce victim trauma, empowering the survivors, and lastly providing direct services. The biggest part of the program is to reduce the number of sexual assaults, as well as of any domestic violence. The program through PEACE intends to achieve this by informing the community in the city of Portland about domestic violence victims and survivors. As far as the program, those in charge are focused on societal norms. PEACE looks to address the problems that are faced by the youth, spouses, and violence acted upon children in Portland. The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency will always keep the well-being of the victims as the first priority: young men, women, and children whose lives have been affected by domestic violence. This will be possible as long as funding is available. Funding is necessary when trying to raise awareness through educational program such as providing young people who are or have been involved with the criminal justice system with a rehabilitation program designed to obtain the skills, confidence, and personal support networks to enable them to lead fulfilled and successful lives. This is what is needed in order to reduce re-occurring domestic violence crimes. Through a rehabilitation

Reality set in when I hit the streets of the most impoverished neighborhoods of New York. My eyes were opened to the realities of the justice system. Privilege, poverty, oppression, race, and power struggles became themes that I encountered daily. Aspiring to be a social worker, I realized that my job title didn’t fit the description and that my hands were tied. I could help people, but there were so many other things to consider. I was there to enforce the law and do it tactically. Sometimes, with no time to have any other form of

Domestic violence became a realization and a serious concern in the mid 1970’s for many Americans. “This realization is due to the women advocating on behalf of the battered women movement”

In beginning my revision process, I started by staring at my submitted essay over and over. First thought, I should have changed the title to something along the lines of, “Domestic Violence, is there Treatment?” Second thought, Wow!! What a difference I am from the person who first began this course. I took a look back over my previous submitted writing assignments and could see my writing abilities has drastically improved, As I reviewed and reflected on the submitted essay “Domestic Violence and Treatment”, I believe, I did a complete and thorough job in delivering my subject. As I previously stated, I credit you, Mr. Perkins and this course for my improvements. I have always struggled to put my thoughts on paper in a manner that is coherent. I now feel that my ability to write and express my ideas, thoughts and knowledge have grown stronger.

I would shut my eyes because I knew what was coming. And before I shut my eyes, I held my breath, like a swimmer ready to dive into a deep ocean. I could never watch when his hands came toward me; I only patiently waited for the harsh sound of the strike. I would always remember his eyes right before I closed my own: pupils wide with rage, cold, and dark eyebrows clenched with hate. When it finally came, I never knew which fist hit me first, or which blow sent me to my knees because I could not bring myself to open my eyes. They were closed because I didn’t want to see what he had promised he would never do again. In the darkness of my mind, I could escape to a paradise where he would never reach me. I would find again the haven where I

Over the past seven years, our volunteer-run organization has reached over 80,000 people on a national level; educating about healthy relationships, spreading awareness about domestic violence, and leading preventative programs for victims and survivors. The majority of our volunteers are survivors who have left their domestic violence situations and have decided to dedicate their time and love to help our cause and, in return, have allowed themselves to grow and thrive in their own journey of healing, whether it is through our amazing fundraising and scholarship campaigns, planning our survivor retreats, or taking a shift on our seven day advocate-run helpline. We could not be where we are today without our amazing volunteers.

There are many different types of domestic violence. Physical abuse is the most obvious form, but this is not to say that outsiders always recognize it. Generally, physical violence causes bodily harm, using a variety of methods. Slapping, pushing, throwing, hitting, punching, and strangling are only a few methods. An object or weapon may or may not be used. There is not always physical evidence of physical abuse such as bruising, bleeding, scratches, bumps, etc., therefore, absence of physical marks does not necessarily mean physical abuse had not occurred. Physical abuse sometimes escalates to murder (Morris and Biehl 7, Haley 14-17).

There are several individuals in our society who suffer from being neglected to being brutally beaten and even being financially deprived. In today’s society it is not uncommon to see the citizens of our country fall victim to domestic violence. While some people debate that this kind of behavior should not go on and is unacceptable, there are others who choose to stay out of it. Regardless of one’s point of view, it is obvious that there are people in our communities that are suffering from domestic violence and both our state and federal legislation have chosen to partake in this fight against domestic violence.

Domestic violence used to be considered a private family matter and was not considered a societal problem until feminists in the 70's started pushing the matter. Beginning in the 1970’s, social policy toward female victims of domestic assaults focused on improving legal response and

“Every year in the United States there are over 3 million incidents of domestic violence. That means that every nine seconds a women is beaten by her domestic partner” (Findeley). There are many women that stay silent when being abuse by their partners. The consequences of staying quiet when obtaining abuse can be dangerous and can also lead to death. Many women do not recognize the importance of the fact that there is in speaking out if they are being abuse by their partner. No woman should take domestic abuse by their partners. Every woman deserves a healthy relationship; A healthy relationship involves trust, respect, and consideration for the other person. Domestic abuse has gotten worse during the past years and is still rising up. One can see that domestic abuse can occur everywhere. Domestic abuse is considered a crime and woman should not keep silent when being abuse.