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How Does Domestic Violence Affect Families

Decent Essays

Domestic Violence
A new day, a new argument. After arriving home, Samantha trudged upstairs and closed the door behind her. Once more, she heard her parents downstairs bickering and yelling at the top of their lungs. Their arbitrary fights had become such a common occurrence that she remained undisturbed by their ongoing bout, but then the bickering stopped. In fact, Samantha heard nothing at all. She ran downstairs to find her dad with a knife in his hand, running away from her mother’s bloody body on the floor. As her father ran out the door, he said with complete guilt and honesty, “I’m so sorry Samantha, I’m so sorry.” Samantha called the police; however, when they arrived on scene, they pronounced her mother dead. She had been stabbed …show more content…

In the worst cases, domestic violence can have a deadly impact. On a personal note, a family friend’s mother was murdered in a crime of domestic violence, and it has changed the lives of her entire family. After the incident, she and her brother had to move in with their grandparents and change schools. They immediately experienced signs of depression, partly from coping with their mother’s death, but also trying to deal with the feelings of anger and confusion towards their father. The sudden move-in with their grandparents caused a drastic financial burden. The grandparents who worked part-time were now responsible for raising another two children and dealing with their expenses. The brother and sister have only spoken to their father a handful of times since the incident, and struggle with their relationship with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, in addition to their father. Less drastic cases can also cause depression and thoughts of suicide for the victim of abuse and their immediate family. However, in all cases domestic violence will damage a family and leave physical and mental scars on everyone related both directly and …show more content…

“Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help” (“Domestic Violence Statistics”). The first step in fixing the problem is letting others know that there is a problem. Often this is where the issue of finding a proper solution resides. Many people experiencing domestic abuse do not report it because they fear the perpetrator will become aware and lash out even more than before. Even in this situation, there are ways for the victim to escape the violence. The key to avoiding domestic violence begins at its roots. A family should always begin by developing courteous and emotionally supportive relationships. The state should implement services that support victims from harmful and violent acts to prevent reoccurrence. Laws should be set in place and imposed by officials (“Statistics”). There are reasons as to why the abuser might be acting in a violent manner towards their loved one. One possibility is depression or anger problems which can be solved by seeking medical or psychological advice. If there are deeper problems residing with the couple, they need to sit down and talk through them or go

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