Intimate Partner Violence Essay

Domestic violence is an epidemic and the number one health concern in our country. There are more abusers and their victims compared to past years. As a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship, domestic violence is used by one person to gain or maintain power and control over another one. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse and not look the same in every relationship because every relationship is different. This kind of abuse affects people of all ages and sexes, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, education and employment levels. Abuse towards children and the elderly can be violent or aggressive behavior. Thus, there are many types of abuse that one can suffer; awareness of the signs of domestic violence is especially important before getting into any kind of intimate relationship.

Domestic violence (DV) has and continues to affect millions of, women, men, children and the elderly every day. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, defines Domestic violence as, “hurtful, repeated and intentional behavior that one person uses to maintain power and control over another in an intimate relationship.” (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d.) Abuse impacts many individuals from various backgrounds. Abuse comes in many forms, verbal, emotional, physical, sexual and, covers a wide range of tactics to establish and maintain power and control. A predominant form of DV is Intimate Partner Violence is also known as (IPV,) which affects millions of people every year, primarily women

The history of Intimate Partner Violence is a long one much longer than many are aware of. It used to be an accepted part of many cultures that as the head of the household the many could use whatever means necessary to keep his family in line. Still in some cultures intimate partner violence is accepted behavior. In a majority of the industrialized world engaging in intimate partner violence is not acceptable yet it is still widely occurring. The occurrence of this form of violence has evolved over the years and now both men and women may be victimized. It is important that individuals take the time to educate themselves about the topic and the resources available if they or someone they know ever be in a situation that may require such

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.

Currently in the United States, every one-in-three women and one-in-four men are abused physically by their chosen partner in their lifetime. It is estimated that twenty people per minute are physically affected by their partner; therefore, there are around ten million people every year battered by their partners (“Statistics” National Coalition Against Domestic Violence). The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as:

Domestic violence affects a large amount of relationships in the United States each year. As the times have changed, abuse has become less accepted as a normal occurrence, and society has begun working together to provide awareness towards violence in intimate partner relationships. “Problems of family violence are potentially the most destructive in our society” (Kurland 23). Domestic violence is a problem that begins in the home, and spreads to affect the world around it. Violence is present in relationships of all demographics, be it race, sexual orientation, or social class. No one is entirely safe from experiencing abuse, but if society is taught to recognize the signs it can save a life or even prevent abuse from happening.

In a natural survey conducted in England, women reported higher rates of intimate partner violence than men, whether the violence was physical or emotional (Jonas et al., 2014). Intimate partner violence among college students appears to be similar to research on adult married and cohabiting couples. A five-year longitudinal study of more than 2,000 college students in the United States showed that twenty-six percent of college students experienced physical intimate partner violence in their freshman year (Nabors & Jasinski, 2009). As a college student and friend of many, I believe that it is important for me become more knowledgeable about intimate partner violence and know about the characteristics of an abuser. There are four types or characteristics

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.

“Domestic violence is a type of abuse by one or both partners in marriage, friends, family, dating or cohabitation” (Aziz & Mahmoud, 2010). There are many forms of abuse from verbal and emotional to physical that often escalates over time in intensity for the victim. Data from the criminal justice system, hospital patient medical records and mental health records, police reports, surveys and social services reports of thousands of women revealed that many are injured and killed as a result of violence from someone close to them. “The US Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) 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 intimate partner regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender” (Robertson & Murachver, 2009). Researchers and the criminal justice system have not been able to agree on a clear definition to domestic violence which can range from physical injury, stalking, verbal abuse and humiliation, denial of shelter and access to money, and intimidation through aggressive behaviors. The definition of domestic violence may vary but the results from physical injury, mental and emotional trauma, and sometimes even death can last a life time.

Every year, nearly 10 million men and women are abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Intimate partner violence or IPV is defined as any behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological, or sexual harm to those in the relationship (Burgess, Regerhr, & Roberts, 2013). Acts of physical aggression include slapping, punching, kicking, beating, and biting. Twenty individuals are victims of physical violence every minute in the United States. Psychological maltreatment is the hardest form of abuse to detect, however it can cause long-term detrimental consequences such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Displays of psychological maltreatment include, but are not limited to verbal attacks, isolating the victim, verbal threats of harm, humiliation, controlling the victim, and stalking. Sexual harm is characterized as any forced sexual intercourse. Research suggests that 1 in every 5 women will be raped in her lifetime (Burgess, Regerhr, & Roberts, 2013).

Sex crime is one of the most underestimated crimes in America. Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence are one of the most torturous and abusive crimes that goes unreported due to fear. Intimate partner abuse is generally part of a pattern of abusive behavior and control rather than an isolated act of physical aggression. Partner abuse can take a variety of forms, including physical assault such as different forms of hitting, kicking, and beatings; emotional abuse, threats, financial abuse, psychological abuse such as belittling, intimidation, and humiliation.

“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

Intimate partner violence occurs among partners who are in a relationship. Such partners can either be married, engaged, and or dating and in either heterosexual or same-sex relationships. Both, male and females, can either be the victim or the perpetrator of such horrific episodes of violence against their partner. Women, for instance, are very aggressive and violent in self-defense while men, on the other hand, are most likely to engage in cycles of abuses and thus the notion that they are more violent and particularly against women (McLennan & MacMillan, 2016).

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognised as an issue which needs to be addressed due to its negative consequences on health of individuals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) as any act between intimate relations which results into physical, emotional, sexual trauma or any other form of restriction or isolation from family and friends which can lead to undesirable health outcomes (Organization, 2012). Violence do exists between intimate partners with women becoming more victims than men (Hall, Chappell, Parnell, Seed, & Bewley, 2014). In Victoria, it had accounted for 7.9% of overall disease burden among women of reproductive age (Vos et al., 2006). According to WHO global report on violence, more than 35% of women experience both physical and sexual abuse by intimate partners which represents a large proportion of all types of abuse (Organization, 2012). Current studies have acknowledged that controlling woman’s

According to Gosselin (2014), “Intimate partner violence refers to the pattern of violent and coercive behavior used to gain control in an intimate relationship.” (p. 43). In “What is Domestic Violence” (2010) intimate relationship violence is described as “an intentional (consciously or subconsciously) and methodical pattern of abusive tactics used to gain power and to exert control over the partner in order to meet the abuser’s needs.”