Domestic Violence Belief Systems Essay

According to Alanna Vaglonos, (“30 Shocking Domestic Violence Statistics That Remind Us it’s an Epidemic”), “Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families”. This statistic demonstrates that staying in an abusive relationship may be a person’s only option due to economic dependency. A victim may be afraid to leave if they have no other place to go and their only way to avoid homelessness is to stay with their abuser. Each abusive relationship is different and the factors causing the person to stay is different for each

Many people are perplexed by the unwillingness of victims in abusive relationships to abandon the tumultuous environment, even when given an opportunity to escape. Outside of personal, subjective experience friends and family can learn why and how this helpless mentality develops and most importantly, ways in which they can help.

Hispanic women who are able to escape their perpetrator may be faced with barriers that impact their ability to rise above a lower socioeconomic status. Community resources may provide some aid but are not suffice to sustain a family with a single parent. Hispanic women who are entrapped in an abusive relationship may feel financially obligated to remain with their perpetrator. Some barriers identified by Shah and Shah (2010) include low educational attainment and unemployment post pregnancy. Physical problems women are exposed to as a result of domestic violence include increased instances of gynecological problems, sexually transmitted infections, and urinary tract infections.

The team of individuals who will lead this work include Baonam Giang, NMAFC’s Victim Services Coordinator; AnhDao Bui, Social Services Director; Kay Bounkeua, Interim Director, and Sarah Lau, Fiscal Manager. Mr. Giang was the sole creator of NMAFC’s men group and helps to coordinate all victims’ services at the agency, in addition to running a tae kwon do class for Asian youth. Mr. Giang has two years of formal training and experience on addressing gender violence. Before Mr. Giang, there has never been a Pan-Asian men’s group in Bernalillo County working to address gender violence within local Asian communities. As domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence are still extremely taboo topics for Asian communities, the formation alone of this group with regular attendees

Even though there are differing data pertaining the varying needs of abused minority women, due to their cultures being complex, heterogeneous and even diverse there could be differing options rather than a whole single solution. Yet, with $5.8 billion cost of the nation’s economy being used for mental care, mental health care, and loss of productivity for abused victims, figuring out different solutions would be greatly needed. Viewing the results of the study and from the Violence against Women Source book, minority women, especially those who are in impoverished areas and are socially disadvantaged, are in need for financial and psychological help that will aid them. The real question now remains of how to incorporate better resources and programming specifically towards women of color to decrease the intimate partner violence

As human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed throughout the course of our lives. Our family, friends, community and the experiences we have had all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world. As community services workers, we are often working with people who are vulnerable and/or who may live a lifestyle that mainstream society views as being different or unacceptable. If, as community services workers, we are to provide a service that meets the needs of our target groups and helps them to feel empowered, we need to be aware of our own personal values, beliefs and attitudes and be prepared to adopt the professional values of our

Sullivan and Bybee (1999) stated that one way that the abuser can control the victim is through social isolation, cutting off any social ties to family and friends to prevent the person from turning to someone for help. Having such ties has been helpful in the past when victimized women have left their assailants with the help of friends and family members. Aside from social support, another important support is community resources to respond to domestic violence, which is very helpful to decrease risk of abuse by their perpetrators. One of the main reasons that abused women return to their abusive partners is that they are unemployed and have no way to financially support themselves. Other resources important in reducing the risk of domestic violence are: “medical attention, child care, affordable housing and safe housing, and help from social service agencies” (p. 44).

Domestic violence is a very important social problem that we must educate ourselves on because it has such a profound and negative effect on the individual(s) being abused. They are affected mentally, emotionally, physically, and I know from experience that the scars can run very deep. Being in an abusive relationship for three years was devastating to my self-image as a teenager, and because of these feelings of inadequacy, my decreasing esteem allowed me to stay in such a dangerous scenario. Healing from the negative effects of that relationship has been a difficult journey for me, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be for women abused for years on end. To this day, I struggle greatly with the ability to let go of my own "control"

Every choice that an abused woman considers to do with regards in seeking help or ending the relationship involves a variety of risks. Time and time again, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” Most often abused women, at great and potentially fatal risk, do leave their abusive relationships. However, there is a multitude of barriers, including increasing abuse and the potential for re-victimization by the system that does not respond accordingly, and most often force many women to return to their abusers. A woman may become vulnerable as she goes through the stages of leaving her abuser. There are many reasons why a woman becomes vulnerable; guilt, denial, and fear may be among a few reasons, though no matter what the

Some women take the position that “hope springs eternal” for people in love and they shouldn’t be held accountable for the abusive spousal choices they make. That is precisely the kind of romantic notion that men and women cling to and use to seduce them into staying in relationships in which there is abundant evidence that they should leave. Often friends and parents try to intervene but when “hope springs eternal” obvious dangers are overlooked, denied and women tell themselves something like, “If I just love him enough, he’ll change.” Battered men usually say exactly the same things. “What is needed in situations of verbal and physical abuse and danger is not romantic fantasy but a critical and self-protective assessment of the facts followed by a decision based on those facts”(Walker 17).

These are just some reasons that victims stay in an abusive relationship. Most of the time the victims have no access to finances, has no way of supporting themselves, and has nowhere to go if they did decide to leave. The abuser has complete control over the victim’s life. The victim can also be terrified to leave the relationship because of the fear that the abuser’s behavior will become more violent and may end in their death. Victims can have mixed feelings about the abuser and want to believe that the behavior will change. They may have religious beliefs that do not support, divorce which keeps the victim in the relationship. Sometimes victims will convince themselves that despite the abuse, it is better for the children if they live in a two parent home. Victims usually fear that if they leave, that they will lose custody of the children and the children will suffer. There are various reasons that victims feel trapped or remain in an abusive

Domestic abuse is a startling issue in today’s society, and there are many different forms of it. Domestic abuse is defined as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” [1]. There are numerous forms of domestic abuse, including both physical and emotional violence. Many people who are trapped in these toxic relationships often feel helpless and worthless, and may think they have no way to escape their situation. However, with the right guidance and support, they can free themselves and emerge as a stronger person.

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

Domestic violence is a prevalent issue that has enormous consequences for both the victimized individuals and their families. There are many injuries, deaths, rapes, and separation of families, and other fatalities which can all be interconnected to domestic violence. Which raises the question who are the perpetrators? why are they violent? Were they also abused? The answers to these questions may shed some insight on what goes on inside the mind of an abusive and violent individual.

Every year in the United States, One in four women are victims of the domestic violence; however, this is only based on what has been reported to the department of justice (Stahly 2008). While men are also victims of domestic violence, women are more often the victims. Moreover, 90% of domestic violence is male initiated. In severe cases domestic violence ends with victims being murdered. More specifically, domestic violence resulted in 2,340 deaths in the United States in 2007, and 70% of those killed were females (CDC 2012). Many people think that victims have the option of leaving and many people blame victims for putting up with the abuse; what many people don 't know is, victims of domestic violence have many reasons preventing them from leaving their abusers, these reasons include, isolation, having children bounding them with the abuser and lack of financial support. "It 's never pretty when you leave an abusive and controlling relationship. The warden always protests when a prison gets shut down," says Dr. Steve Maraboli (qtd from web). Whether a victim stays or leaves their abuser, the outcomes of both situations are not always as easy as many people predict. In some situations, the outcomes of leaving may be very dangerous for both the victim and her children.