preview

Research Paper- the Effects of Domestic Violence

Better Essays

The Effects of Domestic Violence

A woman wakes up in the middle of the kitchen floor, and as she opens the one eye that isn’t swollen shut, she frantically searches for her minor child with no avail. She calls the police who take her report and then question her about her bruises and black eye. She tells them what happened; they take her report and begin the search for her daughter. When they find her daughter and husband they return them both home because the daughter is “safe” in their eyes and she has fearfully corroborated her father’s alibi that they haven’t been home all day. The officers leave, satisfied that they have done their jobs, only to discover the next day that the man they returned home safe has now beaten his …show more content…

Now she does not know how to escape from her abuser. According to Encyclopedia Britannica for some victims the unrelenting cycle of violence produces diminished self-esteem, helplessness, depression, and exaggerated feelings of imprisonment, even the belief that they deserve the abuse. Once the victim has reached this phase of the relationship it becomes almost impossible for her to escape. She is under the impression that if she leaves, her abuser will find her and hurt her even worse, and possibly even kill her. She may also believe that there is no point in leaving because her abuser has made her believe that he is the only one who could ever love her, and that nobody else could ever want her. This fear of total loneliness if she was to leave can be enough to make her stay. At this point the self-esteem is so low that she needs what small portion of distorted attention she does get from her abuser.

The Effects on Children While a woman is dealing with this amount of abuse from her abuser, if she is a mother, she may not realize the consequences her child is suffering. While she may feel she is protecting her child from this violence by sending them to their room prior to an argument, many children report witnessing the violence anyway. According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center studies suggest that 3.3-10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually. Witnessing this violence can have a lasting effect on

Get Access