Sexual Abuse And Child Violence

Typically, domestic violence occurs between a man and a woman, and usually, women end up being the victims more often then men (Heidensohn, 2012). The male is usually more dominant because he is bigger and significantly stronger then the female. However, in recent years, men have been experiencing their fair share of abuse from women. According to a study done by the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men, “Over 90% experienced controlling behaviors, and several men reported frustrating experiences with the domestic violence system. Callers’ reports indicated that their female abusers had a history of trauma, alcohol/drug problems, mental ill- ness, and homicidal and suicidal ideations” (Hines, 2007). This study measured 190 male callers who called the DAHM and the study shows that women can also batter men. This applies to the case of Jordan Graham and Cody Johnson because a wife murdered her husband. No one should ever underestimate someone else’s strength or aggression as those characteristics can be extremely hard to gauge. Cody Johnson may have had no prior knowledge of Graham’s temper and may have even felt as if he were the dominant figure in their marriage. Sometimes, it is easy to accuse a spouse of being the core reason for domestic abuse, whether it is verbal or physical abuse. However, domestic abuse can be seen as a problem for human beings in general, “Others have argued that violence is a

In 1979, psychologist Lenore Walker discovered that the majority of abusive relationships follow a similar pattern that cycles itself. This cycle could happen over any period of time but will almost always repeat itself a multitude of times. Lenore Walker’s cycle is not the exact same for all abusive relationships, some are much worse, but many share the same three stages which are tension building, incident, and honeymoon/calm. All three stages are fueled by constant denial from the victim. The cycle of domestic violence is a traumatic psychological sequence that millions of people of many different cultures and nationalities are tragically stuck in.

While some people believe that domestic violence is stereotyped and over exaggerated, it occurs in many households. In some cases, the abuse associated with domestic violence can be incredibly severe. A force which may be done by the offender includes shaking, slapping, hair pulling, punching, beating, choking or burning, and threatening to attack the victim with a weapon (Roy, Disari, 2015). The problem with domestic violence is that women, who are in an abusive relationship, tend to stay in their relationship. No matter how toxic it may be, they continue to deal with the violence which their partner urges onto them.

“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.

Unfortunately, seven years have now passed and Aaron now has a domestic violence (DV) criminal case pending as well as a possible child abuse case for the abuse of his son. It seems that Aaron has been having a lot of problem lately with the law as well as personal. However, those problem didn’t just start because as a child he had two adjudications of delinquency and served six months in a juvenile detention center for his actions. Yet, he did not learn his lesson from his younger actions and has now been arrested four times for aggravated assault as well as domestic battery that led to one conviction. Furthermore, he has been arrested two times for driving under the influence (DUI), and one of his DUI cases is slated for trial in three months. Therefore, he may be facing another conviction as well as some time in jail and fines once again for the DUI.

Although the worldwide media has recently been putting it's spotlight on domestic violence, it is astounding how many cases go unreported. Often times, people think of domestic violence as men hurting women, but it is more generic and includes any type of aggressive behavior between people living together. Due to the stereotype of men being aggressors, they are the gender most likely to not report a domestic violence incident when they are on the receiving end. Within the last 10 years, domestic violence has been credited for over 20 percent of crimes involving violence with approximately 4,000 women, the primary victims, being killed by their partners as they tried to leave the relationship. Abuse such as this most frequently occurs during the dating phase of a relationship, or

In 1979, Lenore Walker published The Battered Woman which became instrumental in addressing abused women (Bartol & Bartol, 2012). Lenore E. Walker is a leading authority in partner abuse, Walker coined the term cycle theory of violence (Wallace & Roberson, 2014). Walker’s book provided an academic look into lives of abused women while also debunking myths associated with abused women (Rutherford & MacKay, 2013). She also developed the battered woman syndrome; the syndrome discusses two aspects of the dynamics of abuse, the cycle of abuse and learned helplessness (Rutherford & MacKay, 2013). This cycle of abuse does not discuss the cause of IPV but rather the dynamics of this type of relationship (Wallace & Roberson, 2014). Prior research conducted on other theories related to the cycle of violence have found results similar to Walker’s findings (McMahon, Hoertel, Wall, Okuda, Limosin, & Blanco, 2015). Walker claims the abuse is cyclical and consists of three different phases (Wallace & Roberson, 2014).

In the beginning of time animals and humans only chose a mate for procreation and it was not until the last thousand years that humans would choose a life partner. The only problem with dating is that people put on a facade and the true self takes time to get to know. In a domestic violence relationship there may be months or even years of psychological and emotional abuse that might start off as jealousy, which many women find flattering, but will escalate to name calling or making her feel guilty over some uncontrollable situations (Marvin 16). Over time this will crush what little is left of her central ego making her feel responsible and no longer in control. This characterization of verbal abuse and sometimes mild physical aggression is the first in a three stage pattern in the "Cycle Theory of Violence" called the "Tension Building Stage," (Celani 70). This is the longest phase in the cycle. "The male abuser sees his female partner as a rejecting object, perhaps because she failed to meet his (infantile) needs… Now he has the power to actively revenge himself against the object that he feels is frustrating him," (70). Many women can sense when her partner has become increasingly agitated and become more nurturing or compliant to

The Battered Women Syndrome is a series of characteristics in women who are physically and psychologically abused by an important dominant male in their lives. These women learn helplessness and dependency; sometimes these characteristics originate from childhood. According to Dr. Lenore E. Walker, a woman must experience two cycles, before she can be labeled a “battered woman”. The two cycles are called the “cycle of violence”. This cycle leads to the feeling that the abuse will never stop. It almost becomes natural. Sometimes the relationships will be calm, and the abuser will apologize for what happened. This part is called the “honeymoon cycle”, but at other points in the cycle the tension and

She explained that this was a logical defense in court since they were not to be blamed for the act of killing someone they saw as a threat to their survival. The theory was based on research she carried out on 110 battered women she had interviewed and spoken to. The theory served as a form of evidence as to why women stayed in a relationship despite it being harmful to their wellbeing. She used the theory as a vehicle to dispel myths surrounding why some victims of abuse stayed including the ones that state that battering is not a common incident, the women were masochists and enjoyed the pain they were inflicted as well as the myth that they could leave the relationship anytime they wanted

According to statistics found by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Every nine seconds a woman is abused by her husband or intimate partner. At least 1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 9 men have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. Most often the abuser is one of their own family. Domestic violence is a problem that somehow affects every one of us in this room at some time and is actually the leading cause of injury to women -- more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

Battered Women's Syndrome, although originating in part from the oppression of women, was initially developed by psychologists to help explain the behavior of women who were exposed to frequent and continuous abuse. The most highly recognized in the field of BWS, is psychologist Dr. Lenore Walker. Walker has dedicated most of her life to studying battered women and their victimization. Using the psychological theory of "learned helplessness," Dr. Walker came up with her own hypothesis to explain why battered women behave the way they do (Dubin pg. 9). Walker's findings resulted in the theory known as the "cycle of violence" (Downs pg. 76). The cycle portrays three distinct phases in which battered women go through with their abusers. Phase One is known as the "tension building phase." In this phase

Sexual abuse to a child can be a confusing and devastating experience for the family. Families who are affected by child sexual abuse can have a difficult time talking about the abuse. Studies have shown that about one out of every four girls and one out of every five boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18 years old.

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.

(Denno, 1997). It has been proven through research, that after any type of sexual violence has occurred, sexual contact decreases. Survivors have the physical and emotional affects where sexual pleasure lowers due to experiencing such trauma. These influences also lead to sexual dysfunction. The ability to not perform sexually before the assault also takes a toll on self-esteem and self-image. Women become constantly self-conscious that they are less desirable after surviving an assault (Yarber and Sayad, pg. 590-591). Human sexuality should be something that is unique and proud to own. It is sad, that as a society we diminish the value of our sexuality and strip us of ourselves.