Untold Stories: Case Scenarios

In the article entitled “The Longest War” from her 2014 book “Men Explain Things to Me”, Rebecca Solnit speaks about the issues surrounding the subject of male violence. She vehemently writes about how the plethora of male violence is being directed solely at women. She explains that a multitude of innocent women around the world are being abused by men. The amount of male violence taking place around the world is staggering; so much of it is happening everywhere. Solnit states the male gender is responsible for the deluge of violence, and that women in all parts of the world emotionally and physically suffer from it.

Tonier Cain, a nationally- known public speaker and traumatic event educator has inspired many women across the nation, she tells her story to audiences filled with men and women who specialize in substance abuse programs, mental health agencies, corrections facilities as well as trauma survivors and many more. Tonier, also known as Neen was introduced to the jail system at an early age and has a criminal record of 83 arrest followed by 66 convictions. Cain’s story is empowering, inspirational and unforgettable. As of today, her efforts to uplift women who have experienced trauma has given her a position as the team leader for the newly funded National Center for Trauma.

Throughout history, women have continuously found themselves as the subjects of oppression. Although the treatment of women has drastically changed over time, women are still exposed to much of the violence that exists today. Per the National Organization for Women, “young women, low-income women and some minorities are disproportionately victims of domestic violence and rape” (National Organization for Women, 2016). Women-centered violence is highly prevalent and reoccurring all over the world, even in our local communities. Individuals may be hesitant to consider just how much violence against women affects their communities.

The article constructs domestic violence as an issue of gender, race and socioeconomic status. Women are identified as the “majority” of victims (Taylor 2014). Consequently, the article conceptually represents domestic violence as events of intimate terrorism where one partner violently terrorizes the other partner to gain complete control over the relationship, which is entirely perpetrated by men (Johnson 2012). With that said, Johnson (2012) points out that majority of domestic violence is situational couple violence, where both the man and the

As a future Social Service Worker, Theodore’s story taught me that the most vital skill is to come from a place of support and understanding of the individuals precipitating situation. As an advocate I would try to help clients face challenges through support, empowerment, validation of their perception and most importantly respecting where they are in the therapeutic journey to emotional emancipation.

My program, "The Wounds of Words," was held on the campus of area high schools. Three women spoke; one was a specialist on dating and domestic violence, and the other two were survivors of emotionally and physically abusive relationships. Approximately two hundred people attended the program; some came out of concern for loved ones, others came out of concern for themselves. Regardless of their reasons for coming, I knew as I listened to the speakers and their courageous stories that if one girl could be saved from the emotional abuse that may await her in the future because of my program, the program was a success.

Many people come to social workers with a victim mentality, feeling helpless and without a future based on their past. They have been discouraged, beat down and made to feel broken. Being a victim of abuse, trauma, toxic relationships or a victim of assault are all unfortunate circumstances, but they can be overcome. It may seem like a challenge, but it is possible with assistance and God. As social workers we are to provide client’s who have experienced repeated trauma with support and resources to assist them in their journey to a hopeful life. Painful experiences seem to get the best of us at times, but focusing on the client’s ability to survive these horrific events can give the client just the push they need to see that they are a survivor. Helping the client to realize their own strengths and skills used to overcome their trauma, instead of focusing on the trauma itself, is a powerful way to help clients achieve a positive outcome. Kisthardt (1992) states “intervention will work best when there is “an orientation to, and appreciation of, the uniqueness, skills, interests, hopes, and desires of each consumer, rather than a categorical litany of deficits” (p. 60-61). Kaplan and Girard (1994) state “people will be motivated to change and grow when their strengths are

While other young Black girls withdraw, feel unworthy, depress or engage in destructive behavioral problems to hide their pain. My hope in relating my story and sharing my personal artwork is to create a space to express freedom, which will initiate a conversation about using visual art as a source of healing in traumatic experiences. For the purpose of my narrative, domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse, but also includes psychological abuse and verbal abuse. In addition, witness is not limited to physically seeing abuse but also overhearing arguments, the silent

An issue discussed in class that is central to achieving gender equality is the elimination or prevention of gendered violence. Gendered violence is a huge issue, that affects a multitude of women in Canada and all over the world. It is critical to the cause of gender equality, as gendered violence is rooted in the idea that women are lesser than men and it is acceptable to exert power over them through violence. Thus, women are abused, manipulated and assaulted simply due to their gender. This is a severe form of misogyny and sexism in which women are kept in their place, and prevented from rising to their full power and potential. Gendered violence has contributed to gender inequality, as shown in The War at Home. The episode of the CBC series First hand demonstrates the various plights women are forced to go through due to their abusive partners. Even through this, the justice system can behave like another form of abuse. It is not possible for women to be considered equal in a society where their worth as human beings is not respected. An example in the episode is

Barbara Perry’s article “Doing Gender and Doing Gender Inappropriately” addresses violence and gender, and how gender is influenced through the way it is perceived in society. The construction of gender comes in polar extremes, with masculine dominant men and feminine subordinate women. Gendered violence is used to control women as a class. It is a systematic tool used by men to reinforce gender norms and patriarchal ideas of masculine superiority and feminine inferiority. It “terrorizes the collective by victimizing the individual”. Like any dichotomy, it has scripts, and to deviate from these scripts will leave you labeled as ‘unnatural’ and ‘immoral’. These scripts “constrain everything from modes of dress and social roles to ways of expressing emotion and sexual desire”. In Judith Lorber’s “A World Without Gender” we are introduced to the possibility of eliminating gender and how “degendering [would] undercut the patriarchal and oppressive structure of Western Societies”.

Our life experiences play a large role in shaping who we are as people. My childhood experiences influenced the woman that I am today. My father was abusive. He abused my mother, my siblings, and myself. Whether it was a domestic assault against my mother, slapping of my siblings, or a daily cursing session, our house has always been in turmoil. There were adults that knew about the abuse going on in my home, including teachers. However, none of them intervened for my brothers and I. I cannot help but wonder how my life would have been different if someone had. Experiencing child abuse, as well as my mother’s domestic abuse, is my greatest catalyst in pursing a graduate degree in social work. Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Child abuse could have broken my spirit but it made me stronger. It sparked my interest in mental health, and showed me the importance of compassion. I plan to use my gift to help others improve their quality of mental health, and encourage the development of self-determination.

Our culture refuses to hold women equally accountable as men for their participation in Domestic Violence. Women’s behavior whether perpetrator or victim, is understood and passed off as socialization or poor economic status. On the other hand men are held fully accountable for all of their behavior. “Despite the tough guy stereotype all boys are encouraged to embody and the abuse many bear as a normal

Domestic Violence is a human tragedy, and has been a part of life for many individuals. It is not subjective to a particular group, race, or culture. Historically, the feminist movement preserved the theory that domestic violence is a growing matter because of the continuous power differential between the male gender and the female gender. Remarkably, this approach on domestic disputes unveiled the inner workings of barriers men, women, and children would face when in a domestic violence situation. The feminist theory emphasizes on studying “the gendered nature of all relationships…which aims at understanding how gender is related to social inequalities and oppression” (Marsigila & Kulis, 2015, p. 148). Disastrously, an ignorant notion that once dominated our culture was the belief that emotional agony was less painful than physical brutality. However,

Throughout the history of the world, patriarchy has been rooted into the very essence of our lives, shaping our thoughts and actions. Patriarchy is present in virtually every society and unfortunately is the underlying problem to most violence in the world, particularly violence towards women. Patriarchy exemplifies the misogyny that has been ever-present since probably the beginning of every society. Whether it is discrimination towards women, lack of equal rights, or

It has taught me that a big part of chronic illness,stress, anxiety and mental illness is a direct result of blocked emotions and negative thought patterns. When we stay stuck in a “story” we often take on the victim role. This resonated again with me recently when I revisited a Ted Talk about domestic violence that I had seen a few years ago by Leslie Morgan Steiner. She talks about being the victim and the beliefs that she had. I began to think a lot about victim roles and how dangerous they can be.