Category: Domestic violence

Introduction

For many centuries, womens rights have been violated by the same people they should trust with protection and appreciation. Home, where women should be treated with love, care, and affection, is the place they experience horrifying events from the closest people who should provide them with happiness and comfort. Domestic violence in many homes has caused great psychological and physical suffering on women in different societies. In worse incidences, women go through life-threatening experiences that result in unhealthy well-being. Additionally, women find themselves unable to voice their issues since their human rights are strictly denied. Nevertheless, a growing body of literature shows that fighting domestic violence against women has gained momentum over the last twenty years. The position of this annotated bibliography is that the vice holds no place in the contemporary society and should be condemned. This paper seeks to analyze domestic violence against women around the globe, its effects, and the measures that societies have undertaken to change the trend.

Alhabib, S., Nur, U., & Jones, R. (2010). Domestic violence against women: Systematic review of prevalence studies. Journal of Family Violence, 25(4), 369-382.

The above article presents a lengthy systematic review of a global evidence of the dominance of domestic violence against women. It broadly looks at the issue, where the authors assess numerous studies from different countries. The authors do not restrict their study to a short period, rather studies the issue from numerous databases from 1995 to 2006. They evaluate 134 studies from various countries that provide enough evidence of the prevalence of domestic violence against women and the adverse effects the vice has had for a decade. The data collected from women aged between 18 and 65 years provide enough samples for the systematic review. According to this review, victimization for women entails verbal, physical, and sexual molestation. All these acts result in devastating impacts on the womens physical body, sense of self, and trust. The article clearly acknowledges that domestic violence has become both a public health and human rights issue. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 5% and 20% of annual mortality is attributable to domestic violence against women. Alhabib, Nur & Jones (2010) argue that the devastating effects of violence against women have called for the international intervention. They say that women across the globe began to engage in collective campaigns against physical, psychosocial, and economic molestation with a view of attracting the international attention. The fact that domestic violence against women causes depression and deaths, it gives enough reason for raising awareness against the vice.

Relevance of this Systematic Review of Domestic Violence against Women to my Topic

Domestic violence is a broad topic that has been extensively studied for many years. The above study provides an in-depth analysis of the topic and presents evidence-based research on the practice among many countries. It can be used to expand the topic from the individual level to both societal and global level. The study provides unmatched evidence of victimized populations across many societies. It is evident that awareness of domestic violence against women has continued to change globally as more people continue to advocate for womens rights. The stance of my study is that the practice undermines womens rights and should be stopped. Men who victimize women have no place in modern society. Women, just like other human beings should be given equal opportunities to develop themselves. Alhabib, Nur & Jones (2010) posit that the modern woman has proven to the world that given the same chance like men, can excel and become powerful. This argument supports my view that women can become independent, lead the way to success, and make the world a better place. There is enough evidence of great women who have left a great impact on the world that generations will continue to appreciate. If these great women were victimized, such great achievements could not be attained. Examples include Professor Wangari Maathai of Kenya, the 2004 Nobel Laureate. She founded the Green Belt Movement that changed the worlds perception of the environment. Her contributions toward environmental conservation and awareness campaign continue to influence peoples efforts towards planting more trees.

Wyndow, P., Li, J., & Mattes, E. (2013). Female Empowerment as a Core Driver of Democratic Development: A Dynamic Panel Model from 1980 to 2005. World Development, 1(52) 34-54.

This article presents enough evidence that women have been victimized. However, the authors show how the worlds assumptions on the place for women today have greatly been challenged. The authors outline women positions that have proved that without victimization, women can change the world. Examples include Melanne Verveer, who was the first ambassador-at-large for the U.S state departments office of global womens issues. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been shown as the secretary of state for the U.S and still holding the position since 2009. The world today is portrayed as having accepted the effects of women empowerment. These and more women positions have shown the world that domestic violence against women holds no place in the modern world. The article challenges men-dominated societies to cease misplaced assumptions and adopt gender equity. Domestic violence against women is endangering. Victimization of women holds back development and growth (Wyndow, Li & Mattes, 2013). The authors show women as core drivers of development.

Relevance of this Study to my Research Topic

The study supports my position regarding domestic violence against women. It shows that through empowerment, women can shine greatly. It portrays women as agents of change if engaged in developmental projects. In fact, the authors assert that women victimization only prevents them from positively contributing toward democratic development. They are core drivers for development. A woman who has undergone domestic violence feels unappreciated, victimized, and loses self-esteem. She sees herself as having no value in the society in which she lives. The article advocates for women empowerment and involvement. The authors suggest that the fight against domestic violence against women needs not only womens efforts, but also the general publics commitment. The article provides a strong support for my thesis that the vice is misplaced and discriminates against womens rights.

Recommendation

This paper acknowledges the prevalence of women victimization that contributes greatly to world deaths. These deaths and other adverse effects of domestic violence can be reduced through various proactive measures as recommended below. First, women empowerment programs and subjects should be included in schools curricula where children can be taught on women rights. This strategy will ensure that girls grow knowing that they have the same rights as boys and can defend themselves even when they own families. The modern world has reached high levels of knowledge transfer. Today, people have easy access to information. Women can voice their issues through various avenues. Women need to be sensitized to use the available avenues to communicate issues concerning domestic violence for timely intervention.

Conclusion

This bibliography examines two strong sources addressing domestic violence against women. Each study has been examined closely and the authors views adequately considered. Domestic violence against women does not receive any support at all. Instead, it has been strongly condemned and opposed. The articles used in this paper have supported the position that women victimization has no place in the contemporary society. They present enough evidence on the prevalence of the vice. Substantial evidence has been provided to show womens potential and their vital roles in shaping the world today.

References

Alhabib, S., Nur, U., & Jones, R. (2010). Domestic violence against women: Systematic review of prevalence studies. Journal of Family Violence, 25(4), 369-382.

Wyndow, P., Li, J., & Mattes, E. (2013). Female Empowerment as a Core Driver of Democratic Development: A Dynamic Panel Model from 1980 to 2005. World Development, 1(52) 34-54.

Introduction

Research has established a significant connection between alcoholism and increased spousal abuse (Klostermann & Kelly, 2009). Spousal abuse often leads to psychological frustrations and physical injuries that result in mental health complications. Kaur and Ajinkya (2014, p. 124) researched to investigate the psychological impact of adult alcoholism on spouses and children. Their study revealed that persistent alcoholism has several consequences to the spouse and children. This essay analyzes the work of Kaur and Ajinkya.

Psychological Impact of Adult Alcoholism

The article discusses the relationship between chronic alcoholism and psychological disturbance. According to Kaur and Ajinkya (2014), alcoholism entails increased dependence on alcohol. The two researchers state that chronic alcoholism is highly associated with increased cases of family disaggregation, family detachment, domestic violence, and cases of severe domestic violence. Kaur and Ajinkya (2014) focused on establishing the relationship between romance and alcohol, marriage and alcohol, partner violence and alcohol, and the parenting behaviors of addicted parents.

In their review, Kaur and Ajinkya (2014) discovered that chronic alcoholism causes various disturbances to the spouse and children. Spouses married to alcoholic individuals often demonstrate high levels of depressive symptoms and psychological trauma when put under psychological tests. Their analysis revealed that chronic alcoholism or uncontrolled dependence on drugs among spouses results in an increased caregiver burden, difficulty in coping with alcoholic spouses, mental health problems among spouses, partner violence, and poor parenting behaviors.

The Articles Implications for Nursing and on the Role of Nurses

The work of Kaur and Ajinkya (2014), reveals a link between chronic alcoholism and emotional problems on the spouse and children. The article brings a new concept where the aspect of alcoholism directly tends to influence the mental health of the spouse and children. According to Goldberg (2013), nurses always provide care to patients and psychologically disturbed people. The document is imperative as it motivates nurses to carry out more research on the adverse effects of alcoholism.

Conclusion

Empirical investigations continue to show a close association between chronic alcoholism and psychological issues among spouses and children. Although their research failed to find an explicit connection between adult alcoholism and psychological problems experienced by the spouses and the children, evidence from relevant literature reveals that alcoholism has adverse effects on families. Chronic alcoholism probably leads to spousal violence, poor parenting behaviors, mental health problems, and challenges of coping with alcoholic individuals.

References

Goldberg, R. (2013). Drugs across the Spectrum. London, United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.

Kaur, D., & Ajinkya, S. (2014). Psychological impact of adult alcoholism on spouses and children. Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil University, 7(2), 124-127.

Klostermann, K., & Kelley, M. (2009). Alcoholism and Intimate Partner Violence: Effects on Childrens Psychosocial Adjustment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 6(1), 3156-3168.

Outline

This paper takes a comprehensive discussion on the topic of substance abuse and domestic violence, how they are related and proposed remedies. It begins by taking on the background of the two problems with a keen emphasis on the corresponding characteristics particularly for substance abusers and how they cause domestic violence.

Introduction

Substance abuse refers to the misuse of a drug or any other chemical resulting in its dependence, leading to harmful mental and physical effects to the individual and the wellbeing of the society (Berry, 1998). The drugs or substance being abused may either be legal or illegal but their abusers keep pursuing a different state of mind. Dependence to the drug leads to addiction that essentially involves a craving to continue abusing the drug despite its negative consequences. Substance abuse may occur without dependence, especially at the onset as an individual gets hooked on the drug (Berry, 1998). Dependence involves physiological processes that engage body systems to accommodate the drug resulting in withdrawal symptoms. This takes sometime and may include behavioral changes as well, but substance abuse is a reflection of how the individual, the substance and society interact to sustain the habit.

An individual hooked on substance abuse will most likely fail to accomplish social responsibilities in the family, at school and also at work. Domestic violence at home may involve battering between couples and lead to neglect of both matrimonial and parental responsibilities including abandonment of children. Abusers performance at school gets progressively diminished due to lack of concentration resulting from hangovers or the effects of the substances abused. Children born out of homes experiencing domestic violence ostensibly arising from substance abuse may adopt violent traits to deal with the problem including predisposition to taking up the habit altogether (Nicholls, 2007). Employees who abuse drugs neglect their duties and constantly not motivated leading to chronic absenteeism, boredom and rebellion. This could be attributed to the physiological consequences of the abused substances. These in the end affect their families financially and even morally as peace does not prevail and basic needs cannot be met.

Substance abuse is usually characterized by the following; development of tolerance where an individual requires a continuous increase in dosage in order to have the same feeling (Winkel, 2007). There is also the withdrawal process that entails the procedure to withdraw from the substance often by taking another drug to suppress the withdrawal symptoms. In addition, the prolonged usage of the drug in excessive amounts occurs which actually defines addiction. A recurrent relapse to the habit of abusing the substance is a regular phenomenon to the addict who could be just trying to relieve the painful withdrawal symptoms. The tendency to continue abusing the drug even in higher doses despite experiencing adverse physical and psychological consequences is the ultimate state of desperation to the abuser (Winkel, 2007). This is basically the hallmark of substance abuse which ultimately yields to chemical dependence, a form of preoccupation and obsession to the drug.

Finally, there is family involvement with abusers lacking control over their behavior such as anger, frequently resulting in outbursts. Domestic violence can be defined as the physical, mental, emotional, psychological or verbal abuse of a partner in an intimate relationship (Winkel, 2007). One of the couples tries to take charge of the partner using intimidation and force. Domestic violence and substance abuse are closely related. For instance, men who abuse alcohol in order to cope with frustrations, depression, fear, and stress may be found to abuse their wives particularly sexually. They cause stress to the family, isolate themselves, engage in sexual assaults and generally do not provide for the family since they need to finance the addiction. Wife battering and beating is also common but children can as well be abused in the process.

This eventually may be extended to other family members, friends and even neighbors. Domestic violence can also be done to men by their wives or girlfriends in some isolated cases.Gay and lesbian relationships are also not an exception (Berry, 1998). Generally, violence can occur even in sobriety but worsens in the case of acute intoxication and overindulgence in substance abuse. That notwithstanding, battering is a socially acquired behavior and may not be necessarily originating from substance abuse such as in alcohol abuse. Alcoholics essentially use alcohol as an excuse when domestic violence occurs which is a clear sign of irresponsibility since this often takes place when they are not heavily drunk (Berry, 1998). This could have been conceived beforehand supposedly to settle scores. This kind of violence can actually be done by sober guys including abusers before they get intoxicated. However, a battering incident that accompanies alcohol for instance may end up being severe in magnitude causing injuries due to the combined effects of the drug and emotive feelings of violence.

The interrelationship between the two social disorders compounds the problem and further complicates interventions to treat the addiction or prevent a relapse of each behavior. In both of conditions, the behavior recurs with almost no concern over their severe consequences (Nicholls, 2007). Domestic violence continues even though physical injuries may have been sustained, loss of self esteem, psychological trauma, intimidation and even emotional pain. Loss of control on anger also exists in domestic violence which also progresses without much provocation, but with increasing amounts of violence. The blame game continues with each partner shifting either way and even to the mood altering drugs.

Substance abuse therefore triggers domestic violence in many occasions, with the abuser being at the mercy of the drugs. However, immense pressure constantly coming from the close family members to overcome the habit develops feelings of worthlessness in the abuser, who in many occasions is overwhelmed by emotions such as anger resulting in physical confrontations. This eventually may provoke the abuser to continue taking the drugs somehow to obtain the peace of mind resulting in dependence. If domestic violence existed before a spouse took on substance abuse, then the addiction that follows will even propel the crisis to chronic levels that may ultimately cause death (Nicholls, 2007).

As a long-term remedy to the two problems, counseling must be done to the couple with a one sided approach to the issues. Domestic violence should be handled independently of substance abuse even if the two occur simultaneously within the same family in order to interrogate the underlying factors in each case. In the event that the two problems have similar backgrounds, then couples can be counseled from a common perspective. For instance, if an alcoholic husband became violent after losing his job, then the alcohol could not be main factor leading to the violence but the unemployment which may have resulted in low self esteem. What preceded the other between the two problems is key in the overall approach to solve both of them. Substance abuse in many cases is the precursor to domestic violence which must be avoided.

Reference List

1. Berry D. B. (1998). Domestic violence, Lowell House.
2. Nicholls L. T, Hamel J. (2007). Family interventions in domestic violence: a handbook of Gender-inclusive theory and treatment, Springer Publishing Company.
3. Winkel F. W, Bakdry C. A. (2007). Intimate Partner Violence Prevention and Intervention: The Risk Assessment and Management, Nova Publishers.

Introduction

There have been several federal and state legislative actions on domestic violence as the latter subject has brought with it several problems to victims and to society in general. However, for the purposes of this paper, greater emphasis will be given to federal and legislative action regarding workplace policy for agencies.

Legislative action on agencies promoting safety in the workplace

The law has dramatically changed on domestic violence in violence. In the past, it had not been imagined that such cases would affect the corporate arena but this is no longer the case. In 1994, agencies designed to support women harassed at the workplace were formed. Four years later, this was followed by more intensive calls for such a law. Therefore in 1999, laws were passed to handle domestic violence at the workplace. The laws took effect from the first day of July 1999. In the next year, law experts began gearing up to utilize this law with regard to cases within the workplace. Shortly after, New York now started enhancing prevention efforts for domestic violence in the workplace. This was done through policy guidance for employers.

In 2002, state employers in New York decided to take different measures for tackling the various laws and actions. This was subsequently followed by state actions to call for an end to domestic violence at the workplace through joint efforts with religious groupings. In 2004, the state of New York decided to look into some of the ways of preventing this form of domestic violence by forming an Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence in 2005, employers were required to adequately deal with domestic violence in their workplaces as failure to do so could lead to prosecution.

All these milestones have indicated how the law on domestic violence has changed. Nonetheless, there is a need to see how these changes have affected the workplace and what employers have been required to do as well as agencies that deal with the issue of domestic violence within the workplace today. (OPDV, 2008)

The legislative action covers employee policy on domestic violence. In this regard, employers are supposed to allow their employees to attend court sessions if they happen to be victims or exercise any right that surrounds domestic violence. (OPDV, 2009) Agencies are also expected to work hand in hand with employers to ensure that employees can obtain time off to care for their relatives who may be victims of domestic violence. This is also coupled with the process of obtaining documentation that may be needed to ensure the safety of domestic violence through absences from work. The major task of these agencies here is to ensure that they pressure employers to maintain confidentiality and also to make sure that employees themselves know what is required of them when trying to increase their safety levels. (Office for Prevention of domestic violence, 2009)

When agencies play this role, then employees who happen to be victims of domestic violence need not worry about possible penalties to work when dealing with their problems and the negative effects of domestic violence on the victim can be drastically reduced.

Conclusion

The federal and state legislative action discussed was the Domestic violence workplace policy. This policy regulates the role of agencies dealing with domestic violence. Through these regulations, victims of domestic violence can be protected from discrimination in the workplace based on the victimized status and they can also heal faster as a result of the minimal focus on other matters.

References

Office for Prevention of domestic violence (2009). Domestic violence in New York. New York State annual paper

OPDV (2008). Finding safety and support for victims of domestic violence.

OPDV (2009).Teen dating violence awareness and prevention. Web.

OPDV (2009). What professionals need to know on domestic violence. Web.

In the current society, domestic violence (DV) has become a major concern following the increasing number of victims reporting cases of DV in their families. DV is a social challenge that crosses economic, religious, geographical, and even cultural boundaries. It is a violation of human rights since the affected people undergo emotional, psychological, and even physical torture that impacts their general well-being. Even though DV is a global problem, women and children are the victims of the issue. The offenders usually target the weak individuals whom they deem cannot defend themselves and thus they humiliate and perform all types of ill-act on them. The aspect of DV entails aggressive control, violent behavior, and threatening, degrading, and coercive conduct by a partner or a family member. The problem extends to teens especially the ones dating, they experience courting violence. The underlying causes of DV include trauma, belief in domination, and experiencing a DV as a child. Other factors such as level of education, poor communication, substance use, insecurity, and personality disorders facilitate the prevalence of DV leading to mental and physical health effects.

The prevalence of DV in the community is linked to issues such as childhood trauma. When either of the partners experiences any form of abuse during their young age, they are more likely to develop the same behaviors when they become old. Similarly, aspects such as neglect by the parents or constant fight between the guardians remains a clear memory and thus tend to haunt them in the future especially if the perpetrator failed to receive proper counsel. Furthermore, by witnessing DV, when the child becomes an adult they tend to implement such acts on their partners because the majority believes that is the best way to handle family differences. Therefore, experience from childhood plays a significant role in facilitating the increasing rate of DV in society.

Similarly, limited access to education contributes to the increasing rate of DV in society. generally, schooling enhances the individual exposure to various facets of life. When a person is confined within a single cultural perspective due to less experience, they are more likely to retain the norm and act based on it. However, if such an individual interacts with others through education and learns new ideas, they might be able to have a different view of issues hence changing their overall mindset. Furthermore, education grooms people making them to be decent and reasonable enough to solve issues without coercing their partners. Therefore, when individuals do not have adequate knowledge, they will hold the societal practices thus making them engage in DV.

Poor communication among the couple or family members facilitates DV in society. Generally, when one partner fails to communicate effectively on crucial matters, the level of tension rises between them. With such fluctuation in temper, the likelihood of conflict occurring increases between the people involved. Similarly, failure to provide reliable information may cause the other party to become suspicious thus promoting them to act negatively. For instance, an individual may opt to neglect the counterpart in the event of an unclarified misunderstanding. Such approaches result in degrading the other party and thus they feel less cared about.

Furthermore, there are some cultural backgrounds that foster the belief that men should dominate women. In such a setting, males tend to have control over their female counterparts in society (Song et al. 650). For instance, at home, all the available resources are managed by the man, and the womens responsibility is reduced to protecting children. In such a setting, men tend to be more aggressive and thus portray violent behavior that affects the well-being of their partners. In other words, the ideology of male power is making the majority of men coerce, and control women to be more submissive to their demands. Such aggressions are enhancing the issue of DV especially when the females tend to resist the mistreatment they are facing.

In addition, the usage of illegal substances such as bhang, cocaine, and other drugs contributes to the increasing DV in society. When an individual has consumed any of the mentioned drugs, their brain function is altered and thus they fail to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner (Boserup et al. 2754). Some partners go to the extent of physically assaulting their loved ones. Partners who are addicted to alcohol spend more money on the drinks leaving their families with limited resources to protect them. In such cases, they abuse the individuals and affect their emotional well-being.

Moreover, some cases of DV are associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). People suffering from BPD conditions are more likely to portray violent behaviors, physical abuse, and even emotional torture. The family members who associate and interact with such persons usually experience DV following the inability of the BPD individuals to control themselves. Therefore, personality disorders are significant influencers of the DV issue in the community.

Generally, people who encounter DV issues are impacted emotionally and physically. Their health is at great risk following the conduct of the aggressors. On the basis of mental health, DV leads to panic attacks, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other emotional problems. Such outcomes can easily trigger suicidal thoughts, development issues, and even psychotic episodes. Furthermore, the victim may develop low self-esteem and aggressive conduct which is detrimental to the well-being of the people. When experiencing the mentioned conditions, the victims cannot easily mobilize the necessary resources to facilitate their living in the community. Similarly, the children might face difficulty concentrating on their studies hence affecting their academic performance.

Similarly, the physical health effect of DV is detrimental to the victims. Assaults may result in significant body scratches, chest complications, pelvis and even bleeding (Kaukinen 670). Sometimes the offenders may opt to use a sharp object to pierce through the body of their targets causing serious injuries. In addition, in some cases, women are dragged by their hair and even pushed against the wall. The overall consequences of such conduct include migraine, death, hypertension, and other related diseases which have an effect on the well-being of the affected person.

Even though the communities have shown some advancement, the aspect of DV has remained a significant social issue affecting many people. Underlying factors such as childhood trauma and witnessing DV cases contribute effectively to the growing DV. Limited access to education, substance abuse, poor communication, and PBD are other facets facilitating the rising cases of DV. The social problem results in both mental and physical health effects such as depression and scratches respectively. Therefore, DV is a major issue affecting the majority, especially the vulnerable group in society. Without awareness, the people suffering from the behaviors might not overcome the challenges and thus remain victims of the conditions.

Works Cited

Boserup, Brad, Mark McKenney, and Adel Elkbuli. Alarming Trends in US Domestic Violence during The COVID-19 Pandemic. The American journal of emergency medicine, vol. 38, no. 12, 2020, pp. 2753-2755. Web.

Kaukinen, Catherine. When Stay-at-Home Orders Leave Victims Unsafe at Home: Exploring the Risk and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence during The COVID-19 Pandemic. American Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 45, no. 4, 2020, pp. 668-679. Web.

Song, Yueping, Jingwen Zhang, and Xian Zhang. Cultural or institutional? Contextual effects on domestic violence against women in rural China. Journal of Family Violence, vol. 36, no. 6, 2021, pp. 643-655. Web.

Introduction

According to the oxford dictionary, Victimology is the study of victims of crime and the psychological effects of their experience. Domestic violence often includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and abuse to property and pets (Garnely, 1989).In cases of domestic violence there are many victims and my focus is on the case study given where a Anne shoots her husband, in front of the children.Anne claims that Denise had been hitting her and pushing her around, so she reached for a gun and shot him in the chest. As I arrive there she is taken to custody by the police, and the children are being questioned about what had happened.

Causes of victimization

According to Doerner & Lab, (2011) victimization can be caused by the crime itself and the criminal justice system. In this scenario the most apparent crime is the death of the husband and the other crime is the supposed domestic violence. In this situation there are many victims; Anne is a victim of domestic violence and the children are also victims of the same as well as the tragic death of their father. Denise is also a victim of the violence which leads to his death.

As a law enforcement officer I can help the 1^st victim, who is the deceased by ensuring that the proper procedure is followed to establish the cause of his death as well as the circumstances that led to his demise. The children witnessed their fathers death and they might be experiencing a range of emotions. As an officer, I will notify a close family friend or relative to come and stay with the children. Incase none is available, the Department of Social Services or the Child Protection Services should be notified. After taking the statements from the children who were the key witnesses, they should be taken to the social worker or the law enforcement officer who will stay with them until the Social worker gets there.

The other cause of victimization is by the criminal justice system.The mother who has been taken to custody, as much as is she is a victim of domestic violence she is also charged with homicide. The children will have to spend a lot of time away from school for court hearings and this does not help with getting on with their lives. In case the case goes to trial, they will be emotionally drained as they will relive the events that led to the situation they are in.

Consequences from the victimization of the given scenario

As a law enforcement officer, the follow up on the childrens condition is important to ensure that their safety and well being is taken care of. If it was established that they were physically abused or subjected to any other form of abuse, I will take the necessary steps to make sure they get the professional help needed. They need counseling and therapy as well as placement in homes that will take care of them and help them cope. Anne is already in police custody waiting to be charged with her husbands murder. The children are adversely affected by this traumatizing event, and due to their big age difference they cannot all get generalized treatment to deal with this. They may suffer the stigma from society of being a murderers child; this is particularly hard especially if the children continue living in the same community.

There might be separation of the siblings as one family may not be able to take them all in, some may stay with relatives and others in foster homes as none of them is old enough to take care of the siblings. This tearing apart of the family will definitely affect their development, the disruption of their normal routine especially on the children. Childhood traumas always develop into adult hood traumas (Doerner & Lab, 2011).Older children are at a higher risk of being traumatized as they have better developed senses so they grasped more of what happen to their parents (Gable & Johnston, 1995).The children may experience nightmares or reliving the event and this can cause emotional distress on the children especially if they feel they dont have any one to help them get through this.

In case there was violence towards the children before Anne killed Denis, the children will have a lot of issues depending on the nature of the abuse. Incase their mother goes to prison; they will be forced to grow up without parents, which is not a very good idea for teenagers. The trauma can cause emotional detachment, rage, sadness and going through life afraid of all situations. To some extremes as adults they develop a lot of personality disorders if they dont get help to deal with the events taking place.

The victims didnt protect themselves from the perpetrator; they might have stopped the immediate attacks from Denis, but the consequences of those actions were worse than the domestic violence in the home. The children might grow up thinking that it is okay to solve thing by violence and killing others. Anne if convicted will spend most or all her life behind bars and live with the guilt of taking their fathers life. From another point of view, it seems that they protected themselves from the perpetrator because if Anne hadnt shot him, he would have continued physically abusing her and eventually turn to the children. This would have been more tragic, but the children would still have both parents and with some luck they could get help to get out of that situation.

Organizations that help and their benefits

There are many organizations that help victims cope with the situations and get the help they need. Some have shelters that take in battered family members as they get you the relevant help to get you on the path to recovery. These organizations include National Organization for Victims Assistance, National Domestic Violence hotline and National Coalition against Domestic violence. These organizations offer immediate assistance, counseling, case advocacy and referrals. They also offer support groups that help in the healing process and reintegrating the victims into society.

These organizations are effective in indentifying domestic violence cases and providing a way out for the victims. Most of the organizations have hotline numbers that the victims can call and get the help they need. The limiting factor, for the work they can do is that they are only able to help those that seek the help. A high number of victims are too scared to ask for help due to increased fear about how the perpetrator will react to being reported. Most of these organizations depend on voluntary man power and donor funding which limits the number of people they can help.

From my point of view, am able to ensure that the victims in this scenario are well taken care of. Some of the challenges law enforcement might face is the objectivity of the children in giving the account of events because of their relationship with the victim and the perpetrator. Therefore, collection of reliable evidence in this situation is hard. This is a very emotional situation and as an officer I have to remain focused and follow the procedure to help the victims in this scenario.

The best techniques to prevent victimization

Victimization in this situation was caused by the domestic violence that resulted in the death of the perpetrator. To avoid such an occurrence the best way is to help families that are affected by domestic violence to realize that they are the victims and they dont deserve what is happening to them. Escape is not always the best, but they should have a personalized safety plan that involves what they would do in case they need to leave, alert a family member or a friend about the situation (Creative communications, 2009).

These techniques are beneficial as they are able to keep the victim safe as they try and get a plan together. Probably if someone had tried to get Anne out of the situation, she would not be in jail and the children would have both parents even though they are separated. It is easier to implement control measures before it all gets out of hand with greater consequences.

References

Creative Communications. (2009). Personalized safety plan, Web.

Doerner, W. G. & Lab, S.P. (2011). Victimology.Elsevier, Inc: Massachusetts.

Gable, K., & Johnston, A. (1995). Children of incarcerated parents. Lexington books: New York.

Garnely, A. (1989). Integrating feminist and social learning analyses of aggression: Creating multiple models for intervention with men who battered. Springer: New York.

Domestic violence is a horrible problem many women have to endure. This article describes how home visits by law enforcement drastically reduce the number of complaints about domestic violence. The project was conducted on 204 women; a part of them received regular home visits, led by the neighborhood patrol officers, and a part of them received standard police intervention. The study has shown that the number of police calls based on domestic abuse has reduced significantly in the first case, which can be explained psychologically.

As the study concludes, despite the increase in general awareness concerning domestic violence cases, it is still a significant threat to the victims and their children. The consequences of intimate partner violence can vary from mental issues to chronic physical illnesses. A variety of communities tried to prevent these situations by establishing particular healthcare organizations, domestic violence shelters, and community services. However, the problem still exists, although the number of reported IPV cases has reduced significantly over the last decade. The examples of domestic violence cases decreased due to widespread publicity, which includes regular home visits conducted by law enforcement.

The psychological reason behind that reduction is simple: abusers are afraid of someone more influential, which is why they tend to hide their behavior if they know that the police would come. Moreover, they are fearful of losing their victim, which can occur due to police intervention. This policy can save many women, and this is the reason why it should be implemented in every country.

To conclude, domestic violence is a social issue throughout the globe. However, because of similar policies, there is a chance that countless lives would be saved, and innumerable cases of violence are prevented. The study has proven that home visit intervention is an important policy that has to be implemented worldwide. The reduction happens because of the abusers psychology: they fear those who are vigorous and are afraid of losing their victim forever.

Introduction

Available scholarship demonstrates that domestic violence remains a foremost public health issue with far-reaching consequences not only for the victims, but also for the child witnesses and the community in general (Murray, Crowe, & Akers, 2016). As such, there is a need for relevant stakeholders in the community setting to provide useful resources that could be used to prevent further violence and support victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence (Fox, Corr, Gadd, & Sim, 2016). The focus of this paper is to document the local domestic violence victim resources found within a community in Kent County, Delaware, and also to discuss the importance of these resources to the community.

Documentation of local resources

Many of the domestic violence victim resources found within this bilingual community are offered by the Delaware Coalition against Domestic Violence. These resources include

1. 24-hour domestic violence hotlines,
2. information and referrals,
3. shelter, counseling, support and advocacy services,
4. court advocacy programs located within the family court,
5. certified domestic violence intervention programs,
6. legal assistance, and
7. police-based victim assistance programs (Delaware Coalition against Domestic Violence, n.d.).

In brief, the 24-hour domestic violence hotlines ensure that cases of domestic violence within the community are dealt with at the earliest convenience, while information and referrals are used to provide the needed information and refer victims and survivors to external help or support groups. The community-based shelter service provides counseling and support (e.g., housing, employment, transportation, and education), while the court advocacy program assists victims and survivors of domestic violence within the community to go through the court process. All the other documented resources assist financially eligible victims and survivors within the community to deal with legal and policy-related aspects of domestic and sexual violence.

Discussion of the importance of the resources to the community

The documented resources are important to the community in several ways. First, some of the bilingual services offered to non-English speaking victims of domestic violence in the community shelter and other support groups enable them to speak out and share their experiences in a culturally appropriate manner. Second, it is important to note that the community-based shelter for victims of domestic is run by professionals who are well trained to handle such cases. The victim-professional encounter at the shelter ensures a speedy healing and recovery period for the victims since they are treated with dignity and respect, thus the aspect of stigmatization is greatly reduced (Murray et al., 2016).

Additionally, the documented services (e.g., domestic violence hotlines, police support, shelter assistance, and intervention programs) are instrumental in preventing further domestic and sexual abuse, raising awareness of these issues within the community setting, as well as straightforwardly challenging the stigma surrounding them (Fox et al., 2016). Most of the resources documented in this paper cannot only raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence within the community setting but also to encourage continuing dialogue about these issues. Lastly, these resources are important as they provide the community with a framework to address the harmful psychological and emotional effects associated with victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Conclusion

This paper has not only documented the local domestic violence victim resources found within a community in Kent County but also discussed the importance of these resources to the community. Overall, it can be concluded that these resources are of critical importance to victims of domestic violence. They are also of immense importance to the local community, particularly in terms of enabling members to assist victims of domestic violence in dealing with the serious consequences associated with the issue.

References

Delaware Coalition against Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Web.

Fox, C.L., Corr, M.L., Gadd, D., & Sim, J. (2016). Evaluating the effectiveness of domestic abuse prevention education: Are certain children more or less receptive to the messages conveyed? Legal and Criminological Psychology, 21(2), 212-227. Web.

Murray, C., Crowe, A., & Akers, W. (2016). How can we end the stigma surrounding domestic and sexual violence? A modified Delphi study with national advocacy leaders. Journal of Family Violence, 31(3), 271-287. Web.

Introduction

The domestic violence cases that have been experienced in the past have led to the belief that men are always guilty in domestic violence cases.

This is a stereotype that has made a score of men to be innocently victimized for domestic violence since it is always presumed that a man is guilty until proven otherwise in these cases. This is very wrong since depending on the nature of the case, a woman could be guilty and thus in such cases, women use the stereotypical believes surrounding domestic violence with men to ensure that men are accused falsely.

In other cases, mere accusations lead to legal action even in cases that lack evidence of domestic violence or abuse. Despite efforts by a number of activists to introduce laws that will remove the loopholes in assault and domestic violence cases, the unfair stereotype of guilty until proven otherwise (Scarff 1) still exists and men continue to suffer for crimes they have not committed.

Example of a case

An example of a case related to this topic is the case of a man tried in a Cincinnati court for assaulting his wife. The facts of the case were known to the court and it was the woman who was the aggressor but the man was still required to post a bond worth $ 10,000 (Pierce 33).

The woman had broken three of her husbands ribs after attacking him violently. As the husband fell on the ground due to the instability he got after his ribs were broken, his head accidentally struck her head. Some spectator called the police and as they arrived, the woman praised herself for the bravery she had shown striking her husband to the ground. She even bragged about the same to the police.

Amazingly, with the woman being the aggressor, both were arrested and as the woman got released on recognizance, the man was required by the judge to pay a $ 10,000 bond (Pierce 33). This case can be seen as an indication that men are always presumed to be guilty in domestic violence cases. This is shown by the fact that, although the man was the one injured and the woman was clearly the aggressor from the way she bragged about beating him, both were arrested.

The presumption of the guilt of a man in domestic violence cases is further proven by the decision of the court in which the man is required to post a bond despite the fact that the woman attacked him, injured him and made him to fall hitting her accidentally on her head with his head. The court clearly showed that stereotypical ideas against men in domestic violence cases exist and also showed that a man can hardly get justice in domestic violence cases involving a woman.

Sentencing procedures

Another evidence of the preferential treatment that is accorded to women in domestic violence cases is evident in the sentencing procedures of the court.

When time comes for the sentencing of domestic violence cases, women always get fairer sentences. It is common knowledge that women always get a half the sentence that is given to a man for exactly the same crime. This is in cases where the court has identified a lot of liability on the part of the woman such that the court has to give her some jail time. In other words, most of these cases are characterized by the freeing of the woman and jailing of the man.

This can be seen as an outright abuse of the law and there is need for activists of the often-overlooked rights of men to work towards introducing laws protecting innocent men in domestic violence cases and convicting guilty women in such cases (Angelucci 1). There is also a need to address the common belief that a man is always guilty of being violent until he has been proven to be innocent.

Guilty without evidence

One of the reasons why many children are crying at home with their fathers innocently behind bars is because the authorities have seemingly associated violence with men. With this mentality therefore, in a domestic violence case involving a man and woman, the man is always taken to be guilty until the courts have proved his innocence (William 1).

This is even extended to rape cases in which if a woman reports that she has been sexually assaulted by a man, the man is always taken to be guilty until his innocence is proved. This can be seen as an absolute ignorance of reasoning since in any particular domestic violence case involving a man and a woman, either of the parties can be guilty and there is a great need to be listening to both sides of the story before declaring the man to be guilty.

An example of a case evidencing the above discussion is the Duke Lacrosse case in which three male students were subjected to a number of abuses in a rape case despite the fact that the case did not have evidence of assault by the three students. In the year 2007, the students filed a case against the prosecutor who was handling their case for the abuses that were perpetrated against them (Pierce 31).

Both sides of the story

It is so sad that in most domestic violence cases where a woman is hurt, the man is automatically guilty. There is a great need of the judiciary to introduce a means of identifying the causes of such incidences and making fair decisions based on the facts of the case. Worse still, like in the aforementioned case, some men are the ones who are attacked and decisions are made favoring women.

In the stated case, the woman was clearly the aggressor and the man was critically injured from her attack yet the courts made a decision favoring the woman. This shows the fact that the guilt of the man in a domestic violence case need not be proven if the woman is hurt in any way (McCarthy 1). Form these facts, there is a great need for the courts to abandon the existent stereotypical beliefs and handle each domestic violence case with fairness based on the facts of the case.

It may seem impractical in the above discussed case that the woman attacked and overpowered the man but research shows that members of both sexes have, in the past, initiated domestic violence. Research also shows that both sexes have, arguably, equal controlling power. Angelucci reports a study conducted in the University of Florida that showed that females are more likely to threaten their partners and perpetrate domestic violence than men (Angelucci 1).

In Washington, another study was also conducted giving the same results. That is, women perpetrate more domestic violence towards their spouses and partners than men. These facts revealed by studies are however contradicted by past court cases. This is because in most court cases involving domestic violence, the man is normally the one who is pronounced guilty (Smith 1).

To give a first-hand example of how the authorities never bother to listen to both sides of the story in domestic violence cases, see the facts of a case for which I was charged with domestic violence.

I have dated this girl for an approximate two months and I have never touched her leave alone hitting her. One day as we were arguing in my apartment, she got angry and started vandalizing my property. As I held her to ensure that she does not continue her wanton destruction of my property, she started crying and rushed outside calling the police.

She lied to the police that I had hit her and I was arrested and charged with domestic violence. This case has made me realize that our judiciary system is seriously biased in some cases and there is a great need for reforms. I know the exact facts of my case and I know that I was wrongly charged with domestic violence and she knows it too. It is thus evident that our courts need to review the cases of domestic violence and ensure that women do not take advantage of the pre-existent stereotypes to falsely accuse innocent men.

My view is that the courts should ensure that they listen to both parties involved in a domestic violence case and investigate the facts of the case without bias based on archaic stereotypes. This will ensure that the law is not abused and that it achieves its intended objective.

Conclusion

Domestic violence cases have been surrounded by a lot of legal injustices towards men due to the common belief that a man is naturally aggressive. In actual fact, a good number of men are not violent and, for ages, women have been taking advantage of the legal advantage they have over men in domestic violence cases. It is true that in most cases where men are held guilty of domestic violence, it is actually the woman who is guilty.

This is because the aforementioned advantage that women have in domestic violence cases make them provoke and sometimes hit men because they know that if the man even attempts to hit them, he is in for trouble. This has in fact led to more domestic violence as women increasingly provoke men knowing that the men cannot hit them. On the other hand, there has been a score of false accusations of domestic violence directed towards men due to the common belief that men are violent.

It is common knowledge that when women argue with their men at home, the men are prone to being guilty of domestic violence since the mere accusation of the man by the woman will make him guilty until he is proven to be innocent. It is thus of important that the courts consider all the circumstances surrounding domestic violence cases and make appropriate reviews that will reduce the discussed abuse of the law.

Works Cited

Angelucci, Marc. Male Victims of Domestic Abuse. 2010. Web.

McCarthy, Nancy. About domestic violence against men. 2007. Web.

Pierce, Mary. Home is where the hurt is: Domestic violence has unexpected victims. New York. Barnes & Noble, 2007. Print.

Scarff, Liz. Male victims of domestic violence. 2010. Web.

Smith, Melinda. Domestic Violence and Abuse. 2010. Web.

William, Mary. The paradox of hope: The crime and punishment of domestic violence. California. McMillan Publishers, 2008. Print.

Im not doing anything wrong.
If I am, I wont get caught.
If I get caught, I can talk my way out of it.
If they nail me, Ill get off light. (Leigh).

The following lines echo researcher/ psychologist Lenore Walker who shares the four most common believes of batterers and they shed light into one of the most heinous crimes committed on woman that leaves a scar too deep to be healed even with the passage of time.

Every individual deserves to enjoy social and political freedom. This statement requires no mandatory law and is regarded as birth right. It is a ridiculous fact that women all over the world seem to get battered and abused for no fault except that they are born women. Women are attributed the inferior sex! Neither Providence nor the son of God proclaimed woman to be subject to mans whims and fancies and serve as a slave  a mute spectator to the atrocities committed to her race

Our community faces issues that relate to violence committed on women and for every reason to enjoy conjugal life there is also the need to bear with violence. My view is that this issue has emerged as a colossal drawback to the ever increasing demand for social justice and equality rights. Every social concern and world organization cries out slogans demanding equal rights for men and women, but they continue to be written documents not to be implemented. Hence, I insist that the problem has raised its ugly head at an alarming proportion and though it may appear common, it does deserve immediate attention and subsequent measures to curb its infiltration into society.

The bone of contention and the subject under consideration is Domestic Violence- A Grave Societal Concern.

In support of the argument I would like to include the case of Betty Jean and Penny Hall who were severely battered by their partners. (Leigh).these incidents may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of todays concern for justice. Neither police intervention nor organizational support lent a helping hand and it cost them their lives. Wouldnt one believe that if concrete measures were taken their lives would be saved? What about innocent teenagers who are tortured or physically beaten by those whom they love? More grave is the issue where young girls are tortured by parents to such an extent that they fall an easy prey to torture by their life partners in the future; the reason being loss of self- confidence to defend and mental agony. For some others, being docile and submissive is protecting their privacy, but for how long? The scars are hidden but obviously visible to the world outside. And thats the reason why domestic violence has turned out to be a serious social threat in the USA. Quite contrary, Charles E Corry argues that domestic violence is not a grave issue and that it deserves to be given a lesser hearing than the other issues. (Peterman and Dixon). I disagree with Corry as he further argues that feminists and womens organizations have hooked up a story. In making this comment, Mr.Corry is arguing that organizations seem to make claims of physical abuse to seek sympathy of the society at large. The non- supporters assertion is contradicted by their projection of violence on women. the person concerned also argues that the issue need not be given due priority since women are themselves responsible for the conditions in which they find themselves in. it deserves attention that feels law has little to do to take the batterers to task. Lucidly, the writer has forgotten to mention that any social concern has to be treated wholly and not as a single force behind it. Unless hands from all the sides join together to deal with the issue, nothing worthwhile can be affected.

In answer to the above mentioned claims I would refute the stand as it is at first a global issue. The USA which upholds the values of unity, fraternity equality and brotherhood should succumb to social inequality and injustice! In my opinion, there have been innumerable examples of women and children being ill-treated either by the parents, partners and boyfriends. It seems the opposition does not pay due regard to the concern for protection of human rights. And he is mistaken by the fact that women need sympathy to prove their stand. Far more critical is the fact that this issue needs to be given a lesser deal of fair handling by the court of justice. In an era where priority is for socio-economic and political independence, it remains a sad tale that the remnants of earlier days social inequality still remains a closed chapter failed to be given a new direction. Regarding law it is seen that serious loop holes in the efforts to seize the law breakers is solely responsible for the continuity of mens unfavorable remarks and attitudes of abuse against their counterparts.

As a serious onlooker of the turn of events and as a spokesperson to such social issues I would prefer to lay my hands on the redemption of the society. I think the non supporters of this issue are mistaken because they have overlooked reports of the rate of domestic violence in the recent years. The first step towards this goal would be to redefine the status of women so that she may be given the priorities due to her. These priorities would not stand as barriers to the rejuvenation of moral and social codes of conduct. Every woman would find her voice and would be able to chart a course for herself.

Works Cited

Leigh, Julian. Mandatory Arrest Laws can Reduce Domestic Violence: An Effective Deterrent. Gale Cengage Learning: Opposing View Points Research Center. 2000. Web.

Peterman, Linda M., and Dixon, Charlotte G. Domestic Violence is a Serious Problem for Homosexuals. Gale Cengage Learning: Opposing View Points Research Center. 2005. Web.