Category: Domestic violence

Good afternoon all,

As a citizen of America, I am here to let you know that we are all under attack. World War 3 is rapidly evolving in front of our very eyes and we are oblivious about it. This silent but deadly killer is mutilating over three hundred thousand harmless citizens every 12 months – however, 80% are scared to admit the hardship they face. 85% of its victims are women and children, and the remaining 15% are men. It is our job to gather an army of brave soldiers and stop this killer from taking a further one hundred lives across America each year.

What are those statistics you may ask? Gang attacks? Homelessness? Assaults? My peers, those are statistics from The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. They are the facts and figures about domestic violence, an interdicting controversy that invariably occurs in our society – mostly behind closed doors, where the victim is vulnerable and incapacitated. If we stand up as one, we will be able to conquer this ‘crime behind closed doors’ together (show slide).

So what is domestic violence? Domestic violence is aggressive behavior within the home, especially against women and children. Men face it rarely. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the USA – a much bigger number than car accidents, gang attacks, and rape combined. According to the students at Melbourne University a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the USA.

Labour MP Emma Husar – a woman respected by thousands and thousands of people worldwide was a victim of family violence and abuse. She shared her story about her childhood living with domestic violence on the 23rd of November 2016. Husar described it as a life spent in shelters and hotel rooms above pubs, living in constant fear. ‘There were 13 police cars the last time physical violence affected my childhood,’ she said. Husar ended her speech with “Domestic violence is an epidemic, no matter what statistics you look at, yet as a society most of us tend to close our eyes on it.” Husar was a person whom most respected, admired, and loved – who had a difficult past pummelled in darkness (show slide).

My friends, as Americans I’m disgusted – not about how we look like or what social class we are part of, or who we really are. There is nothing more revolting than to asperse, attack and abuse a family member. Someone you love! Someone who cares about you! Someone who will stand next to you no matter what! What positions us as human beings to harm someone we love? Violence of any sort – domestic, youth, or sexual is a huge NO in our society. Therefore, showing such acts even behind closed doors is not permissible (show slide).

All of you are probably like “If it is this bad, can’t they just report it to the authorities in order to avoid the abuse? Just like people who have autism – victims of domestic violence find it hard to talk and interact with others when they face this difficult issue. Thus, this averts them from seeking aid. According to the Bureau of Statistics, approximately 70% of victims of domestic violence believe that it is their fault. They believe that they have made a huge mistake to upset their partner and that they deserve the abuse and even more. For the remaining 30%, they are scared to say something for fear of thinking about what would happen when their partner finds out. Furthermore, 80% of male children abused are most likely to abuse their partners, and 75% of female children abusers are most likely to face abuse when they are older, from their partners.

I had a close mate a few years ago called Luke Batty. He was a friend from cricket. He normally came to cricket practice with his mum, however, one day he came with an unfamiliar face. He told me that it was his dad and that his parents were divorced. Cricket training finished and I went home – Luke told me that he would like to spend some time after training with his dad. However, what I didn’t know was that this was the last time that I would be seeing my mate.

That day my mate Luke was brutally bashed by his father Greg Anderson with a cricket bat and was left to die at Tranquil Cricket Ground. At the time of Luke’s death, there were four warrants out for Anderson’s arrest. Luke died as a legend of cricket who had a wonderful smile, he died as a grandson, a son, and a brother to everyone in the community – he will still remain in our hearts. Ever since Luke’s mother has started a campaign against domestic violence to stop any further lives from being lost due to this tragic cause (show slide).

Put your hand up if you own more than one type of electronic item (show slide). It could be anything a PC, an iPad, an Xbox, a Play Station, or a Mobile Phone. Now, keep your hand up if the total value of your electronic items is over two thousand dollars – please be honest (show slide). You should be ashamed of yourself. You see, this is happening because of you. We spend thousands and thousands of dollars a year on electronics when there are major issues to be dealt with! Why can’t we just own one or two types of electronics that aren’t that expensive? Maybe a thousand dollars or so? – put the rest of the money towards a good cause like domestic violence.

There are only two domestic violence shelters in every state and each dollar that we donate can make a huge difference. No person in America should have to tell a police officer about a family member’s death. A mother should never have to say “My husband killed my child.” Or a child pointing to their father and saying – “he did it.” As a nation, we need to stand up and stop domestic violence once and for all.

This serial killer that is taking the lives of innocent people needs to be stopped. It is our job as Americans to stand up to domestic violence (show slide). For the six minutes or so that I have been talking to you – approximately forty-two Americans have faced an act of domestic violence/abuse. Remember, bruises last a couple of weeks, and cuts a couple of months, however, the scars inside us from domestic violence will last forever. If a fourteen-year-old, high school student can stand up to domestic violence, so can you. We’re one soldier closer to winning this war,’ so I am telling you to stand with solidarity and work together to put a stop to domestic violence once and for all. Thank you for listening.

The family is the smallest, yet most important unit of our society. Being the first agents of socialization, it is not unexpected that most of the factors that will shape a child’s life will be those things that they first experienced and were exposed to at home. Children, being in their early formative years are very delicate, thus their development and well-being require a conducive environment free from violence. Children are also vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, this often makes them principal victims of domestic violence. Where they are not the actual victims, they are direct witnesses of violence in the home; they are made to hear and see violence happen, to live with it. Idogo has opined that the effect that witnessing domestic violence has on children is very similar to the consequences of being the direct victim of abuse by a parent. It has also been pointed out that exposure to domestic violence can be substantially responsible for physical and mental health morbidity. Because children are unable to protect themselves, it is the duty of the parents as well as that of the government to ensure that children are shielded from domestic violence, or else every area of their lives and well-being may be affected.

Domestic violence refers to abusive behavior which occurs within the private, domestic sphere, generally between individuals who are related through blood or intimacy. It is the intentional and persistent abuse of anyone in the home in a way that causes pain, distress, or injury. It has many faces including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and psychological abuse. Physical abuse may be in the form of beating, kicking, choking, forcible confinement, or genital or body parts mutilations; sexual abuse includes rape and molestation, using a child for prostitution, or exposing them to pornography. Neglect is also a form of abuse and includes denying the child food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and protection.

Cultural ideologies and experiences such as physical and sexual abuse and witnessing domestic violence have been pointed out as factors that provoke belligerent and violent behavior. Child victims or witnesses of domestic violence may develop physical, psychological, and behavioral problems as a result of physical, verbal, psychological, and other forms of violence. Studies have revealed that exposure to domestic violence makes children social misfits who are prone to psychological imbalance and violent criminal tendencies. Some studies have also posited that children whose mothers were abused by their partners have Intelligence Quotients (IQs) which are lower than usual. Adolescents may develop low self-esteem and find it difficult to trust others. A researcher has opined that early childhood victimization, which could be through direct abuse or witnessing violence between parents can have long-term consequences for antisocial behavior, youth, and adult violence tendencies as well as other forms of criminality in the long run.

In 2001, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the findings of a study conducted with approximately 826,000 children who were victims of abuse or neglect where it was reported that almost all of them had suffered some level of damage to their growing brains. It has been discovered that early experience can alter the way genes are expressed in a child’s developing brain. Good experiences help the brain develop properly. The home environment usually provides the raw material for such development, so in a home where domestic violence exists, the child’s brain will be adversely affected. An in-depth overview of related studies has been provided, suggesting that early maltreatment can have enduring and measurable effects on a child’s developing brain, diminishing growth and reducing activity in key areas. According to U.S. News & World Report in 1996, fear that results from violence may have irreversible adverse effects on a child’s brain. It stated thus:

Once viewed as genetically programmed the brain is now known to be plastic an organ molded by both genes and experience throughout life. A single traumatic experience can alter an adult’s brain: A horrifying battle, for instance, may induce flashbacks depression, and a hair-trigger response of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers are finding that abuse and neglect early in life can have even more devastating consequences, tangling both the chemistry and the architecture of children’s bring and leaving them at risk for drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and psychiatric problems later in life.

Statement of the problem

It is common knowledge that domestic violence is a widespread problem in Nigeria but we have not really paid attention to the effect that the menace has on the mental health of children. We must realize that when children are affected, society is affected as well. This is because these children grow up to become members of the society. Such children who are affected tend to imbibe violent tendencies as they mature and this results in a cycle of violence for coming generations. In most cases, people who become the perpetrators are those who were abused or were exposed to abuse and violence as children. It has been pointed out that where one form of family violence exists, there is a strong likelihood of the prevalence of other forms of vices.

In 2011, UNICEF Nigeria reported the scarcity of reliable data on violence against children in Nigeria because such cases are almost never reported. This is because such violence occurs majorly in the home and school settings where is it regarded as ‘normal’. In Nigeria, the beating of children, which is a form of physical abuse is generally viewed as a form of discipline and is thus acceptable. This should not be so. It is true that Children have to be properly brought up and disciplined so that they can become reasonable members of society in the future, but what is termed ‘discipline’ in Nigeria, sometimes, is outright abuse. We all have to agree that slapping, kicking, flogging, or injuring children is going too far. Corporal punishment should not be a tool to ‘teach them a lesson’.

The Nigerian government is falling significantly short in its duty to keep the Nigerian child safe. There are no enforcement agencies established to ensure that current laws are followed so that children are adequately protected, and that individuals who abuse them in any way, or who expose them to any form of violence are made to face the full wrath of the law. It is sad to say that some existing laws even encourage and condone domestic violence. These are the ills that this study aims to identify and correct.

Aims and objectives

This research seeks to throw the spotlight on the effect that domestic violence has on the mental health of children. The objectives are to:

• Establish the extent, contributing factors, and various forms of domestic violence.
• Expose impact of domestic violence on the mental health of children in Nigeria.
• Identify the relationship between a child’s mental well-being and the development of society at large.
• Make recommendations as to what can be done and by which appropriate personnel or bodies to put a stop to domestic violence in Nigeria to ensure that children are protected from its impact on them.

Research Methodology

This study will make use of both the doctrinal and empirical approaches to research. First, this study will elicit information from both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources are the laws themselves. These primary sources include; statutes and case laws that is, judicial precedents. The secondary sources on the other hand are materials that discuss, explain, analyse, and critique the law the same way this study will attempt to explain and interpret the law. Such secondary sources include textbooks, journal articles, scholarly, commentaries, conference papers, and materials from the internet.

Subsequently, the empirical method will be used by engaging an online survey to inquire into the impact of domestic violence on the mental health of children and how rampant the menace is in our society. This writer believes that this will join many voices together to point out how far the menace has gone and how deeply it has affected our children and society at large.

Scope and Limitations

This study will cover the impact of domestic violence on the mental health of children in Nigeria. It will define what domestic violence is and will enumerate the various types of domestic violence as well as the causes of domestic violence. In this study, the role of the government and of parents in curbing the menace of domestic violence and the protection of children will be highlighted. This writer will review the legal instruments which have been put in place to protect children from domestic violence in order to test their effectiveness. The importance of the proper mental development of the Nigerian child to society at large will also be identified in this study.

Significance of the Research

The significance of this study cannot be overemphasized as this invaluable research work will be a tremendous addition to the existing literature on the effect of domestic violence on children in Nigeria. It will be useful to researchers and students studying about domestic violence in Nigeria. This study will also help make people aware that domestic violence is never the answer to differences between individuals in the family by educating them about the dangers involved, including its effect on the mental health of children.

This study will not just describe a problem but will go further to prescribe solutions. It will be of great value to the government of Nigeria as it will serve as a guide to them as they promulgate and enforce laws and policies tailored towards the eradication of domestic violence in Nigeria as well as the protection of children who fall victim to the same. This work will be of academic, administrative, and social value to all Nigerians.

Synopsys of chapters

This long essay consists of five (5) chapters.

Chapter one aims at giving a general overview of the research topic by shedding light on the problems, to which the study seeks to propose solutions to, the aims and objectives, the research methodology employed, the research questions to be answered, the scope of the research as well as the significance of the study.

Chapter two will be concerned with an in-depth dissertation on domestic violence in Nigeria – its contributing factors, forms, and effect on the mental health of children.

Chapter three involves a critical analysis of the current and existing laws on the rights of children in Nigeria and will compare the enforcement of these laws with what obtains in another jurisdiction. It will also highlight various inhibiting factors to the effectiveness of the legal framework.

Chapter four sets out an inquiry into the impact of domestic violence on the mental health of children and how rampant the menace is in our society. This writer will do this by engaging in an online survey (questionnaire).

Chapter Five summarizes the findings of the research and concludes the essay by offering recommendations for the identified problems.

Today, at this very moment, we are living in a world plagued with domestic violence. We are living in a world in which people are scared of being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused by someone they love; their partner, or any other member of their family. Our concern for gender violence has been ignited from the 1970s till now. yet even in this 21st century, we are experiencing gender discrimination, domestic violence within our society.

We need to end this tragic situation.

We must recognize the experience of domestic and family violence is a ground for discrimination.

According to the human rights commission website, in our country, approximately one woman is killed by her current or former partner every week. Domestic violence is an act of assault that happens every day and affects one’s normal life (mentally disturbed), especially at the workplace, we need to concede that domestic violence is not a personal or private issue so they should feel secure to bring up to discuss with others as this may bring a solution. When a worker is living with domestic and family violence, there are often very real sacrifices and negative consequences that run to the workplace. some common evidence on Decreased staff performance and productivity Increased staff turnover and absenteeism and negative impact on the organization’s reputation and image. Victims and survivors of domestic and family violence can face several challenges in the workplace.

Discrimination is one such challenge. ‘Under international human rights law gender-based violence, such as domestic and family violence, is recognized as a form of discrimination that seriously inhibits women’s ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men

In this gathering, there might be strong women among us who experience this saddening situation.

Today our goal is to stop victim-blaming and entreat the community to stand alongside the victim and survivors of domestic as safe collaborators and remind them that they are not alone.

furthermore, women have to come up in a higher position such as politics to take this issue seriously. for example, let’s say you were once in their situation and experienced that awful feeling. And you are in a position that enables you to create a difference in society. it is your responsibility to take action and end domestic violence. We have Julia Gillard our first female president. She has changed the politics for us. We, women, need to take the opportunity to solve our issues like her. Coming up first is always scary whether it’s being a member of parliament or the first female CEO of an organization since it has always been men to get the highest position so it is time for us to say YES.

Shelley says “Being uncomfortable is like wearing a new pair of high heels. The first time you wear them, they pinch. But the more you wear those shoes, the more comfortable they get. We have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and just say yes”

You brave women in this gathering.do you want to see this issue happening to your loved ones? it’s our responsibility to open up the opportunities and conversations that the next generation of females come up with and change what we want.

Whilst it is good that celebrities are bringing attention to the #MeToo movement and the abusive and violent experiences of women at the hands of men, more celebrities – like Melissa Benoist – need to share their experiences with domestic violence and encourage people to donate money to support women in vulnerable situations in a meaningful and effective way. Wearing black to just one award show doesn’t help anyone. Donating money to services that support women who have experienced domestic violence, and encouraging others to donate as well, is what actually saves women’s lives.

Domestic violence is a crime that is heard about almost everyday. People being stalked, harassed, or even killed by their significant others for reasons that remain unknown. Usually people only hear about the women, their children as well if they are involved, but men are victims of domestic violence as well. It is not okay no matter race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. People are still stuck in these abusive relationships until this day. Nowadays, it is getting worse. People are losing their lives to intimate partners who are supposed to love them. Domestic violence has a mental, physical, and emotional effect on the victims.

Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. (Domestic Violence Hotline website) It has no name and it does not discriminate. It could be women, men, children, or even elderly of any race or sexuality. Domestic violence is not just between intimate partners. Children and elderly are victims of domestic violence as well. These behaviors include economic deprivation, threatening, any behaviors that would arouse fear or the feeling of being intimidated, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. These actions would have a life long lasting effect on its victims.

Domestic abuse could have a mental effect on a victim. It would cause them to question things that should never be questioned. It would cause them to not even be able to sleep at night because their minds always bring them back to the times of abuse. That is if they even got out of it alive or at all. Victims endure this feeling called Gaslighting. Gaslighting is when your emotions, words, and experiences are twisted and used against you, causing you to question your reality. (Urban Dictionary) It is as if the perpetrator is causing them to question whether or not the abuse is even happening or if it is just all in their heads. This feeling could make these victims feel as if they have to stay in this abusive relationship because they do not know whether or not the abuse is even real. It is like they have no way of proving that what happened to them actually happened. Domestic abuse can lead to mental illness for the victims. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, low self esteem, suicidal thoughts or attempts, and substance abuse.

Domestic abuse could also have a physical effect on the victim. Most times, domestic abuse is either physical or sexual. The effects of this include scars, bruises, broken bones, chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle tension, involuntary shaking, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, sexual dysfunction, and menstrual and fertility issues with women. These effects last a lifetime. That is if the victims make it out alive. Some domestic violence victims lose their lives during these situations. They try and seek help, but they are overlooked unless they have physical evidence. They could walk in a police station with scars and bruises covering their bodies, but the minute they accuse their lovers it is as if they turn a blind eye to it. They only act as if they care when the victims go missing or their bodies are found. These innocent people are being failed daily as they continue to cry out for help and are being ignored.

Domestic violence has an emotional effect on victims. Abusers are placing fear in their victims. This includes yelling at them, threatening them, and harming them in order to make sure the victim knows that they are not in charge of anything. They act on these behaviors in hopes of gaining control over their victims, and they have. Victims who are survivors experience some emotional effects as a result of their abuse. These include feelings of unworthiness, hopelessness, discouragement about the future, inability to trust, unmotivated, and doubting their spiritual faith. The victims who survived these abusers are now unable to live their everyday lives. They walk the streets constantly looking over their shoulders as if their attacker is after them again. They can not sleep at night because of flashbacks of their abuse that plague their minds. They can no longer trust anyone out of the fear that they are going to hurt them just like their past abuser. They can no longer believe that everyone is not out to hurt them. These feelings follow them the rest of their lives.

Children are affected by these situations as well whether they witness the abuse or are the victims themselves. These children suffer mental, physical, and emotional trauma as a result of the abuse they endure as young children and as an adolescence. Their lives are forever plagued by the horror and trauma that they endured as they were growing up. They are supposed to be growing up in loving homes, but they are forced to either allow themselves to be beaten or watching it happen to a loved one. The worst cases are when children are forced to watch their father kill their mother. Back in December of 2019, my cousin murdered his girlfriend and then killed himself. He had two daughters, one with an ex wife and the second with the current girlfriend. As the girlfriend was correcting him, he got very angry and lashed out at her with a machete. He hacked her to death as both of his daughters were standing at the end of the staircase in horror. He then left home, and drove down the street where he killed himself in his car. The oldest girl was able to go back with her birth mother, but she could never be the same again after witnessing her father murder her step mother. The youngest daughter, however, was left without her mother and her father. One killed the other and then killed themselves. Now imagine how this girl’s life is going to go. A five-year-old having to live with the fact that she has no parents. She won’t be able to ever trust another person ever again, that’s if she doesn’t go into a huge state of depression.

A lot of these children are males. Studies show that, “Overall 68 percent of male felons have reported some form of victimization before the age of 12 either physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect.” These young boys suffer some form of abuse and then they grow up to commit crimes. Most sexual offenders were victims of sexual abuse as young children. In the movie “Mississippi Damned” 15-year-old teenager was raped and molested by a family friend who presented the abuse to him in the form of a trade. He would pay for the boy’s basketball fees if the boy agreed to perform sexual actions on the man. The man continued to sexually abuse the boy to the point where the boy grew older thinking that it was okay. The boy then raped his niece who was a couple of years younger than him and he grew up to be a child molester. Moral of the story is, this young boy’s innocence was taken from him and he grew up thinking that it was okay and normal because no one told him differently. That is the mentality of many child rapists and molesters. They grew up being sexually abused so they continue the chain on into their adulthood. The young girls who experience domestic abuse grow up not being able to trust. Young girls are beaten and even raped by their fathers. Sometimes the mother in the one allowing it all to happen. There are some incidents where mothers allow grown men to rape their daughters in exchange for drugs. This has a huge effect on the minds of these young girls. They grow up not being able to trust anyone. Believing that everyone is out to hurt them. They have this wall built around their hearts in hopes of not letting anyone get too close to them to hurt them. Some girls use this to search for love. They obviously do not have the love that they desire and need at home so they go searching for it everywhere else. This opens new doors for them to be hurt and taken advantage of. These children who are affected by this grow up without knowing what love is so they search to find it in all the wrong places. Yet, we question why these children are the way that they are.

Domestic abuse is taking away lives as the years pass us by. Men, women, and children are badly affected by these horrendous situations everyday. We need to bring awareness to this situation. As the years go by, we start to hear more and more about victims of domestic violence who have lost their lives. We can not sit by and allow these things to continue to happen. Those who are victims need to take a stand against this. We need to offer love, support, and help to those who are victims but have not been able to make it out. We need to do more. Come up with more ways that we can help these victims get out alive and protect them from possibly being hurt by these people ever again. We also need to offer our love, support, and help to those who are doing the abusing. If they are doing this, they obviously have a reason. They may not be a good reason, but it is a reason. Whether it is to gain control, release anger or other emotions, or anything else that could be a reason for their actions. These abusers could have been abused in their past and could just be continuing a chain that they don’t know that they can break, or they are just forcing someone else to feel the pain that they felt when they were being abused. We can not judge them for their actions. We must find the cause for it.

Focus of Report

This report will be focusing on providing insight into some of the experiences of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) within the LGBTQ+ community with the aim of expanding on explanations that go beyond a patriarchal understanding of the topic.

Recent statistics, as of March 2019, 4.2% of men and 8.4% had experienced domestic abuse (ONS, 2019), with 25% of lesbian and bi-sexual women ,49% of gay and bi-sexual men (Stonewall,2018) and 80% of transgender people experiencing IPV (Scottish Transgender Alliance, 2010). Of course, it must be noted that these will not be accurate figures as many survivors will not report their abuse for a number of reasons. Most commonly within IPV, the goals of the abuser are to maintain control over the relationship and/or their partners behaviour whilst trapping them within the relationship. There are themes of domestic abuse that are distinctive to LGBTQ+ relationships.

Firstly, abusers will take advantage of the culture of the LGBTQ+ community and use the threat of ‘outing’ their partner to family, friends, employers etc with the knowledge that acceptance is not always available. Reporting domestic abuse is difficult with survivors being faced with mistreatment, misunderstanding and judgement; LGBTQ+ survivors fear that disclosing their sexuality when reporting abuse will lead to further discrimination and misunderstanding of their experiences in a same sex relationship. Although modern policing and guideline have pushed to eliminate this misunderstanding by officers being trained to not presume the sex of the partner or that the relationship is heterosexual if not disclosed by the survivor.

This report will begin with an investigation into gender roles being used as an explanation for some abusive behaviours which will be followed by the failings of the gender paradigm and heteronormative bias/framework in DV, leading to the invisibility of a trans perspective. Additionally, LGBTQ+ representation of domestic violence (or lack of) in media and literature will be explored, which discussions around internalized homophobia within society and historical ignorance (mostly within law enforcement) with the acceptance of male dominance within society. The report will finish with a section of recommendations to better help LGBTQ+ survivors.

Gender roles and DV

Feminist conceptualization of Domestic abuse

A considerable amount of the research into domestic abuse (especially the original research) perpetuates a heteronormative framework of a heterosexual male offender and a heterosexual female survivor. This framework is based primarily on the biological view that men are more physically aggressive than women whereas women are more indirectly aggressive (Bjorkqvist,2018) and therefore are believed to hold a more dominant role in the relationship. This feminist conceptualization has denormalized men’s violence towards their wives and unveiled the patriarchy present in DV (Cannon&Buttell,2015) with a considerable amount of reported DV cases showing this male offender and female survivor. This acknowledgment in early research into IPV has helped shape and develop many of the policies we see today, such as the Violence Against Women Act 1996 and Women’s Aid.

What does this mean for survivors in ‘non-traditional’ relationships who do not follow this heteronormative framework?

By exclusively focusing on heterosexual relationships research has failed to accurately capture violence within same sex relationships, failing to capture different patterns of abuse and victim identities (Cannon&Buttell,2015). Firstly, this heteronormative bias ignores female perpetrators of violence; Buttell & Star (2013) demonstrate that women will use violence within relationships for a variety of the same reasons that males will, out of anger, retaliation and to gain control over their partners. However, with the portrayal of women being that they are less aggressive than males (Burke & Follingstad, 1999) this often makes survivors of female abusers ‘invisible’ due to societal disbelief that a woman could be severely violent.

Nevertheless, the assumption is that these findings are based on heterosexual women ,although gay and bi-sexual women may display violence for similar reasons, no distinction is made leaving very limited empirical research into the motivations of same-sex abusers (Cannon&Buttell, 2015). The same can be assumed for gay and bi-sexual men. Although, IPV literature is flooded with research on male aggression and male offenders a majority of the research is focused on heterosexual males and fails to explore the motivations for violence in male same-sex relationships.

With very little empirical research into the motivations behind DV in same-sex relationships it is impossible for effective treatment to be developed for the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBTQ+ Representation in DV

Homophobic Society

Homophobia has been prevalent within British society for centuries; homosexuality and relationships between men was not even legalized until 1967 with more restrictions than heterosexual relationships at the time. The first pieces of research into domestic violence were conducted in the early 1960’s (Snell,1964) with feminist approaches and frameworks (Dobash & Dobash,1978) developing in the 1970’s it’s highly unlikely funding would have been provided to research DV in same sex relationships at this time. Although lesbian relationships were never illegal in Britain, research was not conducted on these individuals until 1996 (Elliot, 1996) with policies (see section 2a) such has the Violence Against Women Act 1996 not including provisions for LGBTQ+ individuals until 2013 (Modi et al, 2014).

This lack of research into IVP in same sex relationships seems to still be impacting LGBTQ+ communities today, with research indicating that while ‘high rates of IPV occur within the LGBTQ+ community, domestic violence agencies and sexual assault centres report minimal service to LGBTQ+’ (NCAVP,2014; Gingras,2018). LGBTQ+ individuals in same-sex relationships have had their abuse trivialized and disregarded by law officials (Brown, 2008) because for some people domestic violence is only easy to understand when it follows the heteronormative framework of a heterosexual women being abused by a heterosexual male with more power than her.

This internalized view of gender-roles and general stigma in society plays a major effect on the legitimization of abuse in same-sex relationships (Brown, 2008) leading to the damaging view that same-sex couples would not experience DV because the difference in power doesn’t exist like it does in heterosexual relationships (Brown,2008). The lack of understanding of their situation and the stereotyping of gender roles leaves many LGBTQ+ survivors of abusive relationships unwilling to trust authorities creating a barrier between them.

However, in spite of this, many organisations aimed at LGBTQ+ survivors now exist such as Galop, stonewall and broken rainbow who are able to offer safe spaces and relevant advice to LGBTQ+ individuals who have suffered IPV.

Media representation

Media portrayals of IPV and how the media portrays IPV has heavy implications for public perceptions of IPV (Carlyle et al, 2008) which may skew the publics perception of ‘at risk’ groups. Media representation can allow the public to distance themselves from the issue (Kozol,1995) by denying the normalcy of the abuse creating a dangerous attitude that domestic abuse only happens ‘to certain groups.’

Through recent years, popular media such as television, has been regularly broadcasting storylines that show IPV between characters to help raise awareness and to reflect the social reality that IPV can happen to anyone. These storylines, mostly always, involve a heterosexual couple however some tv shows have shown IPV between female same-sex relationships e.g. the L word. Whilst IPV being shown between same-sex couples in mainstream media is a step forward the way in which it is shown sadly perpetuates stereotypes and homophobic ideologies running with the narrative where ‘heterosexuality’ is presented as the ‘solution’ to IPV (Smollin, 2016).

Invisibility of Trans people and DV

Cisgenderism and Societal Transphobic attitudes

‘The majority of discourse, activism and intervention is located within the heteronormative framework (where heterosexual identity and practice are centred and privileged to the exclusion of other identities and practices)’, Rogers (2017).

Domestic abuse discourse is underpinned by a heteronormative framework which has created a heteronormative bias when understanding DV as a social problem (Donovan & Hester, 2014), societies ‘norm’ for domestic abuse has become physical violence between a heterosexual male and a heterosexual female (wherein the male is abusing the female) which neglects those outside of this narrative (Hester et al, 2012). Previously mentioned in section 2b, there is very little empirical evidence into IVP between same- sex relationships with heterosexual women presenting as the largest victim group of DV however national statistics gather data to binary conceptions of gender resulting in a specific lack of trans visibility in the statistics (Rogers, 2017).

This is known as cisgenderism which silences and invalidates trans people making it difficult to build a picture of trans peoples experiences of DV (Rogers, 2017). Studies into trans peoples experiences of DV are met with limitations because of small sample sizes; findings have suggested that half of respondents thought the abuse was ‘wrong but not a crime’ with 73% reporting transphobic abuse from a partner (Roch et al ,2010). It could be suggested that the heteronormative bias that underpins DV within society may prevent non-normative groups from recognising abusive behaviour from partners; Bornstein (2008), found that survivors had difficulty identifying their partners behaviour as abusive with many not accessing DV services for fear of homophobia and transphobia. Although, this should be suggested tentatively as research has shown a sense of normalisation from survivors in heterosexual relationships in terms of making sense of the abuse (Woods, 2001).

Fighting against the law

Laws working against trans peoples still exist to this day. It was only in 2013 that the DSM-5 officially dropped ‘gender identity disorder’ with ‘gender dysphoria’ being added finally recognizing that difference between birth gender and identity was not a disorder to ‘fix’ but to resolve the distress. Trans people are often overlooked in research the way they are overlooked in society. Societal transphobia and societal oppression were found in in a study by Winter et al, 2009 conducted on college students in which trans women were considered mentally ill and considered to not have the same rights as cis women. Dean et al, 2000, found trans people felt rarely welcomed and subjected to practitioner ignorance when attempting to seek help.

All of these factors work against trans people which marginalizes them within society, thus they can be used by their abuser to further isolate and control them. This is also seen in heterosexual and homosexual relationships in which the abuser using manipulation and violence to maintain control over their partner trapping them within the relationship. In some countries trans people experience less rights with many being discriminated against in terms of employment, housing and rights as parents (ACLU, 2020). Offenders of DV will use these against the survivor, with the threat of ‘outing’ them (seen in LGBTQ+ relationships) to gain financial control over the person or the use of a child to emotional manipulate the person in being unable to leave for fear of being homeless, unemployed or losing their child. These manipulation tactics are also shown in heterosexual relationships as a further means to control the relationship though coercive control (Tanha, 2010).

Recommendations

From the research available and the issues highlighted in this report I recommended firstly, more research to be conducted into IPV in LGBTQ+ relationships especially into trans and non-binary relationships and individuals. I believe to overcome the issue of small sample sizes; safer spaces need to be created for the LGBTQ+ community with officials trained specifically to handle domestic abuse in same sex relationships and trans people who experience DV.

Charities such as Stonewall and Galop need to be better funded and better advertised so people in LGBTQ+ communities know there are safe understanding spaces for them if they are needed which can be accessed without the fear of being publicly outed or mistreated . Finally, I believe better education needs to be provided to LGBTQ+ communities on the subject of domestic violence in regard to how to spot the signs and how to get help if they need it from trusted sources.

References

1. ACLU. 2020. Transgender rights. (online) Available at https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights (Accessed 10/05/2020)
2. Björkqvist, K. (2018). Gender differences in aggression. Current Opinion in Psychology, 19, 39–42.
3. Burke, L.K. and Follingstad, D.R., 1999. Violence in lesbian and gay relationships: Theory, prevalence, and correlational factors. Clinical psychology review, 19(5), pp.487-512.
4. Buttell, F. and Starr, E., 2013. Lifting the veil: Foundations for a gender-inclusive paradigm of intimate partner violence. In Perceptions of Female Offenders (pp. 117-132). Springer, New York, NY.
5. Brown, C. (2008). Gender-role implications on same-sex intimate partner abuse. Journal of
6. Family Violence, 1, 457-462.
7. Bornstein.D.R. Fawcett. J. Sullivan. M. Senturia. K.D. Shiu-Thornton. S. 2006. Understanding the experiences of lesbian, bisexual and trans survivors of domestic violence: A qualitative study. Journal of Homosexuality. 159-181.
8. Cannon. C. Buttell. F. 2015 Illusion of Inclusion: The failure of the Gender Paradigm to Account for Intimate Partner Violence in LGBT Relationships. Partner Abuse, 6(1), pp 65-77.
9. Dean. L. Meyer. I. Robinson. K. Sell. R. Sember. R. Silenzio. V. M. B. & Wolfe, D. 2000. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health: Findings and concerns.
10. Donovan. C. Hester. M. 2014. Domestic violence and Sexuality: What’s love got to do with it? Bristol :Policy Press.
11. Dobash. R.E. Dobash. R.P. 1977-1978. Wives: The appropriate victims of martial violence. Victimology. 426-442
12. Elliot, P. 1996. Shattering Illusions: Same-sex domestic Violence. Journal of Gay & Lebsian Social Services. Vol 4.
13. Hester. M. Williamson. E. Regan. L. Coulter. M. Chantler. K. Gangoli. G. Green, L. 2012. Exploring the service and support needs of male, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered and black and minority ethnic victims of domestic and sexual violence. Bristol, United Kingdom: University of Bristol
14. Gingras. C. 2018. The Impact of Heteronormativity: Barriers in Seeking Domestic Violence Services for LGBTQ+ Survivors. Southern Connecticut University.
15. Modi, M. Palmer. S. Armstrong. A. 2014. The Role of Violence Against Women Act in Addressing Intimate Partner Violence: A Public Health Issue. Journal of Women’s Health, 23, 253-259.
16. National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). (2014). Lesbian, gay, bisexual,
17. transgender, queer, and HIV-affected intimate partner violence in 2013. New York: New
18. York City Anti-Violence Project
19. Ons.gov.uk. 2020. Domestic abuse in England and Wales-Office for national statistics. (online) Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/searchpublication?q=domestic%20abuse%202020 (Accessed 10/04/2020)
20. Roch, A., & Morton, J. (2010). Out of sight, out of mind? Transgender people’s experiences of domestic abuse.
21. Rogers.M. 2017. Challenging cisgenderism through trans people’s narratives of domestic violence and abuse. Sexuatlities.
22. Scottish Transgender Alliance. 2010. Out of sight, out of mind? Transgender people’s experiences of domestic abuse. (online) Available at: https://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/trans_domestic_abuse.pdf
23. Snell, J. Rosenwald, R. Robey, A. 1964. The wife beater’s wife: A study of family interaction. Archives of General Psychiarty. 11, 107-113.
24. Smollin. L. 2016. “You want fireworks? I’ll show you Fireworks!”: Or Not- Woman-to Woman Violence on Sex and the City, The L Word and the OC. Sexuality & culture. 20, 214-235.
25. Stonewall. 2020. Domestic Violence. (online) available at: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/criminal-law/domestic-violence Stonewall
26. Tanha.M. Beck. CJ. Figueredo. AJ. Raghavan. C. 2010. Sex differences in intimate partner violence and the use of coercive control as a motivational factor for intimate partner violence. Journal of interpersonal violence. 1836-1854.
27. Walker. J. 2015. Investigating Trans People’s Vulnerabilities to intimate partner violence/abuse. Partner abuse. Vol 6, 107-125.
28. Winter, S., Chalungsooth, P, Teh, Y. K., Rojanalert, N., Maneerat, K., Wong, Y. W, . . . Macapagal, R. A. (2009). Transpeople, transprejudice and pathologization: A sevencountry factor analytic study. International Journal of Sexual Health, 21(2), 96-118.
29. Wood. JT. 2001. The normalisation of violence in heterosexual romantic relationships: Women’s narratives of love and Violence. Journal of social and personal relationships. 239-261.

At first glance, it is possible to view domestic violence and risks to children as only occurring if they witness domestic violence to their parent growing up. Another presumption is that if they have witnessed this then they are more inclined to either commit violence on their partner in the future or be more susceptible to being victims of abusive partners when they are adults. However, through research with victims of domestic violence and their children we can see that it is much deeper than that. This essay aims to delve further than that and look at the importance of safeguarding vulnerable adults and their children as children can not only become victims by witnessing abuse but they can be used either as a weapon in an abusive relationship or become involved in the abuse itself. It is of imperative importance that this area is researched to understand how best to prevent and stop domestic abuse to adults and their children.

As described by HM Government (2018), although parents and carers of children are their primary caregivers, under the Children’s Act of 1989 and 2004 it is also down to local authorities such as social services and other children’s service’s to ensure a child’s safety. This is especially necessary in cases where a parent/carer is experiencing abuse at home. However, as described by Hester (2011) it can be difficult to ensure and sustain the safety of both parents and children in these circumstances. This may be due to the fact that ensuring the safety of the victims involved also requires the involvement of the perpetrator which can be a very complex issue to address. For many years, the safeguarding of children and the safeguarding of adults has been deemed to be as if they are from planets apart. There are 3 planets that are described by Hester (2009). The first is the domestic violence planet, the second is the child protection planet and the third is the child contact planet. Unless we can align these planets of abuse then it may not be possible to make sure that the safety of women and children is met. To be able to do this to reduce any “tensions” between the safeguarding of adults and children there must be a better understanding between multiple agencies and services involved in safeguarding. Not only this, but there must be better research into the perpetrators so that their violent behaviour can be challenged and stopped. A study by Peckover and Golding (2017) brought another issue to light. One of their participants stated that adult and children’s services simply do not have a unified approach and understanding of how to address the link between domestic violence and children. The tensions between the two services are also made apparent by research done by Stanley and Humphreys (2014) which states that the complexity of the problem of domestic abuse is made worse by defining what it is to be “wicked” and also that the tensions inherent within safeguarding services are primarily adult-focused or child-focused; never intertwined. It is possible to be able to do this by understanding and assessing the risk between safeguarding children and domestic abuse work. By making clear specific guidelines of the two interlinking subjects and providing these to relevant organisations this could help to make the complex issue slightly easier to manage. One document that has aimed to do this is the CAADA (2014) document. In this it helps to identify children that are living in households that could be suffering from the effects of domestic abuse and it also helps to support the parent who is suffering from the abuse. By intertwining the two services, this can have a much more positive effect on both suffering individuals. Through analysis of the research provided one may argue that to be able to more forward and support victims further then the two services have to become more unified to be able to do this. Furthermore, perhaps rather than looking at domestic abuse from three separate planets it may be more useful to look at them as whole because without doing this then the tensions between adult and child safeguarding will continue to be separate issues.

Although the main issue may appear to be the safeguarding of children as they can appear to be the most in need as they cannot defend themselves against an adult, surely it can be argued that the first safeguarding should be for the vulnerable adult. The department of health (2000) set out a “no secrets” agenda and defined a vulnerable adult as someone who is “unable to protect him or herself from significant harm or exploitation”. This definition can be applied when someone is suffering from domestic abuse because they are being exploited by someone in seek of having power over them in their domestic situation. This could not only be a person of normal physical capacity but it could also be someone who suffers from a disability as well. One way that the safeguarding of adults could be implicated is by informing places of work. The Local Government Association (2013) has produced a document with the aim to inform practitioners and managers about how to spot abuse and the relevant local authorities to inform when this is taking place. Within the document it describes the complexity of work trying to safeguard adults and also to offer advice to ensure that the best help is given. By ensuring an adults safety it is also possible to ensure a child’s safety if the adult suffering is a parent. However this may not be as simple as it seems. It may not be explicitly obvious whether someone is suffering in an abusive relationship because often it is kept a secret out of fear of embarrassment from the victim. If domestic abuse is not spotted in a parent who if suffering then it may not be recognised in a child who is also in an abusive situation. One way to be able to successfully tackle this problem is the use of the Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (IDVAS). The IDVAS are a project that came about because of the concerns raised within community safeguarding in relation to mortality rates when people are victims of domestic abuse (Basu et al 2014). Because of this, many IDVA services are based in the emergency rooms of hospitals; where a lot of people suffering may appear. This not only makes them a visible presence in places where adults and children are in need of help but they can also speak to hospital staff to offer advice and can help identify families that may be at risk. This may help the complex issue regarding adult and child safeguarding as they can help refer people to the relevant services. Although the IDVA services do not have a separate individual services for children they all have a duty to inform Children and Young People’s Services if they believe that due to an abusive household that a child may be at risk.

Leading on from the previous analysis of adult and safeguarding services and the need for them to be interlinked, as much as this is an easy statement to make in practice it may not be so easy. In research by E. Szilassy et all (2017), it was uncovered that when interviewing 42 General Practitioners (GP’s), 12 Practice nurses and 15 Practice managers, more than half of the GP’s and the majority of the practice nurses claimed that they would probably not make a link between chid protection concerns and the possibility of domestic abuse being prevalent in the household. This research is backed up by that of Tompsett et al (2010) which found that there were many tensions and professional issues regarding the safeguarding of children’s welfare which went beyond the family and parents safeguarding. Through analysis of this research it is clear to notice the lack in safeguarding for children which can also lead to a lack in safeguarding for adults too. If a parent is suffering from domestic abuse this may have been happening before the child was born so they may have instilled defence mechanisms within themselves which means they can cover up the abuse that is happening. Children may not be able to do this as easily therefore if the people working in GP surgeries were able to connect the warning signs and reach out to children that may be suffering this could help a lot of families.

One main reason why there needs to be successful safe-guarding for children in family situations where domestic abuse is prevalent is because it can have not only severe but lasting effects in a manner of ways. Children that grow up in abusive homes are more likely to be victims of child abuse and this risk increases in households where there are younger children rather than older children (UNICEF 2006). It has also been found that even those that do not experience direct abuse they can still have the same behavioural and psychological issues as those that do experience physical abuse. It also does not just occur to children that have been born yet. It has been found by Lewis and Drife (2002) that 30% of domestic violence begins or escalates during pregnancy and that it is identified as a prime cause for miscarriages and still births. These statistics show the importance of services for children and adults alike. In January 2014, the Early Intervention Foundation (2014) published a systematic review of literature and research on domestic abuse and children at risk. Within this systematic review there is a study by Helton in 1986, a random sample of 290 healthy pregnant women 8.3% of those women had reported being physically abused during their current pregnancy. Although this is still tragic for the women suffering, this could affect the unborn baby prenatally and once the baby has been born as well. Jasinki (2004) concluded that some of the possible consequences of experiencing domestic violence during a pregnancy can lead to premature labour, foetal trauma and then after birth there may be a lack of maternal instincts or even an increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse. If pregnant women are at a much higher risk of experiencing abuse from a partner then surely it can be argued that during pregnancy there should be a service for women that is clearly stated can help herself and the baby. This links with the importance of safeguarding adults as well as children because if an adult cannot protect themselves how can they be expected to look after their child.

Although pregnant women are more likely to be at a greater risk of abuse this does not lessen the fact that people with children also suffer from domestic violence. One of these links between domestic violence and risks to children is explained by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2019) when they say that children of any age that witness abuse can develop ‘Post-traumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD) which is also prevalent in adults that suffer from abuse. The long term effects of PTSD when acquired as a child can include symptoms such as, being more aggressive; feelings of anxiety such as nervousness or being on high alert; have problems in school; worry about dying at a young age; sleeping problems and depressive feelings (University of Rochester Medical Centre, No Date). Knowing this information highlights the importance of attempting to lower the risk to children that may be suffering from domestic abuse in their household. One way that this is possible is through the MARAC services. The MARAC services not only safeguard adults but once someone is referred to a MARAC service it is because the victim is classified as a high risk case. In these circumstances the aim of a MARAC would be to share information to increase the safety of the victim which includes their children as well (Reducing the Risk of Domestic Abuse, No Date). A MARAC is able to help the adult victim and children because of the amount of agencies that have access to the service such as Children and Young People’s Services and IDVA Services (SafeLives 2014). The MARAC services is one way that helps to aid the complex issue of child and adult safeguarding.

In conclusion, considering the fact that 20% of children in the UK have lived in a household where one parent is either a victim or perpetrator of abuse (NSPCC 2011) and 62% of those children are directly harmed (Safelives 2015) it is clear to see that there is a definite link between domestic violence and a risk to children. This is why it is of imperative importance that services like the MARAC service are utilised to ensure that the safety of adults and children alike that are suffering is protected.

Nowadays force becomes a significant drawback. force will embrace murder, rape, statutory offense, robbery, and aggravated or straightforward assault. additionally to the physical hurt, victims suffer force leads to emotional hurt to victims and their kids. There area unit many alternative effects of the abuse. Victims and their kids expertise the strength of the psychological trauma of abuse, suffering anxiety, stress, sleep deprivation, loss of confidence, social isolation, and fear.These traumas will ruin the complete lives of the victims and their kids. There area unit 3 solutions to forestall and build lower force rates.

First of all, build penalties for force strict. i think that penalization of criminals prevents folks from committing crimes by giving them concern regarding penalization. because the chance of backbreaking criminals will increase, the rate decreases. thus for this reason, if penalization becomes stricter, the rate can become below before. Also, it ought to be used for restraining orders against the wrongdoer. The culprit ought to be isolated from the victim to forestall a second crime which will occur before the penalization is finalized. additionally to creating legislation to separate violence abusers from the house to stay safe the victim.

For the second, support victims are often freelance. Most victims of force area unit girls. many ladies keep in harmful relationships as a result of they can not support enough for his or her kids if they leave home owing to force. therefore the government ought to increase funding for support services for ladies to be financially freelance. Also, the family courts have to be compelled to offer shelters or different emergency residential facilities and medical services for victims. Nowadays, once they try and divorce, girls virtually ne’er get support payment (by a judge) and support payment is commonly stripped-down, particularly if the daddy fights and wins joint custody. thus victims ought to be supplied with support and legal help. The legal help programs got to embrace custody of youngsters, property distribution among the partners.

The last resolution is to coach folks. plenty of researchers suppose that the most effective resolution for force is to forestall folks from turning into abusers within the initial place. In terms of the govt, the terribly very first thing they have to try and do is to coach their folks. they must emphasize that force isn’t anyone else’s drawback so folks understand the seriousness of this matter. They additionally need to make a case for clearly what force is, however it influences people’s lives and family ties. additionally, colleges and tending centers got to participate during this education.

Domestic violence isn’t simply a relationship drawback, it’s a criminal offense. Solutions to force got to embrace each short and semipermanent methods. short-run methods ought to be created of help programs that defend the girl UN agency is presently being abused. they often concentrate on the important amount faced by the victim once leaves the house and is supplied with food, shelter, and steering. it’s the time that the wrongdoer seeks retribution to the victim thus we’ve got to separate abusers and victims. semipermanent methods area unit aimed toward educating the general public and empowering the victim to reinstate her life while not violence. And additionally build the penalization strict to forestall different force within the future.

How many cases of domestic violence do you think are reported each year? About 13 million, with many who have gone unnoticed! I am completely convinced that there should be no domestic violence in our society. We cannot allow women and men who are suffering from violence to be unheard of. The only way to stop this horrific problem is to protest, for example, as a member of the ‘Say No to DV’ Campaign.

Domestic violence is not always physical. It also includes creating fear, intimidation, stalking, domestic homicide, and verbal, emotional, financial, social, and sexual abuse. All types of domestic violence are unacceptable and some are criminal offenses.

According to statistics, 1 in 8 people in Australia experience child abuse. Although it does not look that big, if you look at this country as a whole, that is 2.5 million people. And this is without taking into account other countries of the world. We have a class of 30, so about 4 people are experiencing or experiencing domestic violence – on average. Around the world, at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.

Now I wonder if my children will be able to walk around the street safely. The saddest thing is that most violence to males and females is from a person they know than a stranger, and more likely in a place they know, such as their own home!

Domestic violence affects everyone, not only the person suffering from it but their family and friends, the local and wider community. Statistics show that the estimated cost of violence against women in 2016 was $22 billion.

Domestic and family violence is the leading reason for people seeking assistance from specialist homelessness services. Domestic violence doesn’t always result in physical harm and medical attention, but can also result in anxiety, fear, interruptions to employment, and loss of social networks.

Absolutely everyone who has experienced domestic violence and needs help or support should be able to get it.

Of course, we cannot bring back a mother who committed suicide due to domestic violence or her daughter who is depressed and suffering from severe anxiety. We cannot erase these scars on their bodies. However, we as a society can and must stop these things from happening. It’s time to make justice a reality for all women and men who suffer! We must stand up, speak out and act to stop domestic violence and abuse.

Domestic violence is a problem that has affected millions all around the world. Domestic violence is abusive or aggressive behavior within the home. It is typically the abuse of a spouse or partner, but it can happen to anybody within the household mentally or physically even if you’re not the one being abused. Being abused can affect how you interact with others later in life or how you treat your spouse when are older. Being abused can make people depressed or fearful and could affect their academics when they are older. We need to ask what effect does domestic violence have on victims?

Domestic violence can have several effects on the person that’s abused. Being abused can affect the victim mentally and physically. Victims of intimate partner violence face high levels of stress. Even after years of abuse, many survivors are forced to deal with lasting reproductive health issues. After the victims separate they remain at high risk of mental health disorders. These can include; anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Some domestic violence victims have to face with partners forcing them to have unprotected sex. The chief program officer at Safe Horizons, Liz Roberts said, “I’ve worked with survivors who had to hide their birth control pills, and when they were found, they were flushed down the toilet. I’ve worked with survivors whose partners had other sexual relationships outside of their primary relationships, lied about it, and refused to wear condoms.” Kids being exposed to this domestic violence could change their lives and affect them in many different ways of how they act around people or in public. A quote from (“ThinkProgress”) said, “Kids exposed to domestic violence experience a whole host of similar health issues as we see in adult survivors, like anxiety, sleep disorders, and mental health and behavioral health issues.” (Twitter 2014). Survivors of domestic abuse can have trouble talking about the violence they suffered. Addressing these issues is overwhelming for the survivor but if they do address it, it can help them develop their inner strength and be less fearful for themselves and their families.

Survivors of domestic abuse can have many effects on the brain. Victims are typically exposed to repeated instances of abuse which includes traumatic brain injuries (TBI). “TBI-related cognitive and behavioral problems can also result in aggressive behavior that leads to the perpetration of violence, or a lack of insight and judgment, and resulting vulnerability, that can lead to victimization. While a TBI can be a contributing factor to aggressive behavior, it does not cause or excuse patterns of abuse.”

The effects of repeated brain injuries are cumulative such as those experienced by athletes who’ve had multiple concussions. “In domestic violence situations, due to emotional and physical trauma, survivors often experience depression, anxiety, tension and/or inability to adapt to changing situations.”(‘Traumatic Brain Injury and Domestic Violence’). Survivors of domestic abuse may appear to have behavioral issues. These behavioral issues may include problems keeping appointments, following through, or completing tasks that require multiple steps. Sometimes these problems are a direct cause of traumatic brain injury or the result of emotional trauma or both.

More than 15 million children in the U.S live in homes in which there has been a domestic violence situation happen at least once. The children that have had to endure this domestic violence are at greater risk for repeating cycles of abuse as adults either as entering abusive relationships or becoming abusers. An example from (‘Domestic violence and children’ 2019) said, “For Example, a boy who sees his mother being abused is 10 times more likely to abuse his female partner as an adult. A girl who grows up in a home where her father abuses her mother is more than six times as likely to be sexually abused as a girl who grows up in a non-abusive home.” Teens who have lived in abusive homes act out in negative ways. This may include fighting family members or skipping school. They could engage in risky behaviors such as having unprotected sex and use alcohol or drugs. Being abused can also affect a person later in life. A quote from (‘Domestic violence and children’ 2019) said, “Children who witness or are victims of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse are at higher risk for health problems as adults. These can include mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. They may also include diabetes, obesity, heart disease, poor self-esteem, and other problems.”

Not every instance of domestic abuse is a crime. Not all of the answers to a parent’s discipline of their child is always easily considered whether or not it is domestic abuse. Many people still characterize instances of domestic abuse such as broken bones or bruising, malnourishment as criminal behavior. Some consider that to be proper discipline though such as other instances of parents using force to instill discipline are not as easy to categorize as domestic violence. The article (Followill ‘When parents physically discipline their children, does this amount to domestic violence?’ 2012) says, “For example, Connecticut’s definition of family violence attempts to exclude some parental discipline but doesn’t give any real guidance. The law states that the crime “shall not include acts by parents or guardians disciplining minor children unless such acts constitute abuse.” This is saying that if it is necessary for the situation then it’s acceptable but if there is no such situation then it should not be done. The same article also stated that “judges look to decisions in similar cases. Judges may also reference other sources, such as legislative records, to aid them in interpreting the meaning of statutes.” This is saying how much the judges have to do to determine if the situation was a punishment or domestic abuse. In some cases, physical abuse is hard to determine whether or not it is domestic abuse.

To help solve domestic abuse in the United States we should raise the prison sentence to people who do it and because when they do that they are harming someone who cannot protect themselves, which is another reason why it should be raised. There are also hotlines for this so if someone is being abused or is someone has witnessed someone the abused they can either call these hotlines or 911. The victims of this domestic abuse could have also suffered emotional trauma. Some workers at social services or health providers just try to focus on one symptom or behavior. To treat the whole person and not just a symptom, service providers across health and services need more education, training, and resources to recognize that the abuse could include brain injury. For children, each child responds differently to abuse and trauma. Some kids may act out or be resilient and some could be more sensitive. The child’s success in recovery depends on a good support system or if they have a good relationship with a trusted adult. The child also needs to have high self-esteem and healthy friendships to get them through this.

Conclusion

Domestic violence has affected many lives all around the world and it can be very tricky to depict if the abuse of a child is a punishment or crossing the line and being very abusive to the child. Judges have to look at many different cases to determine if it is domestic abuse. If these children grow up in abusive homes they more likely than a person that wasn’t to continue the cycle of abuse. Women and the children that suffer this abuse can be affected in many ways emotional and physical and affect their daily lives in many different ways and could cause brain injury to the person. To stop or prevent this from happening the witness or the person being abused should call a hotline or 911.

Domestic violence is a thing that has affected millions of people over the years. The thing about it is that only about fifty years ago began to change the view of domestic violence. Reports were never taken seriously, and when people were prosecuted they were very rarely charged. This makes you think why domestic violence of all types was so common and why was it criminalized so much more after it was viewed as normal for so long. This essay will show why this change happened as well as the major players and advocates for change.

Domestic violence used to be thought of as just a part of life. These ideas go back before the 1500s. This time was a time of change for society, but these views remained unchanged toward women. In the early 1500s in colonial America, laws were put in place based on “Old-English law,” which states that a man can beat his wife and children. This was later lessened to decrease the exact size of the switch that can be used. Later, in Mississippi, 1824, there was a law put in place that gives the husband the right to give “moderate chastisement in case of emergencies” to people within their household. The government associations to prevent animal cruelty (SPCA) was established before any association was made to stop domestic violence.

In North Carolina, 1886, there was a law is put in place that charges couldn’t be taken out on the abuser unless the injuries were life-threatening or permanent. These laws were still in effect one hundred and fifty years ago. This shows just how much our point of view and how domestic abuse victims are treated has changed. There is a great deal of change that happened during this, but not all at once. It does bring up the question, what started the change?

Things started to change in the late 1800s. In 1871, Alabama was the first in the United States to take away the right of husbands and/or fathers to beat their children and spouses. Eleven years later, in 1882, Maryland was the first state to criminalize domestic violence. The punishment was forty lashes or a year of jail time. The turn of the century brought along more change. Buffalo, New York was the location of the first family court, which helped solved most issues before they became violent and would sometimes get social services to intervene. With the right to vote and the civil rights movements, this brought more notice to the problems of domestic violence and its victims.

The major change was in the 1970’s to the 1990’s. In the early seventies, in some places, if women left their husbands they could be denied welfare based on their husband’s salaries. In other countries though, it was worse. At this time it was legal to spank your wife but would pay an eleven dollar and fifty cents fine if you struck her face. In Brazil, a law was passed in the mid-’70s stating that you couldn’t rent, sell, or gamble your children or wife away. In the 80’s and 90’s, laws began to become more concrete and made harsher punishments to the assaulters. People finally began to look at domestic violence as a crime instead of something apart of life.

There are still cases of domestic violence. Just because there is more awareness does not mean that there is a complete solution to the issue. In Belfast, Maine, on December 6th, Julio Carrillo has been sentenced to fifty-five years in prison in the case of his step-daughter’s death, Marissa Kennedy. This case alone is sad because he had beat her multiple times a day. This also shows that domestic violence is still happening. This is in part due to the fact that the afflicted are scared to reach out for help. Victims are controlled by their abusers and can be forced to claim the evidence is false or not press charges if evidence is brought up by others trying to help them.

There is also a problem with the sentencing. Evidence is harder to come by since they live together, meaning DNA evidence would be mainly dismissable. Also, having another witness to strengthen a case is almost impossible to come by unless it is another person who lived in the house. This makes it so that the abuser may think that they will never be charged and it will make a horrific cycle of being abused physically, sexually, emotionally, etc. The victims may stop seeking legal help because it may be useless.

Since domestic violence has been around for so long, as well as it was only recently taken seriously, people may still be accustomed to it being a major part of their lives. Either physically, mentally, or psychologically, people who have been victims are more likely to be abused later on in life. Since they can be controlled by power and fear, it would be hard to get away from that person that is the abuser. Also, people who were abused at a younger age are more likely to find a partner who does the same thing. Since that is the only life they know, it is hard to find their own way out. This is why improving how we can get these people to help is so important, but it lacks urgency. People do hear as much about in the news or on social media because it is not an issue most like to discuss and this turns a blind eye.

Another issue that can be brought up is false accusing. The victim can be given the benefit of the doubt in cases because they can woo sympathy from the jury. Once again, DNA evidence is hard to prove what is accurate or not. People can be sentenced from DNA that is from consensual contact of any kind and the victim can say it was not wanted. This can cause false imprisonment and even ruin a person’s life if they are proven to be innocent of the charges. This is the double-ended sword of domestic violence.

There are two major things we can do; one is to find ways to prove there was an act of violence, and two, is to get awareness out. Since it is hard to prove by DNA in these situations since the victims are within the same home, evidence can be dismissed. It is possible to do a lie detector test or to test that can show signs of mental wear and tear caused to victims or mental issues that can cause one to be violent. This can also disprove false claims that may be made. The second one is true in the sense that people are aware of domestic violence, but people don’t know how they can help. There are organizations that can be contacted or donated to. This can help them be able to spread the word or reach out to current victims and get them the help they need.

We have progressed in the way we view domestic violence. The laws have changed from legally encouraging it to punishing it. These changes have been crucial to people who are victims now can be given the help we need. With improving technology we can be more accurate with how we can prosecute abusers, give needed help to victims, and sift through what is a false claim or not.