Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 1

Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 1

Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 1 Each year in the United States, an estimated two-to-four million women experience serious abuse from a male partner and thousands are killed. As many as one-in-three adult women is abused by an intimate during her lifetime. While only 5% of all annual violence against men is by a partner, 28% of all annual violence to women is by an intimate and 70% of intimate murder victims are women.

Domestic violence is one of the major causes for emergency room visits by women and more than half of all injuries presented by women are the result of a partner’s aggression.Also, 86% of the victims suffered at least one previous incident of abuse, 40% had previously required medical care for the abuse, and more than one half of all rapes to women over the age of 30 were partner rapes. Ten percent of the victims were pregnant at the time of the abuse, and 10% reported their children had also been abused by the batterer. Domestic violence is not limited to any specific socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, or religious group, and same-sex abuse among a partner is just as prevalent as abuse among heterosexual intimates. Conte, J. R. ,& Gelles, R.

J. (1990). 52 (4).

The causes of domestic violence are Control, Alcohol, and Financial status. And the effects are Low self-esteem, Homelessness and sometimes Death. Women are most of the time victims of abuse due to them being seen as second class citizens.

They have been portrayed in pornographic videos, magazines and video games for years which are very degrading to women. Billions of dollars are lost every year due to domestic abuse. It is a public health problem causing loss of jobs productivity, medical costs and homelessness for victims of abuse.Sometime it can even lead to death for the victim. A study of 336 convicted Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 3 Offenders of domestic violence found that alcohol was a feature in 62% of offences and 48% were alcohol dependent. Giles-Sims, J.

(1985), 34, (2) Batter women lose their jobs because of absenteeism due to illness as a result of the violence. Absences occasioned by court appearances also jeopardize women’s livelihood. They may have to move many times to avoid violence. Moving is costly and can interfere with continuity of employment.

They often lose family and friends as a result of the battering. First, the batterer isolates them from family and friends. They become embarrassed by the abuse inflicted upon them and withdraw from support persons to avoid embarrassment. Many battered women have to forgo financial security during divorce proceedings to avoid further abuse. One third of children who witness the battering of their mothers demonstrate significant behavioral and/or emotional problems, including psychosomatic disorders, stuttering, anxiety, fears, sleep disruption, excessive crying and school problems.Boys who witness their fathers’ abuse their mothers are likely to inflict severe violence as adults. Data suggest that girls who witness maternal abuse may tolerate abuse as adults more than girls who do not.

These negative effects may be diminished if the child benefits from intervention by the law and domestic violence programs. Browne, A. , Ewing, C.

P. (1987). When a mother is abused, the children may feel guilty that they cannot protect her, or that they are the cause of the strife.They may themselves be abused, or neglected while the mother attempts to deal with the trauma. The rate of child abused is 6-15 times higher in families where the mother is abused. Children get hurt when they see their parents being yelled at, pushed, or Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 4 hit.

They may feel confusion, stress, fear, shame, or think that they caused the problem. Children grow up learning that it’s okay to hurt other people or let other people hurt them. They have difficulty making friends or have fear of adults.Children may use violence for solving problems at school and home. They may be at greater risk of being a runaway, being suicidal, or committing criminal acts as juveniles and adults, Roy, M. (1988).

Based on interviews with children in battered women’s shelters, 85% of children had stayed twice with friends or relatives because of the violence, and 75% over the age had run away at least twice. They are seriously neglected at a rate of 1500% higher than the national average.Domestic violence can never be eliminated from society unless society refuses to tolerate it.

This will require an internal change in the basic nature of society worldwide, beginning with the recognition of the worth of every human being as an individual. If the law does not buck up in terms of implementing punishment on those who violate others within the sacred walls of the institution called family and home, the weaker will continue to be violated and abused by the stronger – physically, mentally, materially and spiritually.Domestic violence is spreading like a disease and it will continue, until our society takes steps to prevent it. The economic status of most of the people and cultural history plays a huge role in reducing Domestic violence. The whole society needs to work together to reduce it to a minimum.

pic` ` Cause and Effect of Domestic Violence 5 References Browne, A When Battered Women Kill. (The Free Press 1987) Ewing C. P. Battered Women Who Kill. (Lexington Books 1987). Roy, M .

Children in the Crossfire, 1988.Conte, J. R.

, & Gelles, R. J. (1990). Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse of Children: A Review of Research in the Eighties. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52 (4), 1045-1058. National Woman Abuse Prevention Project, Washington, D.

C. Bohn, D. K. & Holz, K. A. (1996).

Sequelae of abuse: Health effects of childhood sexual abuse, domestic battering, and rape. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 41, 442-456 Giles-Sims, J. (1985) A Longitudinal Study of Battered Children of Battered Wives. Family Relations, 34 (2), 205- 210.