The Issue of Domestic Violence and Abuse - Case Study Example

Domestic Violence Domestic violence is an oppressive behavior, used by one person in a relationship or marriage to control or exercise dominance to the other partner. Domestic violence and abuse is not only restricted to physical abuse but can also exist in psychological form. The people who exercise domestic violence on others usually do it to achieve one purpose only, to obtain and maintain absolute control over a victim or intimate partner. To achieve this goal, they expect to be obeyed without question, treating the victim as a child or a servant instead of an equal partner. They do not exercise fairness but use such methods like instilling fear, capitalizing on guilt, shame and intimidation on the other partner to keep them under their control. Though domestic violence and abuse can affect all gender and include children, it has a higher incidence in women, with research showing that 73% of family domestic violence victims are women. It is also not restricted only to heterosexual couples but also happens among the gay community. It also is not restricted to a certain age bracket, economic level or in particular ethnic backgrounds but occurs in all these areas and backgrounds. Domestic violence and abuse is progressive in its nature whereby, it usually moves from threatening and abusive behavior to violence or battery. It is among the least reported crimes in the world. It exists in many forms, which include emotional abuse, physical attack or the threat of the latter. It may also be the form of the control of finances by the abuser or batterer and the curtailing of freedom of the victim (Simon 2007). It could also entail the killing of pets or destruction of objects, punching, slapping, hitting with objects or even choking. Some batterers or abusers have also been known to stalk their spouses who have left them. It can also take on the form of marital rape or mutilation of genitals as a way of revenge. It may progress from here to take on the worst form, murder. Abuse can begin in the dating stage and progress into old age if not addressed. When looked at closely battering seems to increase in a relationship as time elapses and if the problem is not addressed in time. Many women complain that battering or physical abuse may be difficult to eradicate due to the fact the men involved are people they are in love with and the fathers of their children. Many of them have held on with the hope that one day the violence may abate, or the situation could change. These factors make the women or even men live in abusive marriages or partnerships, not because they like the battering but because in a way they are trapped. Many look for help in the wrong places and from the wrong people and due to misinformation about battering , the issue casually addressed. Advice given by friends may not help, making the victims even more confused and depressed. Regardless of the situation, no person should undergo battering and the perspective on this serious issue should change. It should also be known that children are more affected by battering. Developmental disorders and aggressive behavior have been noted in children who grow in homes where battering occurs. The mental trauma can be replicated in them, making them batterers too in their adulthood. This is because their parent’s example in resolving difficulties may seem appropriate in their future. Battering may thus even be a behavioral pattern, inherited from abusive parents. Many males were introduced to violence from early years where many were taught that male dominance was the accepted norm. They grew up in an atmosphere where probably their father battered their mother into submission and thus are continuing in what they learnt while growing up. Domestic violence and abuse is progressive in its nature whereby, it usually progresses from threatening and abusive behavior and moves to violence or battery. It may start as a a small slap and if allowed to continue, it may lead to greater physical injury. This implies that battery or domestic .abuse should not be ignored but addressed earliest possible. It is also worthy to note that batterers do not attack everyone and so it is not about anger or being wronged. It is rather a weapon to maintain the batterers control over their victim and thus the need to deal with the menace (Ezrat 750). Battery occurs also in same sex marriages as it does in heterosexual ones. This shows that is an issue of one partner wanting to exercise dominance on the other. In many instances too, many people who are battered and mostly women are blamed as the source of the violence while the batterer is the cause. Women or other partners are also blamed for staying in an abusive relationship. It should be noted that the battered mostly stay in this relationship to maintain the relationship but not that they like the violence. When a batterer inflicts injuries on a partner, it is not viewed as seriously as one inflicted by a stranger. It is as if society indirectly abets the violence by intimate partners and this should be opposed if the vice is to be stopped. Batterers can change since after study on this behavior, there are various ways in which batterers are taken through therapy. This process could be long and tasking but then the issue at hand is equally sensitive. The partnership of the criminal justice system and introduction of non violence classes where batterers are taught to be accountable have proven to be helpful according to research which shows many who attended have not relapsed into the vice. Many men who gone through the criminal justice system and therapy classes have said that they could not have changed if they had not gone through the system (Payne 14). Therapies like the Duluth model take mostly abusive men through sessions that help them to reevaluate past beliefs about themselves, their spouses and the world at large. This creates a new perspective in them and research has shown there is much improvement. The Duluth model encompasses group therapy where colleagues confront participants about their behavior on individual basis. While this may seem to be confrontational, it helps those involved to feel responsible for their actions. If there are any underlying factors in the batterer, it is possible to address the problem through this therapy, which includes professionals, and to assist members of society who otherwise would have caused greater problems. Individual therapy is also one of the methods that are being used, because individual have the ability to express themselves without interruption from other people. As this type of therapy continues, the other partner may be invited to make the session more inclusive. Many behaviors that are exhibited are not the real character of the individual but much of it is caused by factors which have root causes which, if properly addressed can help batterers change their behavior. Well thought out programs will not shame batterers but will change them into important members of society. Battering and abuse is a learned behavior. Research has revealed that children who grew up in homes where the vice was in existence are very likely to become batterers themselves. In one therapy group, it was found that 70%of the participants who were batterers came from homes where the above was the case. This means that they had acquired this tendency through observing their parents doing it. Society has noted the need for batters therapy and the fact there exists over 200 such agencies shows that this is so. All the same, coordinated efforts must be put in place to cater for the battered spouse and the batterer, in form of recovery institutions for victims since some of the battery is so severe. There should also be intensive efforts by the criminal justice system to prosecute those who offend in this regard more aggressively. This will deter offenders and society who have considered abuse as an issue to be treated casually. Deterrent sentences must be put in place to dissuade would be offenders and to protect the vulnerable in society. Batterers programs should be set up with the primary goal of dealing with and eliminating cases of psychological, sexual and physical abuse in society. While the batterer will be held completely accountable for their actions and given the responsibility to change their behavior, society also must also be educated on the areas where change is expected on the way to deal with domestic violence and battering. The safety of the person who has undergone battering should be given top priority. The program should be capable to address the root cause of the form of abuse, which the abuser is exhibiting so as to deal with it conclusively (Parkinson & Zara 40). The abuser too should not put in any demand for hid victim to attend the session but the latter is free to give their input in the session. Many of the programs include in their curriculum areas like educating people concerning domestic violence and the changes taking place about the beliefs concerning domestic violence. They also teach about the need to have equality in relationships and the need for sensitizing the community in this regard. In some of these programs, the abuser learns about techniques to use to exhibit non-violent behavior. Some of the programs now include compulsory counseling for batterers on issues related to battering, with explicit information on consequences if they do not attend the sessions (Sandeep 138). If professionals properly do these rehabilitative sessions, they can be very beneficial to the individual. Some of the counseling sessions are included as part of the sentence or as part of the consideration for probation. In some cases, judges even give the batterer the option of attending the sessions instead of going through the court process. Though this latter idea may appear dangerous by reducing the act of battering from being a crime to a normal act, judges can use their discretion as individual cases may entail. If the aforementioned programs are properly coordinated, batterers can change and many relationships can revert to their former state. There only needs to be concerted efforts that will include all the stakeholders to arrest the situation that has brought a lot of harm to society. Children from abusive homes who had earlier exhibited behavioral problems have resulted to normalcy after rehabilitation of their homes, showing the need to address the situation sooner than later. Works Cited Efrat, Abel. “Family violence and public health.” McGill Law Journal. Mar2013, Vol. 58 Issue 3, p729-771. 43p. Parkinson, Debra and Zara, Claire. “Domestic violence in the aftermath”. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, The, Vol. 28, No. 2, Apr 2013: 28-35. Payne, Anne. “Combating Domestic Violence”. Occupational Health. Nov2013, Vol. 65 Issue 11, p14-14. Sandeep, Shah. “Perception and prevalence of domestic violence in the study population” Industrial Psychiatry Journal. Jul-Dec2013, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p137-143. Simon, Danielle. “Working together to address domestic violence” The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry [J Clin Psychiatry], ISSN: 1555-2101, 2013 Dec; Vol. 74 (12), pp. e25; Read More