Domestic Violence: Women Facing Abuse in their Home - Research Paper Example

Domestic Violence: Women Facing Abuse in their Home Introduction Domestic violence has been a hidden seed of evil in society for quite a number of decades now. Women in particular have been dealing with domestic violence in high statistical numbers throughout the years, and quite often have been isolated and alone with their fears. The fact of this matter is that domestic violence is indeed a crime, one that is punishable by English law if only the victims gain the courage and support to step forward and press charges against their abusers. When a person fully examines the history of domestic violence it can be defined as an occurrence that use to be acceptable in many different cultures all throughout the world. Domestic violence was allowed as long as husbands beat their wives in a way that was considered “the rule of thumb” following Old English Law (Ansgar 1994). Therefore, many years ago it was common for wife beating to occur and it was indeed tolerated along as it did not step outside the moral boundaries that English officials had established. For instance, extreme marks and bruises that were fully noticeable in public were criticized and were recognized as not being signs of decent chastising of the wives from the husbands. The truth of this matter; that many feminist activist groups claim is that perhaps some males are still stuck in this old common law and believe that they are doing no wrong. This by no means justifies such violence and today these groups verify that the English courts will not tolerate or stand for this type of domestic activity by any standard at all (Sommers-Hoff 1994, pg. 203). The fact that needs to definitely identified is that despite how fluent wife beating use to be, and no matter how acceptable English law use to define it, it does not have to continue to be a societal issue that lies unattended or unfixable. Matter of factly, domestic violence does not have to remain a “rule of thumb” in England or anywhere in the world. It does not have to follow the background of English law and carry on the traditional idiom from an old law that absolutely makes no sense in today’s time era. In actuality, the truth be known, it really made no logical sense back in the Old English days either but then the law was the law and no one had the right or ability to refute it. Needless to say, obviously times have definitely changed. Now, in present day the legal bodies in England have worked very fluidly in their attempts to come to understand and recognize the signs of domestic violence. They utilize an interdisciplinary approach and focus on the causes, nature, the consequences, and possible treatment regimens that could be established to minimize this type of violent crime in the various communities within England (Feder 1999, pg. 2). Whether the old laws abided by some form of domestic chastising against women is regardless today. As was stated, domestic violence is a severe crime and one that is now being targeted by law enforcement in order to control it and implement strategies to eradicate it from society. Resources are available for women in order to assist them in getting the help they need to recover from abuse that has occurred inside their home. They do not have to deal with this type of violence alone anymore as the law now recognizes how deadly it can be to the physical and psychological well being of those who are victims of it. The Seriousness of Domestic Violence in England Violence in the UK today, specifically domestic violence has become one of the top concerns of health and legal officials within the countries of England, Britain, and in Australia as well; according to the research compiled and investigated by Sivarajasingam & Shepherd (2000, pg. 105). The current evidence of domestic violence in England and Wales in particular has two main sources that it stems from. These sources are the Police Crime Statistics Bureau and The British Crime Survey (Sivarajasingam & Shepherd 2000, pg. 106). The material about domestic violence that is gathered from these sources is undisputed and it also helps in the attempts that the legal representatives in England make to ward off excessive domestic violence in the communities. The Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 is one of the enactments that was developed due to the overwhelming amount of reported domestic violence incidences in the homes of England and Wales. This Act encourages the police force to work in unison with other organizations in order to appropriately audit and minimize domestic crimes in the communities since they are so rampant and often times extremely violent. There are multiple health authorities that are also intertwined with this act and this is due to the tremendous need for medical services for those who have been abused by their spouse or other relative who reside with them inside their home. What has come to be realized with the issue of domestic violence and the impact it has on women and children in particular is that in order to try and control it and diminish the amount of occurrences of it the criminal justice system has had to devise ways to provide treatment for the offenders themselves (Bowen 2004, pg. 215). Many authorities have developed an interpretation concerning domestic violence which defines it as a criminal situation that can be controlled by behavioral analysis of the offenders in a correctional facility. Although it is true that some might not feel that offenders should receive any type of medical treatment, it is now being comprehended that this type of violence can not be minimized or avoided any other way. Past attempts to control it through solely legal means has not kept it from reoccurring and it is the reoccurrences of domestic violence which jeopardize women and children far more intimately than one bout with it, though no episode of a domestic crime is enjoyable for anyone by any means. The Domestic violence offender programmes that are implemented through many of the correctional facilities in England focus on tactics that investigate psychological characteristics of individuals which might be the probable causes of their aggressive tendencies against women or even children (Bowen 2004, pg. 216). These programmes then work to try and hone in on one particular form of treatment that seemingly works to correct adverse behavior patterns of these offenders. Many believe that through the multifaceted evaluations that are carried out on the offenders, the correct treatment methods are easier to pinpoint and therefore successful rehabilitation is felt to be almost 100% guaranteed. This alone is felt to be a help in reducing the amount of repetiveness in domestic violence crimes and over time it is believed that it will help in keeping domestic violence down to a very minimal amount. However, just as with any treatment program, it takes considerable time before any full guarantees can be given, but it does not change the fact that progress can be considered to be being made in controlling domestic violence. Furthermore, these programmes have confirmed that a large majority of these offenders have found themselves being held against their will in retention facilities within the criminal justice system because of their inability to control their own anger. This is unfortunately stemming from their own emotional issues due to having been victims of domestic abuse previously in their lives, often when they were young adults or even small children (Thompson et al 2006, pg. 447). For instance, Thompson et al (2006) claim that if the partnerships of couples can be monitored then perhaps the majority of women’s experiences of being battered can be reduced because therapeutic intervention could then be established to meet their specific needs. This is a plausible recommendation and one that could make a difference if it were to be carried out fully and to the extent that many organizations would like to see it. It is felt that if the history of abuse that offenders and victims alike go through could be diminished then this could help in reducing the continuing cycle of domestic violence because there could be interventions set up to prevent them from occurring to begin with. All of these ideas go along with the justice system in England and are based on the concepts of what needs to take place to efficiently correct the escalating concerns about domestic violence more potently than in past years. The perception from many health professionals and citizens alike is that if the Criminal Justice system will continue to put forth a vested interest in the treatment of domestic violence offenders then quite possible there would be far better avoidance of high recidivism rates. Also, it would possibly provide sufficient protection for the victims of past domestic violence from having to contend with the same type of violence in the future (Johnson 2006, pg. 1270). By providing the necessary treatment programs, the Criminal Justice System can fully attempt to return offenders into the community as changed citizens who are capable of maintaining healthy relationships free from violence. They would be able to show that they are capable of giving their loved ones care and consideration and share in a vastly greater comprehension of why they acted their violent aggression out on those they have loved and do love to begin with. This would help in the future to curtail domestic violence with other individuals as well. Clearly the justice system has a huge role in protecting and preventing violence such as this from occurring. The Criminal Justice system is also the first step for the victims of domestic violence in attempting to change their lives and break free from such crime. They rely on law enforcement, courtrooms, and other legal agencies to help them receive the help that they need to either reconcile their relationships with their abusive partners or to escape those relationships altogether (Anderson 1997, pg. 28). There are still many problems and negativities in this domestic scenario despite what forms of help might exist. One of the main problems here lies in the realization that many women allow their partners back into their homes without surefire proof their behaviors have been corrected. This leads to the repetitive cycle of violence taking place and many women continue to live their lives, within their own homes, facing abuse on a daily or in the extreme, hourly basis. UK statistics show that another area of concern, despite treatment methods, prison time, drug therapy, counseling, and or reconciliation attempts is with women who want to leave period but simply have no where to go so remain in their homes (UK Statistics on Domestic Violence 2006). The following bulleted points give valid proof to the previous statement, showing that many females suffer alone and silently, sometimes even ending in their own death due to the lack of proper means to protect them or ensure their partners won’t become violent with them again. It doesn’t matter how much progress has been made, these are still very real issues and although changes are currently taking place and other means being recommended to end this domestic crime, one can not forgot the statistics in the scenario either. The Women’s Aid Federation of England has made it clear that in many partnerships, be they straight relationships or gay ones, one partner (normally female) out of every four will face domestic violence in their home Government surveys and again statistical evidence shows that 5 of every one hundred marriages in Britain alone will be exposed to systematic, and repetitive violence within the home Sadly, evidence verifies that 40 to 45% of females are murdered by their spouses or romantic partners The Women’s Aid Federation finds that between 1 and 2 women are killed by their partners in one week Domestic Violence is reported to be 25% higher than all other violent crimes occurring Domestic Violence is stated to be the second highest and most common violent crime within England (UK Statistics on Domestic Violence 2006). Women should not have to deal with scenarios such as these and therefore more improved services have to be clarified and made more readily available to women and children. Though research shows that there is evidence proving the authorities and other organizations are making great improvements, again these issues are still present and until they are diminished almost 100%, many females thoughts will be uneasy concerning the situation. It is because of these various circumstances that still exist why many women and other professionals believe that by providing offender treatment options those seeking to reconcile may find it easier to do so and those seeking escape will find it helpful because they won’t have to worry about retaliation from the offender. It can definitely be pointed out that the views from police and other legal bodies have definitely changed from the traditional position they use to take with concern to it. There is no question that a myriad of improvements in tackling domestic violence have been taking place in England and there are strides being made in combating it. Nevertheless, as was stated repeatedly, there are still tremendous aspects that have yet to be covered and that must take place in order to transcend past the repetition of the matter fully and with a 100% guarantee by legal officials and other domestic violence assistance organizations. Traditional View of Legal Bodies on Domestic Violence in the Past Traditionally, the police were often reluctant to intervene in domestic violence situations. This was because they perceived these domestic violence disputes as being between the husband and wife and not a crime at all. They rarely intervened in these instances and even rarer was the occurrence of an arrest being made in such offenses. This is believed it was because the private life of a married couple was just that, private and there was not a need for the police to get involved in such situations. Of course, this seemingly goes back to what was previously discussed in the beginning of this research and that is the “rule of thumb” theorization where the man has the dominate position over the woman and is suppose to chastise her (Sommers-Hoff 1994, pg. 203). Many believed back in the day that the wife was the man’s property and therefore she was his to do with what he pleased as long as it was not taken over any moralistic boundaries set up by society. Police normally felt that it was neither their place nor their business to intervene, as was stated and therefore they would often walk away from a violent situation or if they felt there was extreme aggression present then they would issue a warning to the offender but they would not arrest him (Anderson 2006, pg. 375). Of course this type of mentality all changed when an experiment was conducted to see what options worked the best to decrease the incident of domestic violence between couples. Following the findings of this experiment the mentality of law enforcement and other legal agencies changed their perception about domestic violence and even today it is still transforming as it is combated on a daily basis. Domestic Violence from a Feminist Perspective The feminist perspective describes domestic violence that takes place within the home, and generally with the spouse as a situation where one partner in a relationship is using violent and abusive behaviours in order to dominate and control the other partner. So in a family environment the issues of power and inequality are of great importance (Silva & Ludwick 2002, pg. 14). This perspective shows that for to long domestic violence is something that has been ignored or just accepted due to how complicated it can become in the legal system. The Nurses Council however has shown how domestic violence occurring in the home takes ethics into consideration and based on the ethical codes that law enforcement and the various health organizations uphold, feminists state that this has been an occurrence that should have never been looked away from in the past nor in the present either (International Council of Nurses 2001). Feminists have been bringing more attention to this crime within England, more so it could be said than any other organization has in the past. The following indented paragraph gives a more comprehensible idea on how feminist groups support women and aid them in situations where domestic violence or other unfair treatment and abuse is or has been taking place: A feminist is a person who rejects the ways in which women and their experiences have been criticized, ignored, and devalued. A feminist also is someone who works to bring about the social changes necessary to promote more than just relationships among men and women. Feminist ethics challenges perceived male biases in ethics, which have contributed to the devaluing of women’s moral experience and to the subordination of women (Volbrecht 2002). Figures have stated that in 95% of all domestic assaults observed in England, men are committing these transgressions against women far more fluently than vice versa. Thereby, the term patriarchy here is of consequence; the term “patriarchy”" is used to describe the dominance of men over women. Noticeably it has to be stated that this type of philosophy must still exist in some men’s minds as they feel they need to enforce their control over their partners not just in a social atmosphere but within the confines of their own homes as well (Nenner 1997). Walsh (2006) goes on to point out that this was a common identity in the latter part of the 18th century and carried over into the early 19th century as well. Again, even today it exists. Walsh (2006) however attempts to show that male dominance and abuse has always existed in all aspects of human life from family life, in the home, to all the daily habits that are carried out as well. It has always been well known that it exists but again it has always been something that people have looked away from and something that although is being better combated today, is still facing ignorance and neglect even in the year 2006. It is one of the main reasons that feminist groups are working so hard to get their voices heard for those who are suffering with abuse in their homes because women are all to aware that if the woman is suffering then her image as the mother is suffering as well and therefore the children are definitely left to suffer the pain that is associative with this domestic crime. Common Characteristics of Domestic Abuse and Male Dominance or “Patriarchy” Men use their dominance in various forms, physical assault being the most common. However, they also use other types of violence, which include psychological and social abuse. Examples of physical abuse (with the objective to injure) is varied from slapping, punching and weapon use. Psychological Abuse includes emotional and verbal abuse with aggressive/intimidatory behaviours. Social abuse includes purposeful isolation, regular supervision and cutting her of from support networks (family and friends). Financial abuse is when the abusive (man) partner controls the woman's access to money to obtain his position of power over her. Note the relevance of the word power; man himself is indeed looked upon in society as the power figure of the family (the upholder of rights, the father figure) as the old saying suggests " A Man's Home Is His Castle His Domain" (Seligman 1994). Quite sadly, the knowledge that is being developed about the safety of women within their own home like environments and in their homes in general is that violence against women (family violence) is an enormous global issue, which is hindered by lack of knowledge, lack of prohibitive laws and the disregard by authorities (public ) for example the police, to enforce the existing laws, which are themselves flawed " law reform can never be expected to do the job - for the so-called reformers are all men; women hold no positions of power in the law-making process" (McCosker et al 2003, pg. 141). Family violence also includes not only violence towards the spouse (women) but also includes violence towards siblings by the dominant partner (in most cases the male). In December 1993 the United Nations General Assembly invoked a resolution on gender violence called the Declaration on the Elimination of violence against women. It defined violence as any act that is gender based which ultimately results in physical, sexual, or psychological harm that promotes suffering on women. This could also include threats of such acts, the use of coercion and even arbitrary depravations of liberty of an individual either in public or even in the privacy of the home (Kunce 2002, pg. 4). This makes an individual question why then there is a lack of equality for women in an environment that is supposed to be supportive and ready to assist them in their time of need. Conclusion In conclusion, perhaps the feminist groups are right and the problem with domestic violence is not just about the couple having problems but there is also a power struggle in the positions which can minimize the problems with domestic violence. It is true that gender has an extreme amount of power in society and perhaps because men run many of these programs and agencies that are meant to combat domestic violence, possibly there is a small gap in understanding and therefore the job is not getting done sufficiently. It is feasible to assume this since no matter how many alternatives have been devised to minimize domestic violence it is still a tremendous problem in England and elsewhere in the world. More familiar theories try to explain domestic violence being caused by external factors such as stress; alcohol, unemployment, drugs and gambling are few examples of these external factors. Whilst some of these theories might explain some of the additional views of family violence they don't give attention to the core predicament of violence on women. Consequently we may possibly suggest that the feminist theory of gender, rights and power (authority) is a more plausible one. As has been discussed in this literature, The feministic methodology believes that certain ideals play major roles in contributing towards the issues of domestic violence, which are occurring in our society. Firstly the issue of the violence in a wide-ranging social perception is usually overlooked by other theories. Secondly, they believe that gender plays an unequivocal role in domestic violence (in that the prevalence of the abuse is committed by men and the greater parts of sufferers are women) “Men want to feel in control. They like to feel they're a support for women a protection..."(Linden, 1996, pg. 8.). Thirdly additional theories give justification for men to commit these acts of aggression on women by incorporating culpability on factors such as stress, traditional, cultural values or religion as a result allowing men to avoid accountability for their actions. Fourthly a majority of theories to a certain extent do not take into account the fact that domestic violence is a crime. In finalizing, we can see the spectacular effects that domestic violence has on women, on society, and in the family environment. We have to indisputably question the very make up of society into the allocation of equal rights and power (economic, sexual and social) for women worldwide. The power struggle between the male and his loss and sharing over his rights and power (especially in the family) has in no uncertainty hindered the pathway to the sharing of equal rights for both men and women. We cannot totally purge the problem of household violence, until we transform the communal characteristics that promote it. Men can also be prominent in this progression in that they can educate themselves in the remuneration of having a support structure that is given free of force instead of imposing the condition on to others (women). Women in society deserve our respect, our faith and above all, they deserve to have the same rights and equality that is freely given to men. We as a society should value women for what they are, mothers, wives, lovers, and a great deal more, but above all equals. Notes 1. Anderson, J., “Violence and Crime in 19th Century England: The Shadow of Our Refinement,” The British Journal of Criminology 46 (2006): 375-377. 2. Anderson, Vera, A Woman Like You: The Face of Domestic Violence (Seattle: Seal Publishing Group, 1997), 28. 3. Ansgar, Kelly, “Rule of Thumb and the Folklaw of the Husbands Stick,” Journal of Legal Education (1994): 87. 4. Bowen, Erica, “Comprehensive Evaluation: A Holistic Approach to Evaluating Domestic Violence Offender Programmes,” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 48 (2004): 215-234. 5. Feder, Lynette, “Domestic Violence: An Interdisciplinary Approach,” Women and Criminal Justice 10 (1999): 1-7. 6. International Council of Nurses, “Nurses Always There for You: United Against Violence,” [online], 2001 [cited 11 Nov. 2006]; available from World Wide Web: http://www.icn.ch/indkit2001_01.pdf 7. Johnson, Rebecca, “A Psychometric Typology of U.K. Domestic Violence Offenders,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 21 (2006): 1270-1285. 8. Kunce, Julie, “Screening for Domestic Violence: Meeting the Challenge of Identifying Domestic Relations Cases Involving Domestic Violence and Developing Strategies for those Cases,” Court Review 39 (2002): 4-11. 9. McCosker, Heather & Barnard, Alan & Gerber, Rod, “A Phenomenographic Study of Women’s Experiences of Domestic Violence During the Childbearing Years,” Journal of Issues in Nursing 17 (2003): 141. 10. Nenner, John, “Gender, Sex, and Subordination in England: 1500 to 1800,” The Historian 60 (1997). 11. Seligman, Daniel, Why Men Rule: A Theory of Male Dominance (New York: National Book Review, 1994). 12. Sommers-Hoff, Christina, Noble Lies (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 203-208. 13. Sivarajasingam, V & Shepherd, J. P, “Trends in Community Violence in England and Wales 1995-1998: An Accident and Emergency Department Perspective,” Emergency Medical Journal 18 (2000): 105-109. 14. Thompson, Robert & Bonomi, Amy & Anderson, Melissa & Reid, Robert & Carrell, David & Rivara, Frederick, “Intimate Partner Violence: Prevalence, Types, and Chronicity in Adult Women,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 30 (2006): 447-457. 15. UK Statistics on Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence [online], 11 Nov. 2006 [cited 11 Nov. 2006]; available from World Wide Web: http://www.home.cybergrrl.com/dv/body.html 16. Volbrecht, R. M., Nursing Ethics: Communities in Dialogue (New Jersey: Saddle River Publishing, 2002): 74. 17. Walsh, Judith, “Family Matters,” Journal of Women’s History 18 (2006): 138-147. Read More