Asian american laws on domestic violence - Essay Example

Laws and legal services in domestic violence encountered by Asian American women and their proper implementation are necessary to reduce the cases of this crime. The first question that arises in one’s mind is where the roots of this heinous crime arise from. In Asian communities the occurrence of domestic violence is mainly caused by the concept of male superiority in the family system. This unequal power distribution leads to unjust domination and control over women sometimes causing domestic violence.

One important aspect to be kept in mind is that Asian communities mostly consider domestic disputes to be a very personal issue and, hence, the cases of violence are not disclosed due to privacy issues. But with legal awareness and women right movements more and more cases are being reported and laws are being implicated. Asians living in the United States comprise a very diverse range of races and ethnicity. They can be Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, South Asians, Koreans, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders and others (Brown and Root 1990).

The state domestic violence laws in the United States promote individual safety and encourage an individual to stand up for his/ her protection. Domestic Violence is categorized into three main types: partner abuse, elderly abuse and child abuse. Partner abuse involves physical violence, physical threat, sometimes sexual assault, degradation or financial control to dominate the partner. Every state in the United States has a civil protective order that provides safety in cases of threat or abuse.

Under the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) as of 1994, any victim can obtain an ex parte emergency protective order and then after a legal hearing he/she can get a permanent order. Sometimes the batterers in partner abuse, who are mostly men, force their partners to commit crimes, like