This photograph was
taken in Merrill, Oregon in Southern Oregon; the Lost River weaves its way
through town. This was taken on a November afternoon; the river was reflecting
the sky and trees and the blue sky and sun was being replaced by clouds that
turned into a light rain.
A cat also made their appearance in this photograph.
I love how the sun appeared golden in the water.
This one turned out
blurry but kept it because of the cows.
This photograph was
taken in Merrill, Oregon in Southern Oregon; the Lost River weaves its way
through town. This was taken on a December afternoon, the river was covered in
ice and the temperature was very cold even though the sun was shining and the
sky was very blue.
Dedicated to my two
cousins John and Harold that
died because two separate drunk drivers decided it would be morally right to
drive their vehicles while intoxicated and kill someone and they did.
Domestic violence
and abuse in the United States has affected people throughout its history and
is a factor in many families’ lives today, affecting the victims both
physically and psychologically. The victims and perpetrators of domestic
violence can be male or female, heterosexual or homosexual, young or old.
Though, the majority of cases are still the male as the perpetrator and the
female as the victim. This type of violence can be found in different
religious, racial, and ethnic groups and different socioeconomic and class
backgrounds. The victims and perpetrators of domestic violence can be your
mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, best friend or even you, it does not
discriminate. It is a storm that destroys lives and tears apart relationships
and families within.
Victims of domestic
violence suffer from physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, and spiritual
maltreatment from their abuser repeatedly overtime. This abuse can last for
years, ultimately creating a cycle of building conflict, abuse, and then
forgiveness. A victim may or may not seek help to get out of the abusive
relationship, sometimes only leaving when their lives are at risk or they die
at the hands of their abuser. The perpetrator or victim may have witnessed
domestic violence as a child in their own family, viewing it as just a natural
part of a relationship or family unit. This generational pattern reinforces the
cycle of domestic violence. A victim may also not want to leave the abusive
partner because they do not want to hurt them, believing it is their fault that
the abuse happened. The perpetrator of domestic violence usually has the
feeling of powerlessness and abuses their partner to gain power. The
perpetrator may have suffered from some form of childhood abuse or have a
mental illness or personality disorder including schizophrenia and depression.
The perpetrators of domestic violence can also have an alcohol and drug
problems that increases the severity of the abuse. No matter the causes of
domestic violence, the goal must be to find the solution to stop the abuse and
to save its victims.
History of Women and
Children United States
The position and
status of women and children in American society has come from long-established
gender roles and sex stereotypes, conventional concepts on parenting and its
responsibilities, traditional religious beliefs, and old English common law.
From 1800 to 1850 in America a woman’s identity and independence in society was
completely determined by her sex and marital status. Timothy Crumrin, (Conner
Prairie Historian) states: “In the legal realm women were decidedly dependent,
subservient, and unequal. National and state constitutions included little
mention of women… Rights for which a revolution was fomented were denied women–
as they were to slaves, “lunatics,” and “idiots” (Women and the Law in Early
19th-Century Indiana, http://www.connerprairie.org/Learn-And-Do/Indiana-History/America-1800-1860/Women-And-The-Law-In-Early-19th-Century.aspx.)
Women that married lost many of their
fundamental and basic civil and property rights, which were granted to their
husbands. This transference of rights circumscribed almost all parts of a
woman’s interaction with the society around them and their rudimentary choices,
segregating them to the background. This also made them completely dependent on
their husband for financial support and legal rights. A woman that married was
seen as going through a type of “civil death” becoming almost invisible to the
outside world. The children of the matrimonial relationship were seen as the
property of the marriage, this ownership went to the husband and father.
Grossberg (2008) States: “Children were part of a patriarchal system in which
the household was to replicate the larger polity. Thus the father, like the
king, served as head of the family while the wife and children were classified
as subordinates” (Law, Children and the…., http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Ke-Me/Law-Children-and-the.html.)
A child and parent contract of early
America was that the child exchanged labor for parental care. Any financial
gain from this labor belonged to the household, primarily the father.
Religiously and
legally, women were to be subordinate and submissive to their husbands at all
times. A married woman had little control of their lives or even their own
bodies. A woman could be legally beat by her husband if he believed that she
deserved to be disciplined. Bradley (2007) states: “Early settlers in America
based their laws on old English common-law, which explicitly permitted
wife-beating for correctional purposes. The husband was allowed to whip his wife
only with a switch no bigger than his thumb” (The Beginning of Domestic
Violence – Domestic Violence Prevention Month: Part one of four, http://www.dyess.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123070512.)
This punishment could originate from not
satisfying her responsibilities as a wife and mother or for doing something
considered to be inappropriate or offensive to her husband or to her sex. A
wife was seen as a child, having the same immaturity as her offspring, who
needed to be taught to follow the rules of her sex. The punishment of a child
was also considered a religious and legal duty; “spare the rod spoil the child”
was the main theme on raising children. To control and punish one’s child was
considered the proper way to parent. The duty of this fell on the father, who
could use his own discretion on what infractions and actions deserved
punishment and what the punishment would entail. A married woman did not have
any legal rights to control her own body, which was considered by religious
doctrine and under the laws of marriage to be her husband’s property. A woman
had no legal right to prevent the number of children that the marriage produced
and little legal rights over her off spring after they were born. A woman was
not permitted to deny her husband sex for any reason, not even illness or even
after childbirth. Marital rape was common and was not against any laws at the
time. Johnston Polisi (2009) States: “The so-called "marital rape
exemption” has been embedded in the sexual assault laws of our country since its
founding. In its most drastic form, the exemption means that a husband, by
definition, cannot legally rape his wife. The theory goes that by accepting the
marital contract, a woman has tacitly consented to sexual intercourse any time
her husband demands it” (Spousal Rape Laws Continue to Evolve, http://womensenews.org/story/rape/090701/spousal-rape-laws-continue-evolve.)
A divorce was almost unheard of and if
it was permitted it had many negative results for the woman. A woman, even if
she was being abused, could not leave the relationship without losing financial
stability, custody of her children, and her social standing.
History of Domestic
Violence and Abuse in the United States
Turvey and Petherick
(2011) states: “…domestic violence in its many incarnations is perhaps one of
the greatest threats to public health in the United States. It can bruise,
crush, and ultimately destroy the physical, mental, and economical well-being
of any of its victims. It creates unsafe homes, unsafe communities, and unsafe
work environments” (Forensic Victimology. Academic Press. Amsterdam: Elsevier.)
This position on the effects and dangers of domestic violence and abuse has not
always been the opinion of society and the criminal justice system.
Historically, domestic violence, also identified as spousal abuse, in the
United States has been considered a private family matter that belongs behind
the fortifications of a person’s residence. The viewpoint was that society and
the law did not have the right to interfere with a husband and wife or how they
treated each other or their children. This viewpoint was reinforced by cultural
and religious factors, conventional ideas on parenting, and traditional gender
roles that supported that the husband was the head of the family and the wife
and children were his to control and punish if required. These factors
supported the societal acceptance of the right of a husband to abuse his wife
and children without the fear of legal repercussions or societal opposition.
These cultural and religious attitudes helped create an atmosphere where
domestic violence and abuse was not recognized as a crime and many of the laws
either supported it and/or permitted it.
The civil rights
movements of the 1960s and the women rights movements of the 1970s helped shed
light on the importance of human rights and the need for women to be treated
with equality and with respect, especially in their own homes. Haley and
Braun-Haley (2000) states: “By the mid-1970s, American women had banded
together to fight for equality with men. There were two reasons for this. The
first, and most obvious, was that their society was male-dominated and woman,
for reasons already discussed, were second-or third-class citizens…The second
reason was that for the first time in recorded history, women could stand up
against the men. Their increased levels of education and experience in the
workforce demonstrated to themselves and to men that they could survive in the
world as independent individuals rather than mere appendages to their husbands”
(War on the Homefront: An Examination of Wife Abuse. Oxford, NY: Berghahn
Books.) These human rights movements helped start a change on the societal and
legal positions of women in the United States. They also helped changed the
mindset of the country on equality of the wife in a marriage. Domestic violence
and abuse was no longer seen for the most part, as a private matter between a
husband and wife. This viewpoint looked at the effect on the victims and how to
stop the abuse. Gradually changing laws and creating laws that protect the
victims and punished the perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse.
The changing
attitudes towards domestic violence and abuse and the laws that followed
expanded the study and understanding of how violence at home affects all
members of the family unit and can even affect other family and friends outside
the home. These new viewpoints also started to recognize domestic violence and
abuse in other types of sexual and nonsexual relationships, not just in the
traditional husband and wife family unit. Domestic violence and abuse can be
seen in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships, married and non-married
couples, and between family members. Nelson (1997) states:“Domestic violence
can happen to anyone at any time. Domestic violence does not respect age,
gender, or sexual preference. Parents have hit their children, children have
beaten up their parents, wives have knifed husbands, husbands have battered
wives, brothers have hacked away at sisters, and sisters have thrown countless
objects at brothers. Cousins, uncles, aunts, live-in mates, girlfriends,
boyfriends—all have been party to or victims of domestic violence” (Dangerous
Relationships: How to Identify and Respond to the Seven Warning Signs of a
Troubled Relationship. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.)Whatever its form
Domestic violence and abuse has various physical, psychological, and emotional
effects on its victims and changes lives forever.
Forms and Cycles of
Domestic Violence and Abuse
Fairweather (2012)
states: “One of the most common and dangerous misconceptions about intimate
partner abuse is that {victims} are not true victims of abuse unless they are
physically assaulted to the point of being bruised, bloody or broken.
Unfortunately, this perception is so rooted in our culture that victims
themselves believe this as well” (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and
Escaping Abusive Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.) Domestic violence
and abuse can be in the form of physical, psychological, sexual, verbal,
economic, and spiritual. A perpetrator of domestic violence and abuse may
choose one method of abuse to control, torment and/or harm their victim or they
can utilize a combination of these maltreatment and cruelties. The system of
violence and abuse the perpetrator uses may also change overtime, where once
the abuse was verbal and economic, it may grow into physical and sexual
violence.
Physical Abuse:
Physical domestic
abuse is the most recognized form of domestic violence because it leaves
physical signs and scars that can be examined and photographed as evidence by
the criminal justice system and society can see the black eyes of its victims.
The perpetrator employs physical assault and uses intimidation and threats of
future attacks to control their victim. The physical violence can start out as
just simple pushing, slapping, and shaking and escalate to life threatening
assaults of strangulation and suffocation, severe beatings, and denying the
victim medical treatment and/or medications. Haley and Braun-Haley (2000)
states: “The use of weapons occurs with regularity as well. The abuser may
begin by using these weapons, showing them to the {victim}, or simply
letting{him/her} know {he/she} has one. This is an attempt to intimidate by
directly or indirectly threatening the {victim} into submission” (War on the
Homefront: An Examination of Wife Abuse. Oxford, NY: Berghahn Books.) In these
attacks a victim may be injured by the perpetrator with a gun, knife, or even a
baseball bat. The final form of physical abuse is when the perpetrator kills
their victim, either by taking the physical violence too far or intentionally
killing them.
Psychological and
Emotional Abuse:
Psychological and
emotional domestic abuse is the most overlooked and at times ignored form of
domestic violence because it leaves no physical wounds or scars that can be
comprehended by the human eye. Psychological and emotional abuse can take the
form of both verbal abuse and nonverbal abuse. Fairweather (2012) states:
“Although this type of victimization often employs verbal abuse. It’s also in a
category of its own because an abuser never has to say a word to intimidate,
control, or punish {his/hers} victim” (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and
Escaping Abusive Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.) The abusive partner
uses humiliating and degrading language towards the victim to embarrass and to
devastate them. This behavior can happen in front of family, friends, or total
strangers or may be done in private. The abuser may also use worded and gestured
threats towards the victim to scare and control them. An abusive partner takes
the victim’s privacy away to remind them that they have no control over their
own lives. A victim’s possessions might be searched through because the abuser
believes the victim is hiding something from them and wants them to be reminded
of the fact they are in control. Sentimental possessions belonging to the
victim may be destroyed by the abuser out of jealously, revenge, or amusement.
The abusive partner uses isolation to increase their control over the victim.
The abuser may try to isolate the victim from family and friends, separating
them from their support system. They may also try to destroy the victim’s
business and/or career relationships and connections, hurting them financially
and destroying their career. Stalking is another form of psychological domestic
abuse. Fairweather (2012) states: “A common misconception about “stalking” is
that it only happens to celebrities, or it’s a random act perpetrated by a
masked stranger hiding in the bushes. In truth, stalking is much more common
than most people believe; it’s almost always perpetrated by somebody who knows
you {and frequently} by a current or former partner” (Stop Signs: Recognizing,
Avoiding, and Escaping Abusive Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.) The
motivation behind stalking in domestic abuse is to control the victim and to
make them feel a lack of privacy. Stalking in domestic cases can be either
internal, happening during the relationship or external, happening after
separation. Psychological and emotional abuse also comes in the form of
psychological games. The abuser may try to make the abuse seem justified or
minimize it or even deny that the abuse ever happened. The abuser may also
blame the victim for the abuse, making them believe that they themselves caused
it and deserve it. The abuser may also make the victim question their sanity,
making the abuse look like it is all in their own mind.
Sexual Abuse:
Sexual domestic
abuse is another form of physical domestic violence, though it has its own
category. The perpetrator uses the act of sex to both physically harm and
psychological control their victim. The physical brutality of sexual domestic
violence includes sexual assault and rape, sexual torture, exposing victims to
various sexually transmitted diseases, and forced unwanted pregnancies. The
psychological control of sexual domestic violence can be from threatening
family members (especially children), controlling the victim financially, threatening
the victim with infidelity, and the sexual humiliation and degradation of the
victim in front of others or in private. Fairweather (2012) states: “Being
abused sexually by a current or former partner is a highly under-reported crime
that encompasses a wide variety of offenses. Often it is linked to physical
abuse; they may occur together, or the sexual abuse may be backed up by the
threat of bodily injury” (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and Escaping
Abusive Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.)
Verbal Abuse:
Verbal domestic
abuse is both connected to psychological domestic abuse and can be a precursor
to physical domestic violence. Fairweather (2012) states: “While it is one of
the most common forms of abuse, it is also the most difficult to recognize
because many people grow up thinking “sticks and stones will break my bones,
but words will never hurt me” Unfortunately, they do hurt” (Stop Signs:
Recognizing, Avoiding, and Escaping Abusive Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal
Press.) The verbal abuse can be sexist, racist, and homophobic. It can be
derogatory towards the victim’s ethnic and family background or religious
affiliation. The verbal abuse may be meant to be hurtful, degrading, or
humiliating to the victim. The victim’s appearance, accomplishments, and goals
may be criticized, ridiculed or mocked to belittle them in front of others. The
abusive partner might verbally threaten the victim, the victim’s family
(especially their children), friends, and animals to control them non-physically.
Economic Abuse:
Economic domestic
abuse is when the abusive partner controls the victim’s finances to punish them
or to have complete control over them or both. Fairweather (2012) states: “This
is a classic method of batterers, particularly those who either believe that
women should not have access to money or those who practice a parasitic “use
and abuse” lifestyle” (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and Escaping Abusive
Relationships. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.) Economic abuse can take on various
forms of financial controls and tactics. The abuser may not allow the victim to
hold a job or go to school. If the victim does work, the abuser may completely
deny the victim any control of their own money, forcing them to give everything
they earn to them. The abuser may create debt in the victim’s name and also
steal from their finances. The abuser may also deny them accesses to any of the
family’s finances, including bank and savings accounts and credit cards or put
extremely rigid restricts on the victim, while the abuser spends freely and
makes all the decisions. The victim may be refused basic necessities including
food, medical needs, and shelter. The abuser my also refuse to pay child
support or spousal support after a separation or divorce. Economic abuse can
become sexual abuse, if the abusive partner sexually exploits the victim for
profits, forcing them into prostitution, stripping, and pornography.
Spiritual Abuse:
Spiritual domestic
abuse is when the abuser uses religion to control, isolate, and punish the
victim. In some heterosexual relationships the abuser may use long held
conservative religious viewpoints on sex roles and the belief that a woman must
summit to a man. These beliefs may be supported by the couple’s clergy or
fellow parishioners, helping excuse and even promote the abuse. The abuser may
believe that any form of physical and psychological abuse is permitted by both
his religion and his place of worship. The abuser may also force the victim
into raising the children from the relationship in their religion instead of
the victim’s. The abuser may use physical and psychological threats and
violence, to force the victim into allowing the abuser’s religious faith to be
the family’s only faith. The abuser may also prevent the victim from having any
connection to their religious faith, through physical and psychological
violence. Fairweather (2012) states: “By making it dangerous for{their} victim
to pray, worship with others, or do what {he/she} feels is necessary to fulfill
{his/her}religious obligations, the abuser is taking away a powerful emotional
reinforcement. In effect, it is a method of “soul destruction”. The abuser is
dismantling a victim’s internal and external supports so that {he/she} will
become more dependent on {him/her} and less able to consider ending the
relationship. Most of all, {he/she} will have no one to tell about {the abusive
partner’s} increasingly abusive behaviors and no one to help {him/her} with
escape” (Stop Signs: Recognizing, Avoiding, and Escaping Abusive Relationships.
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.)
The Cycle of
Domestic Violence:
All forms of
domestic violence and abuse have a distinctive cycle; these patterns develop
over time with the interaction of the victim and abusive partner. There are
four basic stages of the cycle of abuse. Haley and Braun-Haley (2000) describe
these four stages:
“1. The Build-up:
Stressors such as employment or money troubles trigger this stage in which
negative thought processes (blaming and anger) become dominant. {During this
stage the abusive partner’s anger increases towards their victim and the abuse
intensifies.}
2. The Acting Out:
At a certain point, the abuser lashes out, usually with physical abuse. The
behavior can range from a single slap to inflicting serious injury with a
weapon. {The abusive partner outburst may happen once with a single physical
and psychological attack or come in a series of attacks.}
3. The
Rationalization/Justification: Both individuals {victim and abuser} use defense
mechanisms to justify or rationalize that assaultive behavior. {The victim may
blame themselves or tell themselves that the abuse is just a normal part of
life. The abuser may deflect any blame off on to the victim.}
4. Pretending Normal
(also called the Honeymoon Stage): With the justification firmly in place, {the
victim and abuser} portrays the relationship as “normal.” {The abuser usually
apologizes for the abuse and makes promises that it will never happen again.
The victim usually except the apologies and believes the promises and forgives
the abuser.}…without adjustments or attempts to break the cycle, the Build-up
phase begins again” (War on the Homefront: An Examination of Wife Abuse.
Oxford, NY: Berghahn Books.)
Signs, Effects, and
Causes of Domestic Violence
No matter what type
the domestic violence and abuse, whether it is family violence, spousal abuse,
battery, or intimate partner violence. Or what form the violence and abuse
includes, physical, psychological, sexual, verbal, economic, and spiritual
there will be signs and side effects. There are short-term and long-term
effects from domestic violence and abuse. Some of these side effects can be
seen by the human eye and some of these side effects cannot.
The signs and
effects of physical violence can be seen, unless hidden by the victim. Victims
may suffer from physical injuries ranging from superficial cuts, abrasions, and
bruises that will heal in a few days or weeks. The victim may suffer from life
threatening conditions from the perpetrator’s assaults including severe brain
injury, internal organ damage, or wounds from various weapons used in the
attacks. And some victims will die at the hands of their abusers. Brody (2011)
states: “The truth is, four women are killed every single day in the United
States by someone they’re involved with” (Relationship Violence: The Secret
That Kills 4 Women a Day), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-brody/relationship-violence-the_b_857886.html.)
The signs and effects of psychological
trauma sometimes are missed or ignored all together, especially if there are no
physical signs of abuse. The victim might not want to acknowledge what has
happened to them, using denial as a coping mechanism. The victim may suffer
from short and long term psychological effects from the abuse and its assaults,
threats, and isolation that can range from nightmares and night terrors, panic
attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder. A victim may use drugs and alcohol
to deal with the psychological pain and stress. The victim may suffer from
social isolation that may affect all their relationships. This may alter their
work and school performance, affecting them financially and academically.
The primary victim
of domestic violence and abuse are not the only victims of this criminal act.
Those that only witness the violence and abuse or know it is occurring are
affected. And even total strangers are affected by this crime. The children of
domestic violence and abuse may repeat the pattern, either becoming the victim
or abuser. Frieze and Browne (1989) states: “Witnessing violence between one’s
parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent
behavior from one generation to the next” (Violence in Marriage. In L.E. Ohlin
& M. H. Tonry, Family Violence. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Break the Cycle 2006.) Family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers may want to
help but may not know what to do. The victim may push them away, either from
fear or believing that it is a private matter. The abuser may threaten and harm
the victim for talking about the abuse or those that are trying to help the
victim. Law enforcement officers and medical professionals are affected by
domestic violence, even if they are complete strangers to the victim, these
effects can be psychological and emotional, and in some cases physical when the
abuser attacks them for helping the victim. Employers of the victims and tax
payers that have never meant the victims also are affected by the loss of
productivity and the resources needed to pay for its side effects. These
resources include legal, medical, and psychological. The National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence states: “The cost of intimate partner violence
exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and
mental health services. Victims of intimate partner violence lost almost 8
million days of paid work because of the violence perpetrated against them by
current or former husbands, boyfriends and dates. This loss is the equivalent
of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and almost 5.6 million days of household
productivity as a result of violence. There are 16,800 homicides and $2.2
million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually,
which costs $37 billion” (http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf.)
The causes of
domestic violence and abuse vary from one case to the other. The abuser may
have jealously or anger issues. The abuser may be suffering from a mental
illness and/or personality disorder. The abuser may suffer from low self-esteem
and needs to gain power by controlling their victims. Drugs and alcohol may
play a role in the abuse by creating an environment that promotes instability.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence states: “The U.S. Department
of Justice found that 61% of domestic violence offenders also have substance
abuse problems. In 2002, the Department of Justice found that 36% of victims in
domestic violence programs also had substance abuse problems” (http://www.ncadv.org/files/SubstanceAbuse.pdf.)
The abuser or their victim may have come from a background of domestic
violence, having witnessed their parents or caregivers abuse, repeating the
tradition.
Solutions to
Domestic Violence and Abuse
The solutions to
domestic violence and abuse fall into two distinctive categories. Haley and
Braun-Haley (2000) states: “(1) Prevention, or preventative measures—solutions
aimed at preventing {domestic violence and abuse} from ever happening, and (2)
termination, or protective measures—solutions designed to put an end to abusive
situations that already exist” (War on the Homefront: An Examination of Wife
Abuse. Oxford, NY: Berghahn Books.) Better resources for the criminal justice
system, mental health agencies, substance abuse programs, anti-poverty
agencies, and more education and research on the causes of domestic violence
and abuse are the major factors on preventing and stopping it.
The solutions to
domestic violence and abuse can be as diverse as the families and individuals
that it affects. These various resources provide the victim, the abuser, and
their families with the needed treatment (both physical and psychological),
financial help, and legal support that may break the cycle of abuse and
violence. The perpetrator of the abuse and violence can be suffering from an
untreated mental illness or personality disorder. The proper treatment of
therapy and/or medications that the abuser needs may help stop the abusive
behavior. Both the perpetrator and the victim may have substance abuse issues
that need to be addressed. Better policies in the criminal justice system could
promote more therapeutic solutions, instead of just sentences, then release,
and relapse. Because if the victim and the perpetrator remain together without
help or separation, the abusive cycle of substance abuse and domestic violence
will continue. Programs that help with stress and anger problems can also help
individuals that feel that they are overwhelmed. Family counseling and other
psychological therapies can give the emotional help both the victim and abuser
need. Cultural and religious biases on sex roles and sexual orientation must
also be changed. Sex biases create an environment where women are not equal to
men, allowing for the excuse that violence and abuse is their punishment for
being born female. Sexual orientation biases create an environment where those
that are in a homosexual relationship and are victims of abuse and violence may
not seek help. Helping individuals and families out of poverty can relieve the
threat of domestic violence and abuse in some case. Whatever its causes
domestic violence and abuse must be addressed and not ignored.
Conclusion
Domestic violence
and abuse has been part of the American culture from its beginning. Anyone can
become a victim of this violence and abuse, though women are the majority of
its victims. Violence and abuse in a family unit was once considered normal
because of cultural, legal, and religious traditions and rules. Today, domestic
violence and abuse is viewed as both a physical and psychological danger to the
victims and the perpetrators. It destroys the lives of those that experience
it, those that witness it, and those that perpetrate it, creating a cycle of
abuse and violence in relationships that can be passed on to the next
generations. Better resources and education are needed to combat the problem of
domestic violence and abuse. Longstanding cultural and religious views on the
nature of violence, sex roles and sexuality, must also be reexamined.
