Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse, commonly known as domestic violence, is a prevalent problem across the world. Statistics provided by the National Coalition against Domestic Violence indicate that approximately 20 people undergo physical abuse from their intimate partners every minute in the United States. This translates to nearly 10 million cases of domestic abuse each year. For a long time, domestic abuse has been viewed or perceived as affecting women alone. However, cases of men being abused by their female spouses have recently been on the rise. According to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, 1 out of every 9 men are subjected to, or rather experience severe physical violence from their intimate partners. Children are also seriously affected by domestic abuse; statistics show that at least 6.7% of children in the U.S. experience domestic violence (National Coalition against Domestic Violence). Such statistics inform the conclusion that domestic violence is a real threat to happiness, stability and functionality of the family.

Forms of domestic abuse

Domestic abuse entails a range of behaviors that may range from simple acts such as shoving, pushing and slapping to murder. Verbal acts such as name-calling and swearing as well as physical acts like biting, hair-pulling, kicking and burning are common forms of domestic violence (The Advocates for Human Rights). Besides being subjected to physical acts such as beating, pushing or shoving, domestic violence can also take the form of rape. In fact, rape is one of the major types of violence among intimate partners. The National Coalition against Domestic Violence reports that at least 20% of women in the U.S. have been raped at some point in their lives, while 1.5% of men have been rape victims. Of these cases, almost half have been committed by acquaintances or intimate partners. Besides rape, domestic abuse may also manifest as stalking. More than 50% of women who have been stalked and 43.5% of the male victims report that they were stalked by an intimate partner (National Coalition against Domestic Violence).

Going by the above figures, domestic abuse is certainly a big problem in the society. It could even be worse, given that a significant number of domestic abuse incidents go unreported. Precisely, many people experience domestic abuse without knowing it (Faubion). This suggests that domestic violence may take the form of subtle acts such deprivation of basic things like food or clothes, being abandoned in an unfamiliar place, refusal to use birth control, restricting one’s communication with family or friends, and completely barring one’s partners from having friends.  

            A graphical summary of the various types of domestic abuse is as shown below:

Fig 1: Impact of domestic abuse

Causes of domestic abuse

Just as there are different forms of domestic abuse, various explanations are given for this vice. According to Goldsmith, domestic abuse starts when a partner experiences an urge to dominate or control his/her spouse. This urge is attributed to factors such as low self-esteem, inability to regulate one’s emotions, inferiority complex, and extreme jealousy. A person with self-esteem issues often tries to mask this through degrading other people. Similarly, individuals whose academic achievements are low often exhibit aggressive behaviors to distract others from this perceived failure. For the victims, poor academic achievement makes them stay even when they are abused by their partners as they have no way of supporting themselves financially (Faubion). Domestic abuse also happens due to retrogressive cultures and traditional beliefs. In some societies, the belief that men are superior and that women cannot be equal to their men gives men the notion that women are to be controlled (Goldsmith). This control typically results to abuse.

One’s environment, background an upbringing may also be a cause of domestic abuse. It has been established that some perpetrators of domestic abuse were raised in violent households (Faubion). Because of this influence, such people grow up viewing domestic abuse as normal. This is why Goldsmith describes domestic abuse as the product of individual as well as situational factors. Children who are born and brought up by violent parents, as well as those who grow up in violent neighborhoods are very likely to grow up into violent adults. On a different note, domestic abuse may be caused by psychology disorders and/or substance abuse (Goldsmith). According to Faubion, people suffering from illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder sometimes experience fluctuating emotions. When this happens, the inability to control anger may cause them to be violent. Regarding the latter, it has been observed that not many people are able to control their impulses when they are drunk or have taken certain intoxicating drugs (Goldsmith). An important point to note about all the above points is that the causes or risk factors of domestic abuse apply to both the victim and the perpetrator.

Effects of domestic abuse

Like any other form of violence, domestic abuse has profound effects on the victims. The National Coalition against Domestic Violence categorizes these into physical/mental and economic impacts. According to this source, domestic abuse can lead to depression together with suicidal behavior. Additionally, domestic abuse makes victims vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Breiding et al. add that research findings indicate that domestic violence sometimes leads to severe injury, acute as well as chronic ailments, and even death. Domestic abuse is also associated with reproductive and physical health effects such as unintended pregnancy, miscarriage, intrauterine hemorrhage, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension among others (National Coalition against Domestic Violence). From an economic point of view, domestic abuse is one of the causes of lost productivity. According to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, an estimated 8 million paid work days are lost each year due to domestic violence. This translates into a loss of more than $8.3 billion. The explanation for this is domestic abuse victims may end up losing their jobs due to injuries and the emotional impact caused by this violence.

Having said that domestic abuse affects every single member of the family, it is important to outline the consequences of domestic violence on children. The Office on Women’s Health has highlighted the short-term as well as long-term impacts of this vice on children of different ages. For preschoolers, domestic abuse is associated with behaviors or outcomes such as thumb-sucking, sleeping difficulties, bed-wetting, and separation anxiety. When the victim is a school-going child, impacts include low self-esteem, withdrawal from social and academic activities, and headaches (McCue 24). Older children-those in their teenage years- who are exposed to domestic abuse are likely to exhibit low self-esteem, engage in dangerous behaviors like drug use and unprotected sex, and defiance (McGee 69). Depression, bullying behavior and aloofness are also common among such children (Office on Women’s Health). In the long-term, domestic abuse causes children to develop into violent, abusive parents or spouses. The Office on Women’s Health states that being raised in a violent home predisposes children to becoming abusers or entering into relationships that are abusive. Apart from this, exposing children to domestic abuse increases their vulnerability to life-threatening illnesses when they reach adulthood. These include depression, heart disease, and obesity (Office on Women’s Health).

Conclusion

Domestic violence is a serious concern that requires to be addressed urgently in order to spare the economy and also safeguard the future generation. No longer are women the sole victims of this vice; men as well as children are increasingly suffering due to domestic abuse. It is sad that billions of money is being lost as a result of domestic abuse. It is even sadder that the physical and mental health of our children is being endangered due to domestic abuse. Clearly, it is the responsibility of the government to partner with social workers and other relevant stakeholders to minimize or possibly stop domestic abuse.

Recommendations

A useful starting point in the fight against domestic abuse would be to understand the need to empower individuals, families and social workers. The National Institute of Justice (para.2) posits that “preventing intimate partner violence requires reaching a clear understanding of [the factors contributing to this problem], coordinating resources, and fostering and initiating change in individuals, families, and society”. What this suggests is that every person has a role to play. More importantly, it means that people must be educated or made aware on what domestic abuse is and what they should when they experience or witness domestic abuse. Specific recommendations are as follows:

• Social workers to lead in organizing, mobilizing and conducting family and community awareness programs to make everybody understand domestic abuse and how to respond to it
• Social workers to act as advocates by assisting victims to report cases of domestic abuse
• Psychiatrists to work together with counseling psychologists to provide emotional assistance to persons undergoing psychological issues that may turn them into abusers
• The government to ensure equitable allocation of resources so that financial hardships do not drive people to become abusers

Works Cited

Breiding, M.J., Basile, K.C., Smith, S.G., Black, M.C., Mahendra, R.R. (2015). Intimate Partner Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements, Version 2.0. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Faubion, Darby. What are the causes of domestic violence. 2020. Web. www.betterhelp.com/advice/domestic-violence/what-are-the-causes-of-domestic-violence/

Goldsmith, Toby D. What causes domestic violence? 2020. Web. psychcentral.com/lib/what-causes-domestic-violence/

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McCue, Margi L. Domestic Violence: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.

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McGee, Caroline. Children’s Experiences of Domestic Violence. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2000. Print.

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National Coalition against Domestic Violence. Male victims of intimate partner violence. 2015. Web. assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/male_victims_of_intimate_partner_violence.pdf

National Coalition against Domestic Violence. Statistics. N.d. web. ncadv.org/statistics

National Institute of Justice. Overview of intimate partner violence. 2007. Web. nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/overview-intimate-partner-violence

Office on Women’s Health. Effects of domestic violence on children. 2019. Web. www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/domestic-violence/effects-domestic-violence-children#2

The Advocates for Human Rights. Forms of domestic violence. 2013. Web. https://www.stopvaw.org/forms_of_domestic_violence