Domestic Violence
What Is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional/psychological abuse. Abusers can be male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender or non-conforming and of varying ages and relationships.
“Domestic violence is a global issue reaching across national boundaries as well as socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions. This problem is not only widely dispersed geographically, but its incidence is also extensive, making it a typical and accepted behavior. Domestic violence is widespread, deeply ingrained and has serious impacts on women’s health and well-being. Its continued existence is morally indefensible. Its cost to individuals, to health systems and to society is enormous. Yet no other major problem of public health has been so widely ignored and so little understood.” (Kaur, R., & Garg, S. 2008)
Every Form of Domestic Violence Devastates
Physical abuse is the easiest to see, but any type of physical abuse or threat such as pushes, punches, slaps, spits on, shakes, throws objects irrespective of contact, throws victim, disrupts sleep, shoves, burns, strangles, threatens with and or attacks with a weapon, withholding food, refuses medical care and giving medication without consent is physical abuse.
Sexual abuse is difficult for the victim to discuss and divulge any or all of the intimate details such as being forced to participate in non-consensual sexaul acts even if it may seem non-violent is sexual abuse, withholding sex as a form of punishment and control, denies or withhold contraceptive, forces sexual attire that is not normal for the victim, forces the victim to have sex with others, forces the victim to participate in unconventional sexual acts, manipulates the victim to force sex and verbal degradation before, during and or after sex is sexual abuse.
Women
A woman is beaten every 9 seconds in the U.S.
Children
10,000,000 children are exposed to domestic violence every year.
Families
Domestic Violence is the 3rd leading cause of homelessness among families nationwide.