This month I want to raise awareness of domestic violence in homes across the nation.
I also want to talk about the fact that women are also perpetrators of physical violence - something that isn't talked about a lot.
Some statistics about domestic violence:
About one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence and almost 8% of men. Domestic violence does not always mean beating, hitting, pushing or punching. Verbal tirades, menacing gestures and threats are also part and parcel of violence in the home.
It can happen to anyone - gay, or straight, married or not, and to men, women and children.
According to a Department of Justice report, 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically beaten by an intimate partner every year in the United States.
One third of female murder victims was killed by her husband or boyfriend and most had a history of abuse by the husband or boyfriend before they were murdered by them.
What is rarely talked about are the women who are beating men. Hundreds of thousands of men are battered every year by their intimate partner, many of these partners being women. Men are less likely to report violence for many reasons. They feel they are less manly - that they should be able to defend themselves better and fear police may not pursue charges - or worse - laugh at them. They fear the woman's denials may be believed simply because she's a women and the general consensus is that men do not suffer from domestic violence which is wrong - they do.
For more information and support for men and domestic abuse click here http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/help-for-battered-men
Women do make up the higher percentage of victims, however.
Help Guide.org has a list of signs and symptoms of domestic violence. You can read them all here: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_caus...
Nobody deserves to be mistreated, verbally abused, intimidated, threatened or hit - for any reason. For ANY reason! It is not normal, it is not a part of life we just have to live with and there is help for everyone - including children. We need to be aware that adults who batter other adults in the home are also far more likely to batter children. Children are not 'better off' remaining in in-tact homes where there is violence. They are likely to become victims themselves or repeat the violence they witness. We need to end the cycle.
If you need help, or know someone who does, here is further information:
The National Domestic Violence Helpline -
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
This toll free number is available in all 50 states with translation available and help is offered for both men and women. Visit their website here: http://www.ndvh.org/
The Feminist Majority Foundation offers a detailed list of shelters, hotlines, networks and phone numbers in all 50 states. You can find all this here: www.feminist.org/911/crisis.html
Tell Us-
Has domestic violence affected you or someone you know?
All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.
Add a Comment1 Comments
One of the best things any victim of domestic violence can do for herself or himself is to document what happens and when. If you can, share with a third party, a close friend or a counselor.
And if you are in a workplace with a friend who seems to have a lot of injuries, it doesn't hurt to mark such things down on your calendar or in your journal for that person. I saw a very remarkable story on Oprah once in which a woman's case against her batterer was decided in her favor partially because a coworker, on her own, documented the woman's injuries, when they occurred, and what the woman's explanation was. Because that woman was a third party, her documentation carried a lot of weight.
A lot of people stay in an abusive relationship too long for a variety of factors: Fear of having nowhere to go; the desire to make it work; or feeling that they have an inability to care for their children or pets if they leave. Objective dates-and-facts documentation of abuse could help in almost any legal situation. And it's a small step to take when large steps aren't easy.
October 15, 2008 - 8:56amThis Comment