Definition of Domestic Violence and Main Types of Abuse

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These days it is easy to find a piece of news which informs us about a death of a woman who has been killed by her husband or her boyfriend. Hundred of women are mistreated and then assassinated each year and these deaths are increasing. However, although this is the main problem in our society,there are other kinds of domestic violence that not many people knowbut they have the same importance.

In this essay I intent to give a definition of domestic violence and explain the main kinds of abuses. I will also suggest some possible solutions to diminish or to eliminate this problem and I will show some domestic indicators.I intent to argue some unhelpful behaviours and to finish I will discuss the effects of domestic violence in children. The term family violence includes all forms of violence within families.

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It is commonly used to describe the abuse women suffer at the hands of their male partners, but it is also used to mean family violence. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, psychological, social or economic. Domestic violence is a hidden problem. It occurs in the privacy of a home, and those involved are usually reluctant to talk about it.

The overwhelming majority are women and children who are more vulnerable.There are a lot of kinds of domestic violence such as physical abuse, verbal/emotional abuse, economic abuse, sexual abuse, social abuse or spiritual abuse. The first kind is physical and verbal/emotioonal abuse. This is produced when any action intended to degrade, humiliate and demean, both in public or private, including threats to injure or otherwise harm, the partner or the children; putting one”s partner down and making them feel bad about themselves and their abilities; treating one”s partner like a servant; abuser making decisions regarding partner”s financial status, free time, friendships, work and leisure activities.

This constant humiliation will destroy a woman”s belief in herself and she may start to believe that she”s worthless, that the violence is her fault. Verbal abuse also includes threats of physical violence and violent verbal outbursts. Economic abuse occurs where the man has total control over all financial resources. The woman may have to beg for money to buy necessities and when it is given, it may often be insufficient.

She is then criticised for being stupid and incompetent in failing to provide adequately with this sum.Another kind of domestic violence can be sexual abuse, this includes any attempt to force a partner to have sex or perform sexual acts against their will. Sexual assault may or may not involve physical force. In 1985 in Victoria that rape in marriage was officially recognised as a crime.

Many men still believe that they have the right to unlimited sexual access to their wives. Social abuse exists where the abuser prevents their partner from having any social contact, limiting what the partner does, whom they see, what they read, where they go etc.Social abuse is the constant monitoring and control of women”s activities, outings and friendships. Finally, spiritual violence may be based on race, colour, or other forms of identification with that community.

The result for the abused woman can be public humiliation and isolation from friends and other members of her family. I think that there are a lot of ways to diminish domestic violence and anybody can help to prevent. Some suggestions can be learn more about domestic violence yourself, how to recognise it, the laws relating to it and how to find help for a victim.If a woman tells you that she is being abused, believe her, and let her know that you do so.

Take her fear seriously and ask how you can best support her, but respect her decision if she wishes to do nothing at this time. Don”t allow jokes about domestic violence to be made in your presence. Support local services or groups helping people affected by the problem. Support domestic violence community education and training, and help advertise them.

Phone the police if you are concerned about a woman”s safety.There is evidence to suggest that arrest reduces the likelihood of further violence. Learn to recognise the signs that indicate a woman may be suffering domestic violence and how to help those involved. Familiarise yourself with the law related to domestic violence and use it to assist victims of violence to gain protection.

Get help if you are a victim of violence. And moreover, If you are violent, seek help. I believe that it is very important to know whom are the main domestic violence indicators to realize somebody bears an abuse.One indicator is the evidence of physical injuries, for instance, If a woman has an obvious physical injury, ask her about it as sensitively as possible.

Don”t ignore it… Another attitude you can find in a person are feelings of depression, anger, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts. You must be alert for signs of depression and anxiety, which may indicate long-term emotional or psychological abuse. Medical problems are a further indicator as chronic complaints of poor health, frequent visits to doctors or Hospitals, overuse of tranquillisers or alcohol or drug abuse or sleeping difficulties.Also, emotional distress can be another attitude.

Severe agitation, anxiety, confused thinking, lack of eye contact or an inability to make decisions. A final indicator is violence in family of origin . When talking to a woman, you may obtain information that she grew up in a family where her mother was a victim of Spouse Abuse. This may indicate that she is now in a violent relationship, believing the way her parents related is the norm.

It appears to me that it exists some unhelpful behaviours.This could move the feelings of a victim of domestic violence. One unhelpful behaviour is don”t ask her what she did to provoke the violence: If you do, you are implicitly condoning his actions. Another can be don”t make decisions for her: It is up to her to decide whether she wishes to stay in, or leave, the violent relationship.

A further attitude is don”t expect her to make binding decisions in a hurry. Don”t suggest that she should “try again”: Once violence has become an integrated part of a relationship, it is not likely to end.Finally, don”t suggest a combined interview: She may feel too threatened to speak freely in the presence of her abusive partner and responsibility for the violence can become lost in justifications. If she does speak out, the repercussions afterward may be serious.

One negative aspect of family life is the effect of domestic violence on children, either as witnesses to, or victims of, the conflict. It was through the reports of refuge workers that people first became aware that children could be severely traumatised by witnessing domestic violence and, indeed, that the children may also be victims of this violence.Concern has also been expressed by health and welfare professionals, who have felt the frustration of not being able to intervene legally to protect child witnesses from extreme incidents of domestic violence, unless there was also evidence of child abuse. Child abuse refers to the physical, sexual or psychological damage caused to the child by the abusive behaviour of others, or the failure of others to protect a child from such damage and has been more of a health and welfare issue.

Child abuse and domestic violence often occur in the same family and are linked in a number of important ways that have serious consequences for the safety of children. Domestic violence has lasting negative consequences. As these child-witnesses to domestic violence grow up, they are at greater risk for abusing alcohol or other drugs and for committing violent crimes of all types, eventually getting involved with the criminal justice system. Usually, different forms of domestic violence are linked.

Domestic violence is present in almost all countries of the world. It occurs in rich and poor families and in all cultures. After the war in Bosnia or Irak, the violence as one of its consequences became a serious problem in the society. It was present here before the war, too but not as much as now.

Even that doesn”t change the fact that people aren”t aware enough of that. The first step in solving this problem is to admit that domestic violence is around them. Nobody wants to admit any bad apparitions in the society what causes more harm to the victims.There are also people who believe that if it even exists it can”t be that bad.

They just deny it. To conclude, just recently people started to talk about this problem in public. The newspapers publish articles concerning the different forms of domestic violence. Some people who were in contact with victims of the violence have tried to help them by opening help – centres, organizations and institutions, which support the victims by giving them some kind of safety and which encourage them to talk about that.

The SOS – telephone is very important, because it is available 24 hours a day and because the anonymity they guarantee. People feel free to call them and ask for help. There are only a few centres like this and that is not enough, but the government doesn”t have the required money. For my part, I feel that there is NO excuse for any kind of violence.

Violence is never an acceptable method of solving conflicts in relationships, nor do partners have a legal right to assault each other, whatever they may claim to have been the “provocation”. Nobody asks for, or deserves to be, abused.

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Definition of Domestic Violence and Main Types of Abuse. (2018, Jun 13). Retrieved from

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