A Deeper of Understanding Domestic Violence and Solving the Aftermath
Domestic violence can also refer to family violence such as physical, verbal, sexual or emotional abuse done in a household (NAPCAN Foundation). It can take on any form, and may be unnoticeable or bearable most of the time. It includes physical assault, which can be classified into two (1) Minor Violent Acts throwing objects, pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping, spanking (2) Severe Violent Acts Kicking, biting, hitting with fist or with an object, beating up, threatening or actual use of gun or knife (Sewell Sewell, 2000). Stalking can also be classified under domestic violence. Added to that, it also involves unwanted or forced sexual activity. Emotional, psychological and financial abuse does not necessarily equate to domestic violence, but they are forms of domestic abuse and can later on lead to violence itself (Domestic Violence Organization, 2009).
Yet, it is a societal problem often under assessed, overlooked, or denied. Acknowledging the violence is the first step towards solving the problem. Wherever one is in the status quo, a person needs to feel valued and respected.
More often than not, the media today portrays the women as the common victims, but it is undeniable that men in a matrimonial relationship experience abuse too, especially verbally and emotionally (Smith and Segal, 2010). Domestic Violence should be examined and analyzed carefully, based on scientifically gathered data and statistics, and not merely be governed by gender politics (Sewell Sewell, 2000).
The America Bar Association has compiled a survey of statistics performed by different organizations with regards to the occurrence of domestic violence. One of the data given was from a study conducted for the time span 1995-1996, including 50 States and the District of Columbia. Based on survey of 16,000 participants, with equal male and female participants, nearly 25 of women and 7.6 of men were raped andor physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, live-in partner, or intimate partner at some point in their lifetime (Tjaden Thoennes, 2000).
In a study done by the year 2000, it was found out that annually approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner in the US. (Tjaden Thoennes, 2000).
In addition, still by the year 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were actually killed by an intimate partner. In recent years, a partner killed approximately 33 of female partners and 4 of male partners Also, domestic violence was found to make up 20 of all nonfatal violent crime experienced by women in 2001 (cited in American bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence ).
The statistics aforementioned all say that a higher number of women are more domestically violated than men. Even in the current portrayals of the media, the women are always the poor and battered partners. In fact, when most people hear of domestic violence, it is almost equated to violation on womens rights. The news always report of domestic violence against women wives being tortured, battered, and so on and so forth. While there are very rare instances where one can watch a news report where the husband gets battered by the wife. Thus, it becomes very questionable if men also experience domestic violation. The answer can be a no, because the big fat husband can never be assaulted by his weak wife. But if yes, why isnt there much publicity about the matter Perhaps it is because the men are tolerant of physical abuse so they would not speak up, or it is a matter shame and dignity. Imagine a husband or a male partner going to police station to report physical abuse from a wife or girlfriend. Or is there some sort of twisted truth trying to fraud the real statistics, in favor of gender politics Whatever the underlying reasons are for this seemingly unequal perspective can be blamed on the media. For instance, in a television show, when a husband and wife argue and the wife would throw plates on a husband coming home late at night, that would be a funny scene. But when a man throws his wife some plates, now that is something to report to the police.
The current and imminent conceptions of various organizations that encourage women to speak up and empower womens rights have been highly-publicized. Resulting from its publicity, these women empowering organizations gain support from politicians, big organizations, media and civilians which by the way, continuously fund them. The reason behind women shelter movements not mentioning statistics on domestic violence on men can be attributed as a purposeful fund raising tactic. The misleading statistics and the use of distorted police reports to highlight the suffrage of women is a deliberate attempt to make the society support and give financial assistance to the womens groups (Sewell Sewell, 2000). This statement of the authors, from the Family and Resources Research, has created a spur of negative reactions, harsh complaints, and objections. True claim or not, what can be arguable here is that there are really quite a number of men experiencing domestic violence, but are not highly-publicized. This turns to be a high jack the essential and legitimate issue of family violence, and an attempt to divert it into gender politics.
Consequently, many critics researchers have been blaming it all on the media for the blatant blasphemy of the real situation. While reports here and then contain figures of women being abused, battered, hurt, or raped, the figures on domestic violence on men remain on the shadows. An alarming number of men also experiencing domestic violence equally, if not, even more. It should be noted that this paper aims to examine domestic violence in highly-fair heterosexual approach. It is not aimed to revolutionize negative ideals about women.
Spousal Assaults Expressed As Rate Per 1000 Couples
Minor Assaults
Year Assault by Assault by
husband wife
1975 98 98
1985 82 75
1992 92 94
Severe Assaults
1975 38 47
1985 30 43
1992 19 44
Wives Report They Have
been severely assaulted by husband 22 per 1000
severely assaulted husband 59 per 1000
Husbands Report They Have
been severely assaulted by wives 32 per 1000
severely assaulted wives 18 per 1000
Husbands Wives Both Report
wife has been assaulted 20 per 1000
husband has been assaulted 44 per 1000
Figure1 (Sewell and Sewell, 2000)
Recognizing is the first step in putting an end to domestic violence. Whether it is the man or the woman who have committed criminal abuse, abusive behavior is never acceptable. It is important to recognize who was wrong, so that the person can get help psychologically, before heshe commits any more grave assaults. It is also necessary to determine who got wronged, so to gain assistance in any way possible, psychological, emotional, medical, and financial. There are several organizations to cater such needs, like American Institute on Domestic Violence, Asian Task Force against Domestic Violence, Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, Emerge Counseling and Education, and many others (Stingley, 2010). The list of organizations has been particularly sympathetic over women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.
Upon getting help from families, friends, relatives, andor organizations, victims of domestic violence is advised to go through counseling. Counseling helps them to assess what went wrong with the relationship and to rebuild their lives from the unfortunate incident.
The Solution-Focused Therapy is one of the revolutionized forms of counseling to help the victims. The Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is developed by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg, and their colleagues beginning in the late 1970s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the name suggests, SFBT is future-focused and goal-directed form of therapy. The form of questioning and specialized conversation focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek therapy. In this way, clientsvictims will have a clearer vision of the solution and become more optimistic with regards to the problem. It also helps them to have a positive vibe despite the incident (Dolan).
It uses techniques and set of questions in the form of specialized conversations. Much focus is placed on the present and the future, instead of the past. Added to that, compliments are given to the victims in the form of appreciatively toned questions so they will get more encouraged in life. Miracle questions is a questioning tool used to generate the first small steps of the solution, by helping victims to describe small, realistic, and doable steps they can take as soon as the next day. Scaling questions ask victims to rate on a scale of 0 to 10 to assess their own situations, track their own progress, or evaluate how others might rate them. Coping Questions serve as a powerful reminder that all clientsengage in many useful things even in times of overwhelming difficulties. For instance, victims are asked How have you managed tocarry on. This tone of questioning invite a positive feel on the victim that heshe is actually coping well and doing good despite what happened (Dolan).
Lindforss and Magnusson conducted a randomized study on the prison recidivism in Hageby Prison in Sweden. A group of clients received an average of five SFBT sessions and the control group their usual available services. Clients were followed at 12 and 16 months after their discharge from prison. The SFBT group consistently did better than the control group. In addition, a number of researchers have conducted studies with a range of clients in various settings and geographical locations. Based on the reviews, the studies offered preliminary support that the SFBT approach could be beneficial to clients. SFBT opens a different way of looking at a victims resiliency and determination (Dolan).
Amidst any situation, the resiliency, or positive capacity of people to cope with stress and catastrophe, should always triumph. It is understandable that it is difficult for some victims to be resilient because they think that there is no more life after all the pain and mess the violence has brought into their lives. In addition, the love over the person who inflicts the abuse rules over them, that they choose to endure the suffering because they dont want to be apart from that loved-one. Though, it should always be remembered that in any relationship, no one should live in fear of the person they love. So in cases of initial signs of domestic abuse, counseling and good conversation between the involved individual should immediately be done.
The violence will stop if proper counseling is given to the violator and the one being violated, before the situation gets worse. Families, friends and organizations also play a quintessential role in this process. Helping victims of domestic violent rebuild their lives is also in the context of welfare reform (Knitzer, 2000). The society should be more aware, helpful, and assisting to these cases. A promotion of a love and nurturing environment is the key, as prevention is always better than cure.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment