Domestic Violence Research Paper
|WEBSTER UNIVERSITY FALL 2009 |
|THE COMPLICATED DYNAMICS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE |
|HOW IT PROVOKES THE COUNSELOR/HELPER RELATIONSHIP |
| |
|Shannon L Crockett |
|10/1/2009 …show more content…
|
|[Researchers have found that some people are more likely to become the victims of domestic violence. When counseling be aware of likely |
|victims complicated dynamics.] |
“According to the latest 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey [NCVS], during the period from 1993 to 2005, the average annual domestic violence rate per 1,000 persons (age 12 or older) for intimate partners and/or relatives was 5.9 for females and 2.1 for males. About one-third of the victims reported they were physically attacked; two-thirds were threatened with attack or death. A little more than half of the female victims suffered an injury, 4.5 percent were seriously injured and 3 percent of those women were sexually assaulted. Fewer male victims — 41.5 percent — reported injuries, of which less than 5 percent were serious injuries. Those males or females who were separated (or divorced) experienced more nonfatal domestic violence than those who were together.” (Catalano)The 2007 Alcohol and Drug Abuse commission stated that one in four persons over the age of 12 are or would be an addict or an alcoholic in need of treatment by their 30th birthday. These combined statistics have counselors that are dealing with the domestic violence survivors and offenders coping with a set of complex issues; one in eight victims of domestic violence have a substance abuse issue, one in four offenders have substance abuse issues which means that almost half have a household with a drug or alcohol problem. There are children living in over sixty percent of homes where an arrest has been made for Domestic Violence [DV] meaning that a staggering proportion of DV homes are perpetuating a cycle of not only abuse but chemical dependency. Counselors need to understand that abusive relationships have a powerful psychological impact on the victims and that counseling this population can have an emotional impact on the counselor themselves. Experiencing transference or counter transference may be a normal experience and it is important to be aware of the possibility. It is rare that anyone can go through life without being exposed to or knowing someone who is a victim of violence. Victims of an abusive relationship may experience some of the following emotions and behaviors:
• Agitation, anxiety and chronic apprehension
• Constant state of alertness that makes it difficult for them to relax or sleep
• A sense of hopelessness, helplessness or despair because the victim believes they will never escape the control of their abuser
• Fear that one cannot protect oneself or one’s children. This person will turn down the assistance offered by relatives, friends or professionals.
• Feeling paralyzed by fear to make decisions or protect oneself
• A belief that one deserves the abuse
• A belief that one is responsible for the abuse
• Flashbacks, recurrent thoughts and memories of the violence and nightmares of the violence
• Emotional reactions to reminders of domestic violence
All victims of domestic violence can be physically and emotionally injured. However, because of general strength differences between men and women, women are six to seven times more likely to receive serious physical injuries than are men.
There are some startling statistics about the frequency of physical injuries to women.
• Domestic violence is the most frequent cause of injuries in women. The incidence of injuries from domestic violence is greater than the combined causes of all other injuries to women.
• In 1999 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that more than 1 million women seek treatment for injuries caused by battering each year.
• One study reported that 28 percent of the battered women who came to one large city’s emergency room required inpatient hospitalization for their injuries and 13 percent required major medical treatment. This study found that 40 percent of the sample’s 218 women had received medical care for abuse injuries in the past.
Emotional abuse does not produce cuts and bruises like physical abuse, so its scars are more difficult to recognize and treat. However, emotional abuse can leave deep scars on the psychological well-being of the victim. Also, emotional abuse often leads to substance abuse, low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, isolation, alienation, anxiety and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Because women are so often the victims, more is known about their psychological injuries. Psychologist Lenore Walker studied female victims and described a “battered woman syndrome.” She found that women who repeatedly experience physical, sexual or serious emotional abuse tend to be affected in common ways, and begin to show similar behavior. These battered women:
• Minimize and deny the abuse.
• Block the abuse incidents from their memory.
• Have anxiety, fearfulness or panic because of constant stress.
• Numb themselves to avoid dealing with the situation.
• Have recurrent flashbacks of battering episodes.
• Have specific fears and are continually watching out for signs of further harm.
Studies have documented that many battered women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The likelihood of a PTSD diagnosis and severe PTSD symptoms is correlated with more severe or ongoing domestic violence experiences. As a counselor it is important to understand a woman’s culture especially if you are not dealing with a physically abused woman. Counselors from the US or Western Culture have a very different perspective when it comes to money and household dominance and submissive respect than say a woman from a Muslim country would. If a woman doesn’t believe she is abused because her culture doesn’t believe it then we must not attempt to force our value systems onto them
Domestic violence can happen in any relationship, regardless of ethnic group, income level, religion, education or sexual orientation. Abuse may occur between a married people, or between an unmarried people living together or in a dating relationship. It happens in heterosexual, gay and lesbian relationships. However, researchers have found that some people are more likely to become the victims of domestic violence. When Counseling be aware of likely victims who may:
• Have poor self-image.
• Put up with abusive behavior.
• Is economically and emotionally dependent on the abuser.
• Is uncertain of his or her own needs.
• Has low self-esteem.
• Has unrealistic belief that he or she can change the abuser.
• Feels powerless to stop violence.
• Believes that jealousy is proof of love.
While abuse can happen to anyone, women are by far the most frequent victims and men are the most frequent abusers. “The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95 percent of the assaults on partners or spouses is committed by men against women.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran)
Victims often have some common characteristics which complicate yet streamline awareness during the counseling experience.
Statistics show women who are victims of domestic violence often in high percentages in the following categories:
• Abuse alcohol or other substances.
• Have been previously abused.
• Are pregnant.
• Are poor and have limited support.
• Have partners who abuse alcohol or other substances.
• Have left their abuser before.
• Have requested a restraining order against the abuser.
• Are members of ethnic minority or immigrant groups.
• Have traditional beliefs that women should be submissive to men.
• Do not speak English.
While it occurs far less often than men battering women, women sometimes batter their male partners. How often women abuse men is the subject of much debate. “Studies report that women are victims of domestic violence at least three times more often than men.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran) However, some men’s groups argue that information on battered men is inaccurate. One reason for this, they say, is that some data have probably been kept out of studies because it is ‘politically incorrect’ or ‘embarrassing’. Also, a woman hit by a man is more likely to be seriously injured than a man who is hit by a woman. For this reason, male victims are less likely to seek medical attention or other help. So critics say that statistics based on reports to professionals or reports of hospital treatment doesn’t reflect the true number of male victims. Male advocates also argue that men don’t get equal protection under the domestic violence laws. In South Carolina there are not any DV shelters for men. The courts and police have previously practiced a double standard—when men are injured and report the attack to the police, they are not taken seriously. “Victimization rates vary among different minority populations. The highest reported rates are for Native American women.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran) Incidentally this male population also has the highest reported alcoholism rate.
Relationship of Domestic Violence Victims to Offenders
Victim to Offender
Relationship Number Pct.
Boyfriend/Girlfriend 15,236 28.4
Spouse 14,977 27.9
Common law spouse 5,311 9.9
Sibling 3,775 7.0
Parent 3,536 6.6
Other family member 3,257 6.1
Child 3,098 5.8
Ex-spouse 1,285 2.4
In-law 1,155 2.1
Stepchild 701 1.3
Stepparent 538 1.0
Grandparent 231 0.4
Child of boy/girlfriend 217 0.4
Grandchild 186 0.3
Homosexual Relation 117 0.2
Stepsibling 74 0.1
Babysitter 31 0.1
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
Domestic Violence Victims by Race and Sex
Race/Sex Number Pct.
White female 20,222 37.7
Non-white female 19,982 37.2
White male 6,936 12.9
Non-white male 6,517 12.1
Note: There were 68 cases in which either race or sex was reported as unknown.
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
It is important to note that although white domestic violence victims outnumber non-white domestic violence victims, the white population in South Carolina is approximately twice the size of the non-white population. Ethnicity, defined within SCIBRS as Hispanic or non-Hispanic, was not a significant factor. Only 337 (0.6%) victims of domestic violence were reported to be Hispanic. Victims of domestic violence were more often young and middle-aged adults. The single largest age group of domestic violence victims was the age 26 to 34 group which accounts for 30.4%. Counseling victims of any ethnicity should be done in a manner which does not group or classify victims based on racial predispositions or slang thoughts.
Domestic Violence Victims by Age Group
Age Number Pct.
0 to 12 2,323 4.3
13 to 17 3,794 7.1
18 to 24 11,429 21.4
25 to 34 16,251 30.4
35 to 44 12,821 24.0
45 to 54 4,527 8.5
55 to 64 1,366 2.6
65 and older 919 1.7
Note: 295 cases missing age data
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
The counseling field should be cautious of being more sensitive to a certain age group as being vulnerable even though vulnerability is evident in some groups.
Allowing yourself to feel more empathy for one group verses another could easily be perceived as you believing perhaps another group could have somehow prevented the abuse.
Audra J. Bowlus & Shannon Seitz, 2006. "Domestic Violence, Employment, And Divorce," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1113-1149, November.
Catalano, S. Intimate Partner Violence in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 2007, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/intimate/ipv.htm
Hugo Mialon & Sue Mialon, 2006. "Violence against women, social learning, and deterrence," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 367-382, October.
Malcoe, L., and B. Duran. “Intimate Partner Violence and Injury in the Lives of Low-Income can Women.” Violence Within the Family, including National Institute of Justice, grant number 5R03-DA/AA11154. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2004, NCJ …show more content…
199703.
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=199703
Criminal Offense Definitions
Aggravated Assault: An unlawful attack by one person upon another wherein the offender uses a weapon or displays it in a threatening manner, or the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness. This also includes assault with disease (as in cases when the offender is aware that he/she is infected with a deadly disease and deliberately attempts to inflict the disease by biting, spitting, etc.).
Forcible Fondling: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against that person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Forcible Sodomy: Oral or anal sexual intercourse with another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Incest: Non-forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.
Murder: The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
Rape: The carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity. (This does not include statutory rape.)
Robbery: The taking, or attempting to take, anything of value under confrontational circumstance from the control, custody, or care of another person by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
Simple Assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness.
Sexual Assault with an Object: To use an object or instrument to unlawfully penetrate, however slightly, the genital or anal opening of the body of another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Statutory Rape: Non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
(FBI, 1996)
For years victims of domestic violence have been labeled co-dependent. The following is a set of characteristics of a co-dependent as offered by Co-Dependents Anonymous, compared with the reality of a woman who is abused.
CO-DEPENDENT: I take responsibility for others' feelings and/or behaviors.
ABUSED: I am held responsible for my abuser's feelings and/or behaviors.
CO-DEPENDENT: I feel overly responsible for others' feelings and/or behaviors.
ABUSED: For my safety, I must be aware of my abuser's feelings and/or behaviors.
CO-DEPENDENT: I have difficulty expressing my feelings.
ABUSED: If I express my feelings, I jeopardize my safety.
CO-DEPENDENT: I have difficulty in forming and/or maintaining close relationships.
ABUSED: It is dangerous for me to form or maintain close relationships.
CO-DEPENDENT: I am afraid of being hurt or rejected.
ABUSED: Having been hurt and rejected, I am scared of re-victimization.
CO-DEPENDENT: I tend to harshly judge everything I do, think, or say, by someone else's standards. Nothing is done, said or thought "good enough."
ABUSED: My abuser harshly judges everything I do, think, or say. Nothing I do is "good enough."
CO-DEPENDENT: I question or ignore my own values to connect with significant others. I value others' opinions more than my own.
ABUSED: My values and opinions are questioned/ignored by my abuser. For my safety I do not express my own opinions.
CO-DEPENDENT: My self-esteem is bolstered by outer/other influences.
ABUSED: My self-esteem is systematically destroyed by my abuser's tactics.
Checklists to help you determine if you are in an abusive relationship.
You are probably the victim of emotional abuse if your partner:
• Repeatedly gives you destructive criticism, verbal threats and browbeating.
• Always claims to be right.
• Excludes you from making decisions and claims to be the head of the household.
• Abuses your trust by lying, hiding important information and papers, cheating or being inappropriately
jealous.
• Minimizes or denies abusive behavior.
• Constantly shows disrespect, puts you down or embarrasses you in front of others.
• Harasses you by following you or checking up on you.
• Prevents you from seeing your relatives or friends or insists on going everywhere with you.
• Monitors your phone calls.
The next list includes signs of physical abuse. You are a victim of physical abuse if your partner:
• Intimidates you through angry or threatening gestures.
• Destroys your belongings or household items.
• Coerces you to have sex or perform sexual acts against your will.
• Kicks, bites, stabs, pushes, burns or chokes you.
• Uses weapons to threaten or harm you or others you love.
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, or experience these forms of emotional and physical abuse in your relationship, you should seek help. Abuse is not acceptable behavior and is not something you should just learn to live with. Don’t be a victim that keeps this a silent disease. Seek help from relatives, friends, law enforcement or community resources. With their help, you may be able to stop the abuse or, if necessary, leave the relationship. Realize that once the abuse has started, it will nearly always get worse.
|THE COMPLICATED DYNAMICS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE |
|HOW IT PROVOKES THE COUNSELOR/HELPER RELATIONSHIP |
| |
|Shannon L Crockett |
|10/1/2009 …show more content…
|
|[Researchers have found that some people are more likely to become the victims of domestic violence. When counseling be aware of likely |
|victims complicated dynamics.] |
“According to the latest 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey [NCVS], during the period from 1993 to 2005, the average annual domestic violence rate per 1,000 persons (age 12 or older) for intimate partners and/or relatives was 5.9 for females and 2.1 for males. About one-third of the victims reported they were physically attacked; two-thirds were threatened with attack or death. A little more than half of the female victims suffered an injury, 4.5 percent were seriously injured and 3 percent of those women were sexually assaulted. Fewer male victims — 41.5 percent — reported injuries, of which less than 5 percent were serious injuries. Those males or females who were separated (or divorced) experienced more nonfatal domestic violence than those who were together.” (Catalano)The 2007 Alcohol and Drug Abuse commission stated that one in four persons over the age of 12 are or would be an addict or an alcoholic in need of treatment by their 30th birthday. These combined statistics have counselors that are dealing with the domestic violence survivors and offenders coping with a set of complex issues; one in eight victims of domestic violence have a substance abuse issue, one in four offenders have substance abuse issues which means that almost half have a household with a drug or alcohol problem. There are children living in over sixty percent of homes where an arrest has been made for Domestic Violence [DV] meaning that a staggering proportion of DV homes are perpetuating a cycle of not only abuse but chemical dependency. Counselors need to understand that abusive relationships have a powerful psychological impact on the victims and that counseling this population can have an emotional impact on the counselor themselves. Experiencing transference or counter transference may be a normal experience and it is important to be aware of the possibility. It is rare that anyone can go through life without being exposed to or knowing someone who is a victim of violence. Victims of an abusive relationship may experience some of the following emotions and behaviors:
• Agitation, anxiety and chronic apprehension
• Constant state of alertness that makes it difficult for them to relax or sleep
• A sense of hopelessness, helplessness or despair because the victim believes they will never escape the control of their abuser
• Fear that one cannot protect oneself or one’s children. This person will turn down the assistance offered by relatives, friends or professionals.
• Feeling paralyzed by fear to make decisions or protect oneself
• A belief that one deserves the abuse
• A belief that one is responsible for the abuse
• Flashbacks, recurrent thoughts and memories of the violence and nightmares of the violence
• Emotional reactions to reminders of domestic violence
All victims of domestic violence can be physically and emotionally injured. However, because of general strength differences between men and women, women are six to seven times more likely to receive serious physical injuries than are men.
There are some startling statistics about the frequency of physical injuries to women.
• Domestic violence is the most frequent cause of injuries in women. The incidence of injuries from domestic violence is greater than the combined causes of all other injuries to women.
• In 1999 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that more than 1 million women seek treatment for injuries caused by battering each year.
• One study reported that 28 percent of the battered women who came to one large city’s emergency room required inpatient hospitalization for their injuries and 13 percent required major medical treatment. This study found that 40 percent of the sample’s 218 women had received medical care for abuse injuries in the past.
Emotional abuse does not produce cuts and bruises like physical abuse, so its scars are more difficult to recognize and treat. However, emotional abuse can leave deep scars on the psychological well-being of the victim. Also, emotional abuse often leads to substance abuse, low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, isolation, alienation, anxiety and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Because women are so often the victims, more is known about their psychological injuries. Psychologist Lenore Walker studied female victims and described a “battered woman syndrome.” She found that women who repeatedly experience physical, sexual or serious emotional abuse tend to be affected in common ways, and begin to show similar behavior. These battered women:
• Minimize and deny the abuse.
• Block the abuse incidents from their memory.
• Have anxiety, fearfulness or panic because of constant stress.
• Numb themselves to avoid dealing with the situation.
• Have recurrent flashbacks of battering episodes.
• Have specific fears and are continually watching out for signs of further harm.
Studies have documented that many battered women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The likelihood of a PTSD diagnosis and severe PTSD symptoms is correlated with more severe or ongoing domestic violence experiences. As a counselor it is important to understand a woman’s culture especially if you are not dealing with a physically abused woman. Counselors from the US or Western Culture have a very different perspective when it comes to money and household dominance and submissive respect than say a woman from a Muslim country would. If a woman doesn’t believe she is abused because her culture doesn’t believe it then we must not attempt to force our value systems onto them
Domestic violence can happen in any relationship, regardless of ethnic group, income level, religion, education or sexual orientation. Abuse may occur between a married people, or between an unmarried people living together or in a dating relationship. It happens in heterosexual, gay and lesbian relationships. However, researchers have found that some people are more likely to become the victims of domestic violence. When Counseling be aware of likely victims who may:
• Have poor self-image.
• Put up with abusive behavior.
• Is economically and emotionally dependent on the abuser.
• Is uncertain of his or her own needs.
• Has low self-esteem.
• Has unrealistic belief that he or she can change the abuser.
• Feels powerless to stop violence.
• Believes that jealousy is proof of love.
While abuse can happen to anyone, women are by far the most frequent victims and men are the most frequent abusers. “The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95 percent of the assaults on partners or spouses is committed by men against women.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran)
Victims often have some common characteristics which complicate yet streamline awareness during the counseling experience.
Statistics show women who are victims of domestic violence often in high percentages in the following categories:
• Abuse alcohol or other substances.
• Have been previously abused.
• Are pregnant.
• Are poor and have limited support.
• Have partners who abuse alcohol or other substances.
• Have left their abuser before.
• Have requested a restraining order against the abuser.
• Are members of ethnic minority or immigrant groups.
• Have traditional beliefs that women should be submissive to men.
• Do not speak English.
While it occurs far less often than men battering women, women sometimes batter their male partners. How often women abuse men is the subject of much debate. “Studies report that women are victims of domestic violence at least three times more often than men.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran) However, some men’s groups argue that information on battered men is inaccurate. One reason for this, they say, is that some data have probably been kept out of studies because it is ‘politically incorrect’ or ‘embarrassing’. Also, a woman hit by a man is more likely to be seriously injured than a man who is hit by a woman. For this reason, male victims are less likely to seek medical attention or other help. So critics say that statistics based on reports to professionals or reports of hospital treatment doesn’t reflect the true number of male victims. Male advocates also argue that men don’t get equal protection under the domestic violence laws. In South Carolina there are not any DV shelters for men. The courts and police have previously practiced a double standard—when men are injured and report the attack to the police, they are not taken seriously. “Victimization rates vary among different minority populations. The highest reported rates are for Native American women.” (Malcoe, L., and B. Duran) Incidentally this male population also has the highest reported alcoholism rate.
Relationship of Domestic Violence Victims to Offenders
Victim to Offender
Relationship Number Pct.
Boyfriend/Girlfriend 15,236 28.4
Spouse 14,977 27.9
Common law spouse 5,311 9.9
Sibling 3,775 7.0
Parent 3,536 6.6
Other family member 3,257 6.1
Child 3,098 5.8
Ex-spouse 1,285 2.4
In-law 1,155 2.1
Stepchild 701 1.3
Stepparent 538 1.0
Grandparent 231 0.4
Child of boy/girlfriend 217 0.4
Grandchild 186 0.3
Homosexual Relation 117 0.2
Stepsibling 74 0.1
Babysitter 31 0.1
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
Domestic Violence Victims by Race and Sex
Race/Sex Number Pct.
White female 20,222 37.7
Non-white female 19,982 37.2
White male 6,936 12.9
Non-white male 6,517 12.1
Note: There were 68 cases in which either race or sex was reported as unknown.
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
It is important to note that although white domestic violence victims outnumber non-white domestic violence victims, the white population in South Carolina is approximately twice the size of the non-white population. Ethnicity, defined within SCIBRS as Hispanic or non-Hispanic, was not a significant factor. Only 337 (0.6%) victims of domestic violence were reported to be Hispanic. Victims of domestic violence were more often young and middle-aged adults. The single largest age group of domestic violence victims was the age 26 to 34 group which accounts for 30.4%. Counseling victims of any ethnicity should be done in a manner which does not group or classify victims based on racial predispositions or slang thoughts.
Domestic Violence Victims by Age Group
Age Number Pct.
0 to 12 2,323 4.3
13 to 17 3,794 7.1
18 to 24 11,429 21.4
25 to 34 16,251 30.4
35 to 44 12,821 24.0
45 to 54 4,527 8.5
55 to 64 1,366 2.6
65 and older 919 1.7
Note: 295 cases missing age data
Source: SCIBRS, SLED
The counseling field should be cautious of being more sensitive to a certain age group as being vulnerable even though vulnerability is evident in some groups.
Allowing yourself to feel more empathy for one group verses another could easily be perceived as you believing perhaps another group could have somehow prevented the abuse.
Audra J. Bowlus & Shannon Seitz, 2006. "Domestic Violence, Employment, And Divorce," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1113-1149, November.
Catalano, S. Intimate Partner Violence in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 2007, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/intimate/ipv.htm
Hugo Mialon & Sue Mialon, 2006. "Violence against women, social learning, and deterrence," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 367-382, October.
Malcoe, L., and B. Duran. “Intimate Partner Violence and Injury in the Lives of Low-Income can Women.” Violence Within the Family, including National Institute of Justice, grant number 5R03-DA/AA11154. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2004, NCJ …show more content…
199703.
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=199703
Criminal Offense Definitions
Aggravated Assault: An unlawful attack by one person upon another wherein the offender uses a weapon or displays it in a threatening manner, or the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness. This also includes assault with disease (as in cases when the offender is aware that he/she is infected with a deadly disease and deliberately attempts to inflict the disease by biting, spitting, etc.).
Forcible Fondling: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against that person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Forcible Sodomy: Oral or anal sexual intercourse with another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Incest: Non-forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.
Murder: The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
Rape: The carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity. (This does not include statutory rape.)
Robbery: The taking, or attempting to take, anything of value under confrontational circumstance from the control, custody, or care of another person by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
Simple Assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness.
Sexual Assault with an Object: To use an object or instrument to unlawfully penetrate, however slightly, the genital or anal opening of the body of another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
Statutory Rape: Non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
(FBI, 1996)
For years victims of domestic violence have been labeled co-dependent. The following is a set of characteristics of a co-dependent as offered by Co-Dependents Anonymous, compared with the reality of a woman who is abused.
CO-DEPENDENT: I take responsibility for others' feelings and/or behaviors.
ABUSED: I am held responsible for my abuser's feelings and/or behaviors.
CO-DEPENDENT: I feel overly responsible for others' feelings and/or behaviors.
ABUSED: For my safety, I must be aware of my abuser's feelings and/or behaviors.
CO-DEPENDENT: I have difficulty expressing my feelings.
ABUSED: If I express my feelings, I jeopardize my safety.
CO-DEPENDENT: I have difficulty in forming and/or maintaining close relationships.
ABUSED: It is dangerous for me to form or maintain close relationships.
CO-DEPENDENT: I am afraid of being hurt or rejected.
ABUSED: Having been hurt and rejected, I am scared of re-victimization.
CO-DEPENDENT: I tend to harshly judge everything I do, think, or say, by someone else's standards. Nothing is done, said or thought "good enough."
ABUSED: My abuser harshly judges everything I do, think, or say. Nothing I do is "good enough."
CO-DEPENDENT: I question or ignore my own values to connect with significant others. I value others' opinions more than my own.
ABUSED: My values and opinions are questioned/ignored by my abuser. For my safety I do not express my own opinions.
CO-DEPENDENT: My self-esteem is bolstered by outer/other influences.
ABUSED: My self-esteem is systematically destroyed by my abuser's tactics.
Checklists to help you determine if you are in an abusive relationship.
You are probably the victim of emotional abuse if your partner:
• Repeatedly gives you destructive criticism, verbal threats and browbeating.
• Always claims to be right.
• Excludes you from making decisions and claims to be the head of the household.
• Abuses your trust by lying, hiding important information and papers, cheating or being inappropriately
jealous.
• Minimizes or denies abusive behavior.
• Constantly shows disrespect, puts you down or embarrasses you in front of others.
• Harasses you by following you or checking up on you.
• Prevents you from seeing your relatives or friends or insists on going everywhere with you.
• Monitors your phone calls.
The next list includes signs of physical abuse. You are a victim of physical abuse if your partner:
• Intimidates you through angry or threatening gestures.
• Destroys your belongings or household items.
• Coerces you to have sex or perform sexual acts against your will.
• Kicks, bites, stabs, pushes, burns or chokes you.
• Uses weapons to threaten or harm you or others you love.
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, or experience these forms of emotional and physical abuse in your relationship, you should seek help. Abuse is not acceptable behavior and is not something you should just learn to live with. Don’t be a victim that keeps this a silent disease. Seek help from relatives, friends, law enforcement or community resources. With their help, you may be able to stop the abuse or, if necessary, leave the relationship. Realize that once the abuse has started, it will nearly always get worse.