The Importance Of Childhood Exposure To Domestic Violence

Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence

Topic: Domestic Violence, a legal definition is a pattern of abusive behavior that occurs between partners in an intimate relationship. But the children in these homes are suffering as well.
Social problems caused by it: Abuse, mental and medical issues, since this is a crime it would be a law enforcement issue as well.
Domestic violence is a social problem because it effects so many more people than just the intended victim and it has severe consequences. Violence has serious human, social and economic significance both for the women who endure it and for society as a whole. Violence is detrimental to women’s personal and financial independence and can
do serious damage to their physical and mental well-being. This could cause mental health issues, physical health issues, and a financial burden on society. A law passed or introduced on this topic: Most laws against domestic violence are state laws; however, the 1994 Crime Bill included the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which allows the federal government to enforce some domestic violence laws. This occurred after the World Health Organization declared Domestic Violence a public health concern. The VAWA was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005, and signed into law in 2006. The Violence Against Women Office is the federal government 's office for issues relating to domestic violence. It is important to recognize that women are not always the victims of domestic violence; women can also be the abusers and men the victims. Children from environments of domestic violence are defenseless and quiet victims. My paper will focus wholly on these children, discussing the many perils they will face mentally, physically and educationally. Children from these homes often grow up to become abusers

themselves, however some researchers say that not all will fall victim and often lead fairly normal lives.
Children growing up in homes with domestic conflict, resulting in physical violence, are at risk for developing behavioral and emotional problems. Both clinical case reports and experimental studies indicate that these children demonstrate a high frequency of externalizing behavior problems, such as aggression, noncompliance, and delinquency. As well as internalizing behavior problems including withdrawn, anxious, somatic complaints. Some others may include, measures of social incompetence, children of battered women scored significantly below their peers in academic subjects as well.
Problem: Domestic Violence and its effect on the children involved.
Defined as: Effects of domestic violence on children.
We know that it is a problem, because the numbers estimated by research are staggering.
As many as 275 million children worldwide are exposed to violence in the home. This range is a conservative estimate based on the limitations of the available data. In actuality, millions more children may be affected by violence in the home.

For whom is it a problem? It is obviously a problem for the children involved, but some social concerns might be the need for remedial help for those suffering in school, psychotherapy for those with mental scars, medical expense for those suffering from any physical abuse. Of course this leads to excessive economic concerns to the tune of more than $8.3 billion. (Meyer, H. 2002).

About this problem: When there 's violence in the home, children are always affected, even if they 're asleep or not in the room when the abuse happens. The longer you live in a violent situation, the harder it will be for your children. When abuse happens, your children may feel scared and ashamed, or they may even think that they caused the problem. Worse, they can grow up thinking that it 's okay to hurt others or let other people hurt them. The effects of domestic violence on a child are lifelong and, in some cases, fatal.
Policy analysis:

DOMESTIC RELATIONS TITLE Ch.741-753
XLIII

MARRIAGE; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Chapter 741
(3) If the court has knowledge, based on its familiarity with the case, that the petitioner, the children of the petitioner, or another person is in immediate danger if the court fails to act prior to the decision of the state attorney to prosecute, it should immediately issue an order of appointment of the state attorney to file a motion for an order to show cause as to why the respondent should not be held in contempt.
If the court does not issue an order of appointment of the state attorney, it shall immediately notify the state attorney that the court is proceeding to enforce the violation through criminal contempt.
If any person is in a domestic violence situation and has filed a petition as such, and they or their children are in any immediate danger, and the courts fail to do anything to protect them before state attorney prosecutes, then the courts should file a motion demanding why the respondent should not be held in contempt. The next step would be for the court to notify the state attorney of its intentions to enforce the violation via criminal contempt. Congress’ first major effort to address domestic violence was the
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, enacted in 1984. This legislation was designed to assist states in efforts to increase
public awareness, about family violence and to provide shelters and other assistance for victims of family violence and their children. This act has two primary purposes, which are to define what is considered as violence in families, the responsibilities and
(1) This Act defines the notion of violence in families, the role and tasks of state authorities, holders of public authority, public service contractors, authorities of self- governing local communities (hereinafter: authorities and organizations), as well as non- government organizations taking part in consideration of family violence, and determines the actions for protecting the victims of family violence.

(2) To prevent violence in families and to protect as well as provide aid to victims there are other actions that shall be taken as defined by other acts and regulations issued on their basis besides the actions, which are defined by this Act.

References

“Externalities in the Classroom: How Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Affect Everyone 's Kids”
Carrell, Scott E.; Hoekstra, Mark L. American Economic Journal. Applied Economics2.1 (Jan 2010): 211-228.
“Adjustment of children from maritally violent homes”
O Keefe, Maura. Families in Society75.7 (Sep 1994): 403.
“Silent Victims -- An Epidemic of Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence” falseBair-Merritt, Megan, MD, MSCE; Zuckerman, Barry, MD; Augustyn, Marilyn, MD; Cronholm,
Peter F, M.D., M.S.C.E. (2013). Silent victims – An Epidemic of Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence
The New England Journal of Medicine, 369(18), 1673-5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.saintleo.edu/docview/1447633431 “Mental health services for children who witness domestic violence” falseBetsy McAlister Groves. The Future of Children9.3 (Winter 1999): 122.
Meyer, H. The Billion Dollar Epidemic. American Medical News, January 6, 1992
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