Introduction
Thesis: Domestic violence is detrimental for victims and children and should be effectively addressed.
Body
Causes and Effects
Paragraph 1:
Domestic violence may be caused by the urge by abusers to control their partners, spouses or any other family member.
- Strong emotions such anger, extreme jealousy and low self-esteem
- Belief that women should be submissive to men
- influence by family one grew up in
Paragraph 2:
One may also become abusive in a domestic setting due to drug and alcohol abuse and other life stressors.
- Failure to control anger after getting drunk
- Urge to use violence to relieve such life stresses as unemployment and financial struggles
Paragraph 3:
Victims of domestic violence suffer from a range of physical and psychological effects.
- May die, become ill, get seriously injured or become disabled
- May become depressed or angered
- May cause serious physical harm to themselves including committing suicide
Paragraph 4:
Children who witness domestic violence can develop serious physical and behavioral and emotional problems.
- May start complaining of such general pain and aches as stomach aches and headaches
- May develop nervousness and their attention spans may become short
- May experience anxiety, aggressiveness, and changes in how they socialize
Strategies to Counter Domestic Violence
Paragraph 5:
One way to curb domestic violence is to reform the legislation and ensure that the vice falls under the law.
- Repealing or doing away with all laws that are discriminative against women
- Penalties against perpetrators and abusers should be harsh
Paragraph 6:
All societies should help those in marriage to become economically independent.
- Economic independence will ensure that neither partner in a marriage feels superior or inferior.
- A financially stable woman would not have to stay in an abusive relationship
- An economically stable man would not develop stresses associated with financial troubles
Paragraph 7:
Spouses should strive to address the violence at the family level.
- Have a safety plan.
- Use the plan in case violence erupts.
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Conclusion
- Domestic violence exposes victims and children to untold physical and psychological suffering and should be adequately addressed
- Abused people may develop health problems and undergo emotional deterioration
- To stop this vice, stringent laws should be enacted against it so that it becomes a crime to be abusive in a relationship.
Domestic Abuse Essay Sample
Introduction
Domestic violence is violence or other form of abuse meted out on one person by another in such domestic settings as cohabitation or marriage. It can take place between former partners or spouses as well as in ongoing same sex or heterosexual relationships. It can also involve violence against the elderly, parents, or children. It occurs in a number of forms, including sexual, reproductive, religious, economic, emotional, verbal, and physical abuse (Kenney, 2011). Anyone of any age or gender can be affected by domestic violence. Whether psychological or physical, domestic violence is detrimental for victims and children and should be effectively addressed.
Causes and Effects
Domestic violence may be caused by the urge by abusers to control their partners, spouses or any other family member. According to Lockton and Ward (2016), this may be because of strong emotions such as difficulties in regulating anger, extreme jealousy, and low self-esteem. One may also develop the urge to control when they feel their partner is superior to them in terms of socioeconomic or educational background. Some people, especially men with a traditional mindset, might believe that they have full control over their families and that women including their wives should be submissive to them. Others may also have borrowed this behavior from the families in which they grew up if domestic violence was a common occurrence.
One may also become abusive in a domestic setting due to drug and alcohol abuse and other life stressors. Lockton and Ward (2016) observe that once drunk or high on hard drugs, a person may not be able to control their anger or approach to controversial issues between them and their partners. They might also be undergoing protracted unemployment periods and would be angered by any slight disagreement which would easily trigger them into violence. Financial issues are another stressor that may make an individual become easily angered and often, they would want to release this anger on their partners. One may further have such perceived failures as failure to gain promotion at work and develop hopelessness and eventually turn violent.
Victims of domestic violence suffer from a range of physical and psychological effects. They may die, become ill, get seriously injured or become disabled and this explains why domestic and family violence is a leading cause of disability and illness especially for women (Johnson, 2010). Victims may also suffer psychological and emotional trauma that may see them become depressed or angered and may even cause serious physical harm to themselves including committing suicide. In an attempt to escape from the never ending violence after sustaining physical health injuries some of which may not be treatable, victims might end up becoming homeless. They might decide to start using alcohol and other drugs in order to deal with the pain.
Further, children who witness domestic violence can develop serious physical and behavioral and emotional problems. They may start complaining of such general pain and aches as stomach aches and headaches. In addition to generally not feeling physically well, children may also develop nervousness and their attention spans may become short. Anxiety, aggressiveness, and changes in how a child socializes with others are some of the emotional and behavioral problems that can result due to domestic violence (Johnson, 2010). Due to traumatic experiences, mental health disorders, emotional insecurity, and depression can follow. A child can then start to develop problems with cognition and attitude at school while at the same time lacking essential skills such as problem-solving skills.
Strategies to Counter Domestic Violence
One way to reduce or curb domestic violence is to reform legislation and ensure that the vice falls under the law. This should include repealing or doing away with all laws that are discriminative against women. It would be an effort in futility to run programs to prevent domestic violence if the existing laws still allow husbands to control their wives and even physically “discipline” them. In this respect, well defined marriage laws should be put in place so that people may know what to expect when entering matrimonial unions. As suggested by Chan (2012), the penalties against domestic violence perpetrators and abusers should be so harsh that one hardly thinks of engaging in the same.
In addition, all societies should help those in marriage to become economically independent. Economic independence will ensure that neither partner in a marriage feels superior or inferior to the other partner (Chan, 2012). A woman who is financially stable would not have to stay in an abusive relationship because they would be able to afford their own home and even fend for their children on their own. Similarly, an economically stable man would not develop stresses associated with financial troubles or inability to care for his family. Such a man would be less likely to become abusive or develop unnecessary angers.
Domestic violence may also be addressed at the family or spousal level, with a view to avoiding its detrimental repercussions. Each partner in a spousal relationship should develop a safety plan to use during a violent situation. The plan should clearly outline how the victim may exit their home in a safe and quick manner in case of a violence. “This plan should consider very fine details such as where to keep keys, a purse and an extra set of clothes for a rapid departure” (Bressert, 2020). It should be noteworthy that this is a reactionary measure and not a preventive one and should only be used if the above preventive measures fail to work.
Conclusion
Domestic violence exposes victims and children to untold physical and psychological suffering and should be adequately addressed. Abused people, especially women, may develop health problems and undergo emotional deterioration that might even send them into committing suicide. Children on the other hand may develop serious developmental problems and may find it difficult to socialize with other people. In order to stop this vice, stringent laws should be enacted against it so that it becomes a crime to be abusive in a relationship. People should also be economically empowered so they may not depend on their partners for everything. In case violence erupts, each partner should have and use a safety plan.
References
Bressert, S. (2020). “How to deal with domestic violence”. PsychCentral. Retrieved May 29, 2020 from https://psychcentral.com/lib/steps-to-address-domestic-violence/
Chan, K. (2012). Preventing Family Violence: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Johnson, M. P. (2010). A Typology of Domestic Violence: Intimate Terrorism, Violent Resistance, and Situational Couple Violence. Lebanon, NH: UPNE.
Kenney, K. L. (2011). Domestic Violence. Edina, MN: ABDO.
Lockton, D., & Ward, R. (2016). Domestic Violence. New York, NY: Routledge.