Battered Women

 

Your Assignment/Pay It Forward

While utilizing the concepts from Pay it Forward, write about one social problem (Homelessness/Poverty, Alcohol/Drug Addiction, Bullying, Domestic Abuse (Battered Women and/or Child Abuse)), and Hunger and argue how the community and you need to “pay it forward” in order to affect a change.

Some questions to help develop your essay:

What is the space you are analyzing and examining? 

What are the implications of such a space upon the idea you are exploring in relationship to Homelessness/Poverty, Alcohol/Drug Addiction, Bullying, and Domestic Abuse (Battered Women and/or Child Abuse).  

What are the issues related or reflected by such space? 

What are your thoughts/ideas about such space? 

Do you have a position on the issues reflected by the space of your focus?

Is there a specific social and/or political issue associated with this space?

Does the space reflect socioeconomic concerns?

Are certain issues connected/related to particular spaces and this issue?

Protecting the Women

The battered women syndrome is defined by the online dictionary.com as “the array of physical and psychological injuries exhibited by women (battered women or battered wives) who have been beaten repeatedly or otherwise abused by their partners or spouses.” Many women in America endure this hateful act of crime nowadays and the majority of them become helpless and scared in their circumstance.  Although some people think that domestic violence is something that one can easily escape from, actually there are many contributing factors that incapacitate the victims from fleeing their abusers.

         Violence can be inflicted by both physical and psychological means in a person. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. When the numbers are so high in the number of victims it is very difficult to turn our backs on this delicate subject. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence also states, “The consequences of violence against women is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, and thus is part of a systematic pattern of dominance and control.” The abuser seeks ways in which to keep control of their partner which may include: sexual assault, intimidation, isolation, economic dependency, and threats against loved ones. 

Although emotional abuse is not physically harmful it is often the one that has the most traumatic effect on its victims. If a person thinks they are worthless and that they deserve to be punished, they will most likely tolerate the most abuse in the relationship.

Emotional abuse can make a person become mentally ill with severe depression and other mental illnesses. It can cause them to neglect their health and increase their changes in committing suicide and/or abuse substances. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “Psychologically abusive men are more likely to use a weapon against their partners, have prior criminal arrests, abuse substances, and have employment problems.” When there is no one to overlook at a person’s actions these individuals will loose control of their actions and if no one tells them they are wrong they think that they are not harming anyone.

The harmful consequence that domestic violence imposes on the majority of its victims is irreversible and for some it may be fatal. According to the

Futureswithoutviolence.org, “On average more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States.  In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner”. Innocent women are at risk of becoming part of this statistic when they neglect to report their abuse to the authorities and seek professional help. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “Domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes”, women who are psychologically and/or physically abused become intimidated and terrified that will often keep their chronic situation a secret from the outside world.

Battered women may be in denial for admitting the situation they are living in. In most cases, women believe that their love for their partner will someday make his abusive behavior stop and/or they will eventually change on their own free will. The victims often blame themselves for their abusers’ behavior. According to an online organization named helpguide.org, the key to success is putting one’s life’s safety in priority and realizing that each individual deserves to be happy, safe, and respected in a healthy environment free of violence.

         Domestic violence is problem that can occur to any one and it does not discriminate against any gender , class systems, or sizes.  It is up to us to be able to detect the early signs and get help as soon as possible so that there is no chance of having to face its horrific consequences. In the majority of cases, we can detect early stages in an abuser’s behavior which gives a warning on what might be faced in the future. The online helpguide organization for domestic violence has come up with a systematic way of recognizing the “cycle of violence in domestic abuse”. Their list starts off with the “abuse” which is designed to show one who the “boss” is. The “guilt” factor in which the abuser is worried about being caught for his actions. The abuser then comes up with “Excuses” to avoid taking any responsibilities for his actions and then he pretends nothing has happened and he is in his “normal behavior” just to gain the victims trust again. The abuser finally “fantasizes and plans” new ways in which he can cause harm to his partner and then he goes on a rampage starting the cycle all over again.

One way that our society can help make a difference in stopping domestic violence is to expand our knowledge about the subject. If everyone knew the reality of the situation and everything that a victim goes through because of his/her situation then there will be a higher percentage of people concerned on the subject who could advocate for stricter laws against violent offenders. If we made everyone realize that violence is not necessary and correct than people would become more eager to stand up against this behavior and instead of simply witnessing the situation without doing anything they would try to get the authorities involved.

The majority of victims in domestic violence are not aware that there are places exclusively designed to help them overcome their circumstance. In most cases theses women think that if they try to run away, they will be caught and face a harsher and deadlier punishment by their abuser. There are local institutions and organizations that are equipped with counselors, physiologist, shelters, and occupational workshops that will allow them to become financially independent.

We must change the perception in people who think that domestic violence is a harmless problem in our society that only affects very few people in our society.  We must expand our resources in order to help battered women flee from their nightmares. Women need to become more aware of all the resources that are available for them in order to overcome their hell and be able to become independent in our society. No one deserves to be treated cruel and be physically and psychological harmed by someone else. In order for women to overcome their circumstance they must know that that they are not alone and their life matters.