DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is one of the most insidious forms of violence. It is a violent act that takes place between a man and woman? husband and wife. This type of behavior turns love into terror. Woman battery is a universal phenomenon? occurring on all levels of society and in all cultures. Battered women typically have poor self-images and low self-esteems. The victim of such abuse must live with the fear of their perpetrator day in and day out. It is difficult to understand why the battered spouse remains with the perpetrator. As Davis explains in chapter sixteen women often feel trapped within their relationships. They have been ridiculed to a degree in which is life threatening. (Bureau of Justice? 1995) Women who suffer from domestic violence are just like other women? they want to be happy and they long to be loved. They go through months? sometimes years without anyone saying a kind word to them. These individuals feel as though they are to blame for their spouse's vicious cycle of abuse. The victims need to be recognized and helped so they can regain a sense of power. Victims suffering from domestic violence can not regain their power if they do not seek assistance. Social workers are a great source of support and help. Social workers assist the victims in courts? shelters? and hospital emergency rooms. As described in the chapter a shelter is a safe environment where women can stay on a temporary basis. The purpose of a shelter is to provide the victim with the knowledge and confidence to know that they are not at fault. There is usually no way the battered woman can permanently alter the man's battering behavior by changing her own. Batterers are violent for their own personal reasons? not because of anything the women do or don't do. Shelters also help the abused victims regain confidence so they are able to live independently and away from their perpetrator. Social workers under this description work in family agencies? mental health clinics? shelters? public welfare agencies? and hospitals or other medical facilities (Bureau of Justice? 1995). Assistance is extremely important when dealing with cases of abuse. When a woman is battered and does not seek professional intervention? the battering relationship may escalate in violence to the point of suicide or homicide.

When dealing with cases in the realm of domestic violence it is important to display the functions of assessment? identification? support? and counseling. In the case A Battered Woman finds A Safe Haven Estelle who was the social worker in this case used the functions of referral? case management? and advocacy. The case entailed a thirty year old battered mother. Becky who was the victim of domestic violence has two young boys and a violent husband. Becky has been married for seven years and has been a victim for four years. Her husband's violent streak began after he lost his job at the Railroad ...