DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence - culture norms and punishment

Introduction

Men, women and children are all vulnerable to many different types domestic violence. However, lower income families are at a greater risk. Financial stress and domestic violence go hand in hand. As the economy gets worse domestic violence increases. Low to middle class income families suffer more during a financial crisis than high income families. Violence increases due to there financial well being and living standards. Low class income victims are more vulnerable because the domestic violence is more poverty specific.

Domestic Violence - Definition

It is widely recognized that women experience domestic violence at far greater rates than men do, and women and children often live in fear as a result of the abuse that is used by men to maintain control over their partners.

Domestic and family violence occurs in all sections of our community and across all cultures. Being abused is NOT a normal part of domestic and/or family life.

Domestic violence is often not recognized by others, particularly if it is the more subtle psychological and emotional abuse. A Woman herself may not recognize that what is happening is domestic violence.

Domestic and family violence occurs when someone in an intimate or familial relationship attempts to gain and/or maintain power and control over another through a wide range of abusive behaviors:

A single act may amount to abuse. A number of acts that form part of a pattern of behaviors may amount to abuse, even though some or all of those acts, when viewed in isolation, may appear to be minor or trivial.

Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating.

Abuse can be difficult to identify, because an abusive person doesn't always act this way. Sometimes they may be loving and kind. But if you often feel afraid of upsetting your partner, and change what you do to avoid their anger, then this is a sign that you are being abused.

All forms of abuse - psychological, economic, emotional and physical - come from the abuser's desire for power and control

Types of domestic violence

Not all domestic violence is the same. Differences in frequency, severity, purpose, and outcome are all significant. Johnson and Ferraro (2000) argue there are five types of domestically violent relationships:

Common Couple Violence: within the context of a single issue, there are one or at most two incidents of violence, and it is not used as part of a pattern of behavior to control the partner. This is similar to what Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) proposed as a "family-only" batterer, or someone who is not violent outside the home, and is the least likely to be sexually and emotionally abusive. Johnson and Ferraro report this kind of batterer is about evenly split between males and females, with 56% being male and 44% being ...