Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Data

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Data

Introduction

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, sexual assault, physical assault and other abusive behavior perpetrated often by an intimate partner, family relative or a stranger. It is an emerging epidemic form of crime affecting individuals from every part of the world in every community regardless of age, religion, nationality, economic status and educational background. Violence is often made a part of systematic pattern of control and dominance because it is frequently accompanied with controlling behavior of the victim often through physical and emotional abuse. The imminent affect of violence are often in the form of psychological trauma, physical injury, and at worst sometimes death. At present, domestic violence and sexual assault are the most chronically underreported crime which is an alarming situation for the government of the countries with high rate of occurrence.

Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault

The violence that occur in our domestic setting often in the form of sexual, emotional, physical and psychological abuse within intimate relationships, family member, and at times by a stranger. The victimization survey findings indicate that in our society women are more likely to become of domestic violence and sexual assault than men (Felson and Pare, 2005). Occurrence of domestic violence and sexual abuse incurs in either homosexual or heterosexual relationship and includes adults, de facto, separated adolescents and often married.

It is quite difficult to measure the true extent of domestic violence against men, women and children as in our society many cases go unreported. The main reason such incidents go unreported is that often the intimate family member and relatives are the perpetrator of such unethical and illegal crimes. Recently many studies have been established and many surveys have been developed to evaluate the true existence and extend of violence and its prominent forms in our society. Research and studies suggest that domestic violence in our society range from intentional physical force in the form of pushing, kicking, and hitting to the intense use of weapons with an intention to threat, harm and injure the victim (Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000). In addition to this, the domestic violence are incurred to humiliate the victim, make the victim feel embarrassed or diminished, withholding important information from the victim and often leads to isolation of the victim.

Similarly, the emerging cases of sexual violence and assault cover the incidents of rape, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances, forced prostitution, forced abortion and other sexual violent acts (Walby and Allen, 2004). It is so unfortunate that many such incidents in our society are hidden and unreported because often the victimizer feels unprotected and supported in case of bringing the issue to legal highlights and often opt to remain silent and bear the consequences alone. Such people often choose to remain isolated and often go into the intense cases of depression and psychological diseases (Newton, 2001).

Fig: Ratio of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Fig: A Power and Control Perspective (Wheel)

Retrieved from http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/whatisdv/about_dv/pcwheel.html

Demographics of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Violence ...