Domestic Violence in the U.S.A

Domestic Violence in the U.S.A

Issues related to domestic violence are grave and puzzling public health problems. Roughly one in three females and one in ten males 18 years of age and above undergo domestic violence. Each year, domestic violence is answerable for over one thousand five hundred demises in the United States.  Individuals who experience this kind of abuse may incur injuries ranging from physical, emotional, and psychological injuries. They can tamper with their well-being and that of the community as a whole. For instance, they can lack the power to work and take care of their families.  The community, and especially the government, can also spend a lot of money to treat the injured persons (Ellison &Anderson, 2001). Aggrieved individuals may even lose their jobs, exposing them to unemployment and hence poverty. This can risk the security of the community as individuals can tend to engage in criminal activities in search of basic needs. Individuals can also become afraid of getting into intimate relationships for fear of violence, which can affect the family structure.

Domestic violence became a crime in the U.S. in 1994. This is after the government and the people recognized that the violence had become very predominant in the country. Cases related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking had increased significantly compelling Congress to pass a law, the Violence against Women Act of 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.  However, the law has undergone numerous changes in the recent past. For instance, the Violence against Women Act of 2000 and the Violence against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005(Ellison &Anderson, 2001). The legislation marked the first inclusive federal legislative raft intended to end violence against women. It was a win for women who had tirelessly been working hard to convince the Congress to come up with a law to protect women as the states had frequently failed in their attempts to protect women against violence (Seddon, 1993).  VAWA encompassed rations on rape and battering that concentrated on deterrence, subsidy for victim amenities, and evidentiary matters. It also incorporated the original federal criminal law against battering and a requirement that every state meet the expense of full faith and credit to orders of protection issued anywhere in America. Since the passage of the legislative law, a standard shift in how matters related to violence against women has been experienced.

Effects of domestic violence

Individuals who have experienced domestic violence can face a lot of challenges due to the injuries accrued. Due to the different kinds of damages accumulated, it can take quite some time to recover, and especially if the abuser was very violent entirely.  It is, therefore, advisable for doctors and counselors to take great care while dealing with such individuals to avoid worsening the situations (Walker, 1981). They should, therefore, come up with the best approach methods for the greater good of the patients and their families. Individuals who have suffered from domestic violence may suffer from scars and bruises. Such bruises can be a constant reminder of the ordeals they went through.  Besides, the injuries can affect their emotional development and hence low self-esteem, which can affect their relationships with other members of the community. For children who have undergone this kind of violence, they can start performing poorly at school due to a lack of concentration. Individuals who have experienced domestic violence can also suffer from related mental diseases such as anxiety and depression.

Depression can play a significant role in ruining people’s lives and especially in terms of careers. Workplaces cannot put up with individuals with ill health. As a result, such people can lose their jobs, thus exposing them to abject poverty. Poverty, on the other hand, can deny individuals the ability to afford their necessities such as food and shelter, therefore, engaging in criminal activities such as theft and burglary (Walker, 1981). They can also end up behind bars due to other related crimes such as drug abuse and trafficking. Children from parents who have lost their jobs can also drop out of school due to lack of school fees hence ruining their bright futures.

Types of domestic violence

When people think about issues related to domestic violence, they only focus on physical abuse that mostly leads to visible injuries to the victim. However, domestic violence occurs in a myriad of ways, each of which has overwhelming significance. Lethality intricate in physical abuse may expose the victim to greater danger. Still, the long term devastation of personhood that goes with the other forms of violence is noteworthy and cannot be lessened.

Control is one way in which domestic violence is driven. The abusers use power as a way of upholding dominance over the victims.  Individuals who abuse others believe they have control over the victims, and the results end up being the core issue in domestic violence. The controlling conduct, in most instances, is understated, often treacherous, and prevalent. Abusers may control the victims by denying the victims an opportunity to exercise their freedom of choice in terms of dressing and hairstyles (Warshaw, 1996). Moreover, it may entail forcing the victims to dress in a more or less seductive way or more conservatively than they are contented. Furthermore, it may involve raiding the victims’ privacy by denying them an opportunity for their own time.

Domestic violence can also occur in terms of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse entails using sexual acts in a manipulative manner or compelling to take part in sexual activities with other people. Sexual violence may also involve both spoken and bodily conduct.  For instance, it is using pressure and influence and not bearing in mind the sexual wants of the other person. This may also encompass compelling the victim to engage in sexual activities with other individuals and engage in involuntary prostitution (Warshaw, 1996).  Besides, the violence may also include having affairs with other individuals and using that information to abuse the victim verbally.

Male privilege is also used to steer domestic violence in America.  All men benefit from the force of batterer subsequent from male domination reinforced by the use of physical abuse. As a result, many women end up suffering. Although not all women undergo domestic violence majority, if not all of them, are afraid of the social evil hence restricting their activities and their freedom to avoid it (Sokollof & Dupont, 2005). However, the eradication of chauvinism and embracing the belief that all individuals are equal will bring issues related to domestic violence in the community to an end.

Domestic violence is also portrayed through economic abuse. Financial abuse encompasses the control of victims through the manipulation of economic resources. The abusers can regulate the household income and deny the victims admission to finances. This may also include concealing financial accounts and putting the victim on an allowance (Sokollof & Dupont, 2005). The abuser may also compel the victims to abandon a job opportunity. Besides, the abuser may make the victim lose their job by the railing to provide transport fees.

Theories and causes of domestic violence

The feminist theory

The feminist theory is majorly concerned with comprehending violence against women in terms of race, gender, class, and sexual preference and how to change it. According to supporters of this theory, issues related to domestic violence encompass intimidation and domination of women within a home setting. Apart from domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, female infanticide, and dowry-related cruelty are other forms of violence against women. Such types of violence are mainly triggered by gender and power.  Supporters of this theory argue out that men tend to oppress women due to the societal belief that men are superior to women (Murell, Christoff &Henning, 2007). Whenever men feel that their power is under threat, they can use emotional and financial control to regain their power.   Batterers may typically exercise control over the family in nonviolent coercive ways and only sometimes resort to violence. In most cases, abusers often justify their abusive behavior on the basis that their partners provoked them and had to act as any man would.

Social learning theory

The social earning theory is attributed to the works of Albert Bandura. According to this theory, individuals and especially children tend to learn from what they observe from their community, parents, and peers. Besides, the theory looks at behavior as a consequence of cognitive processes. The theory also considers knowledge instead of intrinsic abilities, inspiring the nature versus nurture argument. According to Bandura, ferocity is acquired, either directly or indirectly, and secured in an individual and especially during childhood sustained into maturity as a handling reaction to pressure or as a technique of conflict resolution. The theory argues that individuals observe and learn behavior through which ideas on different issues in the community form in their minds on what is right or wrong in the community. The theory does not regard violence and aggression as unavoidable but sees the conduct as a behavior that is passed among society members through social learning, and if reinforced, it continues among the people (Murell, Christoff &Henning, 2007). As a result, violence against women by men still goes in in the community because it has been embraced by society members, and it gives the perpetrators sense of satisfaction as plays a pivotal role in releasing the tension, and it does not receive enough punishment to deter individuals from committing additional crimes. According to this theory, children tend to learn from those whom they associate within their daily lives and imitate them. Therefore, the community and the family play an essential role in shaping the behaviors of children. Children and especially boys are brought up in violent family are likely to believe that violence is the best way of resolving issues and therefore, likely to engage in violence (Murell, Christoff &Henning, 2007). Besides, girls who were brought up in violent families are likely to end up with violent intimate partners as they grew up with the mentality that violence is the order of life. In a nutshell, offspring who directly interact with violent parents are more likely to be violent when they are adults.

The power theory

According to power theory, domestic violence is the result of power differences that exist in a family setting. Finkelhor (1981) posits that power differences in a family, logically exist through age and gender differences.  When certain members of the community feel that they are powerful compared to other members, domestic violence can occur. The powerful, in most instances, abuse the less powerful, and those who fall into this trap are mostly women and children (Dutton & Nicholls, 2005). Abuse gravitates to the relationships of greatest power differentials. Children, in most cases, find themselves being abused by individuals who dominate society, such as powerful men and those who hold high positions of power.

Most women who undergo domestic violence in the U.S do not report the cases to law enforcement officers. Individuals, and especially women of color, may fail to report such cases due to the discrimination that black people undergo in the hands of law enforcement officers. Besides, the majority of individuals who report such cases do not get justice as the majority of them do not reach the courts, and those that do individuals do get justice from judges (Dutton & Nicholls, 2005). Individuals are also afraid of reporting such cases due to the social stigma that still goes on in the country. Although the country is developed, the rate of victimization is still high that individuals opt to go through the distressing moments all alone instead of ridicule from other members of the community.

Remedies to domestic violence in the U.S

The American government should come up with strict measures to protect the victim of domestic violence in the country. For instance, under the umbrella of VAWA, the government comes with a cause of action to enable the government to meets its role of protecting its citizens from this social evil. If given enough power, VAWA would promote greater accountability (Bograd, 1999). The organization would also ensure that there exists no kind of discrimination against women based on race and social status.

The government should also accept that the current laws against domestic violence are not effective in preventing cases of domestic violence and especially among the poor minority in the country, such as women of color and immigrant populations. The government should, therefore, come broadly and show its efforts in eradicating violence against women and children. For instance, campaigns against domestic violence can be organized through which individuals can be educated on the dangers associated with domestic violence (Bograd, 1999). Also, those found guilty of such acts can be brought to justice, thus deterring the occurrence of future cases.

The American government should also deal with individuals, and especially police officers and members of the judiciary ho do not take the issue of domestic violence seriously. Police officers found guilty of not responding to cases of domestic violence should face imprisonment and heavy fines through which other police officers can learn and start taking their jobs seriously (Bograd, 1999). Lawyers and judges also found guilty of denying victims justice should lose their licenses. This can deter additional individuals from committing related crimes.

Different social media platforms, such as radios and televisions, should also be used by the government to rally individuals to shun any kind of domestic violence. A language that people understand should be used to ensure that all people get the message (Dutton & Nicholls, 2005). Besides, the government should come up with ways of rewarding individuals to report any kind of domestic violence. As a result, the number of domestic violence cases in the country can be reduced significantly.

In conclusion, domestic violence is a social evil that should be fought in all parts of the world. In the United States of America, a significant number of people die due to the injuries accrued due to such violence. Besides, those who survive to acquire lifetime injuries which are a constant reminder of what they went through. Although the government has put up some measures to prevent such crimes, more need to be done. Police officers and other legal officers who may be a stumbling block in the fight against this social evil should face the full force of the law to ensure that victims get the necessary justice. Members of the community should also be educated on the importance of reporting such cases to deter additional crimes in the country. Besides, they should be taught the dangers associated with stigmatization. For instance, they can be told that it can lead to the deaths of victims.

References

Bograd, M. (1999). Strengthening domestic violence theories: Intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender. Journal of marital and family therapy, 25(3), 275-289.

Dutton, D. G., & Nicholls, T. L. (2005). The gender paradigm in domestic violence research and theory: Part 1—The conflict of theory and data. Aggression and violent behavior, 10(6), 680-714.

Ellison, C. G., & Anderson, K. L. (2001). Religious involvement and domestic violence among US couples. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(2), 269-286.

Murrell, A. R., Christoff, K. A., & Henning, K. R. (2007). Characteristics of domestic violence offenders: Associations with childhood exposure to violence. Journal of family violence, 22(7), 523-532.

Seddon, N. (1993). Domestic Violence in Australia: the legal response. Sydney, Australia: Federation Press.

Sokoloff, N. J., & Dupont, I. (2005). Domestic violence at the intersections of race, class, and gender: Challenges and contributions to understanding violence against marginalized women in diverse communities. Violence against women, 11(1), 38-64.

Walker, L. E. (1981). A feminist perspective on domestic violence. Violent behavior: Social learning approaches to prediction, management and treatment, 102-115.

Warshaw, C. (1996). Domestic violence: changing theory, changing practice. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association (1972), 51(3), 87-91.

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Domestic Violence in the U.S.A

Description

Assignment:
In 9-11 pages of text (not including title page and references), identify a problem and offer a nuanced, comprehensive solution to solve it.

Components:
The research project should include:
– An introduction and a clear, focused thesis that identifies the problem and your proposed solution.
– A body section that clearly and thoroughly explains the problem and why it is a problem.
– A body section that clearly and thoroughly explains your proposed solution, its component parts or steps, and its implications.
– A strong conclusion.
– Supporting evidence from reputable external sources. You must use at least 8 external sources. These restrictions apply:
– you must use at least 4 peer-reviewed sources (academic journals or books)
– websites must be reputable sources

Things to Think About:
I want you to choose a topic that is engaging to you, so I want it to be a problem that you are affected by. This could be anything at all–a local community problem, something that you think needs to be changed at your work, your school, in your community or state, or even with your group of friends. It can be anything at all–a Supreme Court ruling, a law that was passed to solve a problem, a city policy that was enacted that’s affected the spaces in which you live. It can be a policy at your school, or a solution implemented at your work that you have an opinion about. Just make sure that you can write enough about the the problem and propose a comprehensive solution in 10 pages.

This paper can build on the work you’ve done in previous papers if you wish, but you may also choose a brand new problem to write about as well. Thinking up the topic is one of the hardest parts of this paper, but you can do it. Talk to lots of people about problems and solutions–talk to your friends, your family members, your coworkers, people you see at the coffee shop, and fellow students.

Make sure that the sections of your paper have clear topic sentences that evaluate part of the solution, then explain your evaluation. Use examples as evidence, as well as other research you might find. Make sure to cite your sources.