Domestic Abuse in the US
Domestic abuse in the United States is a large-scale and complex social and health problem. The family is perhaps the most violent group, with the home being the most violent American institution or setting today. Sadly enough, the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a hold-up or similar crime but are killed by someone they know. Not surprisingly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention has identified interpersonal violence as a major public health problem (Herman, 1997). Current estimates suggest that three to four million women are the victims of physical abuse by their intimate partners (Herman, 1997). According to the FBI, some form of domestic violence occurs in half of the homes in the United States at least once a year (Walker, 1984). In reality in one out of every six marriages the wife is physically abused. Every fifteen seconds a women is battered in the United States. Daily, four American women lose their lives to th!eir husbands or boyfriends, equaling more than one-third of all female homicide victims (National Institute of Justice, 1996). These numbers report that too much violence is directed toward women. Historically, domestic violence has been downplayed and, of
ement policies and procedures for identifying, treating and referring victims of abuse (National Institute of Justice, 1996). This included in-service training programs for staff members of their emergency departments and ambulatory care facilities (National Institute of Justice, 1996). In 1994, 83 organizations, including the American Nurses' Association and the American Bar Association, met to identify gaps and barriers between the health care delivery and criminal justice systems in dealing with family violence cases. Among their recommendations were the following: a mechanism for community professional coordination in assessment to maximize family safety; the creation of community-based family violence coordination councils; and the need to establish, in every community, a comprehensive, culturally sensitive, and accessible intervention system for family violence that links health, justice, mental health, social service, and educational systems (National Institute of Justi! ice, 1996). Extensive literature exists on the relationship between stress, frustration, and aggression. Stress alone does not cause violence, but it may be a stimulus that serves to arouse some individuals. Overall, abusers generally tend to possess an aggressive personality style. Consequently, people possessing this trait are more likely to get angry than others and may actually get angrier more often than others. Research suggests that there may be two important aspects to the relationship between family abuse and alcohol. Very often, the abusive behavior of the perpetrator is permitted and excused by the victim because the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol. On the other hand, alcohol use by victims leads to a numbing effect as well as feelings of powerlessness. Domestic abuse typically follows a "cycle of violence" pattern. There are three phases in the cycle of violence: tension-building, acute battering and the honeymoon phase. During the tension-building p! concern and outrage over wife beating, verbal abuse, financial restrictions and social isolation of women by their husbands (National Institute of Justice, 1996). Shortly thereafter, the women's liberation movement, through the National Organization for Women (NOW), advocated for the end of violence against women and sought improved social services for battered wives. NOW also was actively engaged in promoting shelter homes and lobbying congressional leaders for legislation that would result in better treatment and protection of women's health and well-being (National Institute of Justice, 1996). The medical profession was greatly affected by the advocacy of the women's liberation movement and has, in recent years, attempted to combat this social ill both by itself and in coordination with the legal and social service professions. For example, beginning in 1992, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, required that all accredited hospitals impl! e encountered may be directed against their children. Additionally, many men are hesitant to leave since women get physical custody of children in a large majority of divorce cases. They may also fear that the courts will limit children visitation and access. Deciding to leave an abusive relationship is just one part of the problem for an abused male. Another part is choosing where to go since very few shelters exist for them to find refuge. A variety of programs exist to help abusive men control their violence more effectively, however, finding comparable programs that exists for violent women is an extreme challenge. Resources and facilities that deal with combating domestic violence are scarce due to the limited funding of social services. Therefore, it has been suggested that some women's groups are fearful that the small amount of funds that exist for assisting abused women may be further lessened if the American public recognizes that men are also abuse victims. Recogniz! ce, 1996). In additi
Some common words found in the essay are:
Institute Justice, Violence Aside, Association AMA, National Institute, Bar Association, Langley Levy, Bandura Langley, Rule Thumb, , Organization Women, domestic abuse, national institute, health care, national institute justice, institute justice, domestic violence, justice 1996, institute justice 1996, herman 1997, family abuse, health care professionals, care professionals, acute battering, abuse intimate partners, women's liberation movement,
Approximate Word count = 3133
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
