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Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior in any intimate relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It can occur in various forms and affects individuals regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, or cultural background. It can happen in different forms, and the degree ranges from mild to severe.
Types of Domestic Violence
- Physical Abuse: This involves the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. For example, hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, choking, and using weapons are different forms of physical abuse.
- Emotional and Psychological Abuse: Actions that undermine an individual’s sense of self-worth or emotional well-being are classified under emotional and psychological abuse. The abuser employs things like insults, belittling, constant criticism, threats, intimidation, and manipulation.
- Sexual Abuse: Acts like coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent are forms of sexual abuse. Our societies witness different forms of rape, forced sex after physical violence, or treating someone in a sexually demeaning manner, etc. every day, even with different measures and standards that have been put against such behaviors.
- Economic or Financial Abuse: This happens when someone tries to make or attempts to make an individual financially dependent by maintaining total control over their financial resources. The abuser will usually control the family’s income by forbidding employment and restricting access to money.
- Verbal Abuse: The use of language to harm another person’s sense of self. That is, name-calling, yelling, making demeaning remarks, and constant criticism.
- Social Abuse: This happens when the abuser restricts or controls someone’s social interactions with friends, family, and others. Isolation from social networks, monitoring communications, and preventing social activities are also classified under this category.
Signs and Symptoms
- Physical Indicators:
- Unexplainable bruises or injuries.
- Frequent visits to the doctor or emergency room.
- Wearing clothing that covers injuries even in hot weather.
- Behavioral Indicators:
- Withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities.
- Changes in personality or behavior, such as increased anxiety or depression.
- Low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness.
- Psychological Indicators:
- Fear of the partner or reluctance to talk about the relationship.
- Symptoms of PTSD, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety.
- Signs of depression, such as persistent sadness, loss of interest, and suicidal thoughts.
- Verbal and Social Signs:
- Having a partner that constantly checks in on or monitors communications.
- The victim is always reluctant to discuss their relationship or personal life.
- Their partner makes all decisions and controls aspects of the victim’s life, such as finances or social interactions.
- The victim seeks permission for simple activities such as spending money.
- Economic Signs:
- Limited access to money or financial resources.
- Partner controls all financial decisions and budgets.
- Prevented from working or sabotaged at their job.
- Partner insists on being present or involved in the workplace.
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What are the things that cause domestic violence?
Many things can be responsible, including individual, relationship, community and societal factors.
- Individual Factors:
- History of experiencing or witnessing violence.
- Substance abuse, particularly alcohol, cannabis and drugs.
- Mental health issues, such as personality disorders or depression.
- Relationship Factors:
- Power imbalances and unequal decision-making.
- High levels of conflict and poor communication skills.
- Financial stress and dependency.
- Community and Societal Factors:
- Societal norms that condone or trivialize violence against partners.
- Lack of legal protections and enforcement.
- Economic inequality and lack of access to resources.
How do you recognise an abuser?
- They are very jealous and possessive, and they are constantly accusing the victim of infidelity without cause.
- They tend to control and dictate what the victim can and cannot do, and they try to isolate the victim from friends and family.
- Blaming of the Victim is very typical
- The abuser uses threats and intimidation as often as possible to condition the victim and instill fear and compliance.
Domestic Violence Can Be Controlled
Controlling and ultimately preventing domestic violence requires a different approach that involves active participation from individuals, communities, institutions, and governments.
- Raising awareness about domestic violence and its impact through public campaigns, media, and educational programs.
- Educating people about the signs of domestic violence and how to seek help.
- Providing safe spaces and comprehensive support for victims of domestic violence by establishing shelters and safe, temporary housing, counseling, and legal assistance.
- Create hotlines and online resources for victims to access help confidentially.
- Strengthening laws and policies to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.
- Empowering victims, especially women, through education and economic opportunities. This can be done by providing vocational training and employment opportunities to help victims gain financial independence, offering financial assistance and micro-loans to help victims start businesses or pursue further education, etc.
- Addressing the root causes of abusive behavior through intervention programs by developing and implementing anger management and counseling programs for perpetrators, etc.