Abuse and Domestic Violence

Abuse and Domestic Violence

Taneisha Ballard

Hondros College

Abuse

Abuse can take many forms. It maybe physical, emotional, sexual, financial, social, verbal, or a combination of all of these. Violence within families is one of the biggest issues in society. While their forms are many its affects are used to diminish and control its victims.

Abuse has grown to almost epidemic proportions. Its victims include both men and women. Being abused can make a person feel worthless. The question most often asked by others is why do victims stay in these abusive relationships? Why continue to endanger the lives of themselves and their children. The answers are varied and most battered victims feel that the person needs to walk a mile in their shoes before they could possibly understand.

There are many myths related to this question including that victims provoke their beatings or that victims enjoy the beatings as a form of attention or that physical abuse only occur in the lower-class or poverty stricken families. These myths could not be further from the truth. Some of the many reasons given for not leaving include fear of not being believed, the fear of possibly losing their children, fear of continued physical harm, love or affection for their batterer (partner) wanting to be with someone, a belief that things would get better, afraid of the negative impact on the children, afraid of failure, religious beliefs, feelings of helplessness (nothing will help), guilt about past wrong and the community.

Emotional Abuse can make a person feel useless, like they are not important. Emotional Abuse is bad for especially young children because they often believe what they are told. Words such as useless, stupid, and worthless can stick with a child until adulthood. Adults can be emotional abused also. In relationships partners often emotional, verbal and physical abuse each other. Emotional abuse can be difficult to pin down, because there are no physical signs to look...