2008 Woodie Awards
Help for domestic violence victims
Melanie Peterson
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Op-Ed
Think to yourself, "Do I know someone who has been raped or physically hurt by someone?" Chances are you do, even if you do not know it. Domestic violence is something no one should have to deal with; however, thousands to millions of people ever year are victims of it. Estimates range from 960,000 to three million female victims per year. Every year, over 500,000 women are stalked by an intimate partner. Nearly one-third of American women have reported abuse in their lifetimes, and there are countless more that never report it at all. These reports are not just from adults, either. One in five female high school students have reported abuse from a dating partner.
Domestic violence is not just physical violence. Domestic violence is defined as behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control another. Partners may be married or not married; straight, gay or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. Examples of domestic violence can be something as simple as a putdown, withholding money, keeping the partner away from friends and family to physical harm, sexual assault and stalking. Anyone can be a victim of this.
There are certain signs to help you tell if your partner or someone you know has the potential to be a domestic abuser. Some of these signs include extreme jealousy, spying, makes you afraid to say no to sex, abuse of drugs/alcohol and pressuring you to do the same. The victim will be blamed for the abusers' behavior and they will not see the victim as a person but as their property. An abuser will use certain tactics to intimidate the victim. Such tactics include dominance, intimidation, threats, humiliation, blame and denial. However, abusers are not easy to spot. They only show that side of themselves when they are alone or with only his or her partner. To outsiders, this person may seem like the kindest person in the world. Even though men can be victims, they are usually the abusers. The abusers are not behaving out of anger or rage. Violence is a deliberate action in attempts to control.
Domestic violence is not just physical violence. Domestic violence is defined as behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control another. Partners may be married or not married; straight, gay or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. Examples of domestic violence can be something as simple as a putdown, withholding money, keeping the partner away from friends and family to physical harm, sexual assault and stalking. Anyone can be a victim of this.
There are certain signs to help you tell if your partner or someone you know has the potential to be a domestic abuser. Some of these signs include extreme jealousy, spying, makes you afraid to say no to sex, abuse of drugs/alcohol and pressuring you to do the same. The victim will be blamed for the abusers' behavior and they will not see the victim as a person but as their property. An abuser will use certain tactics to intimidate the victim. Such tactics include dominance, intimidation, threats, humiliation, blame and denial. However, abusers are not easy to spot. They only show that side of themselves when they are alone or with only his or her partner. To outsiders, this person may seem like the kindest person in the world. Even though men can be victims, they are usually the abusers. The abusers are not behaving out of anger or rage. Violence is a deliberate action in attempts to control.
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