Spring Break
Violence awareness important
Piece of Mind
D.R. Bartlette
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Opinion
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In researching all the different things the month of October has been devoted to, I discovered that, besides at least 74 other designations, it has been dubbed National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I was really surprised that I haven't found a single event or educational table scheduled for this at the UA.
This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart because, for most of my childhood, my mother was the victim of abuse by her husband. It sounds so abstract, the phrase "victim of abuse." I don't like these soft, inoffensive terms. Let me be honest: I saw my mother get beaten bloody on a regular basis.
What's even sadder is that it's actually quite common. A recent study by UA management researchers Carol Reeves and Anne O'Leary-Kelly showed that in Arkansas, both men and women were victims of some type of domestic or intimate-partner abuse in shockingly high numbers: 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women. Of course, this study included stalking and threats, as well as physical violence and sexual assault, so that may explain the much higher numbers than in the decade-old nationwide study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, let's be very clear here. What exactly counts as domestic violence? Most people consider any form of physical attack - punching, slapping, kicking or pushing - as a form of abuse. But domestic violence goes much deeper than physical abuse. Threats, constant verbal harassment and humiliation are also forms of psychological abuse and work to keep victims down by keeping them frightened and contributing to low self-esteem, thereby making them less likely to leave the relationship.
Another favored tactic by abusers is to isolate and disempower their victims. Abusers often coerce or manipulate their partners into giving up all social and even family relationships, keeping them alone and helpless. Many abusers either won't let their victims work, or take all their victims' money and control all bank accounts and other assets, making it especially difficult - if not impossible - for the victims to leave. One study showed that half of all homeless women were in that position because they were fleeing from domestic violence.
This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart because, for most of my childhood, my mother was the victim of abuse by her husband. It sounds so abstract, the phrase "victim of abuse." I don't like these soft, inoffensive terms. Let me be honest: I saw my mother get beaten bloody on a regular basis.
What's even sadder is that it's actually quite common. A recent study by UA management researchers Carol Reeves and Anne O'Leary-Kelly showed that in Arkansas, both men and women were victims of some type of domestic or intimate-partner abuse in shockingly high numbers: 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women. Of course, this study included stalking and threats, as well as physical violence and sexual assault, so that may explain the much higher numbers than in the decade-old nationwide study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, let's be very clear here. What exactly counts as domestic violence? Most people consider any form of physical attack - punching, slapping, kicking or pushing - as a form of abuse. But domestic violence goes much deeper than physical abuse. Threats, constant verbal harassment and humiliation are also forms of psychological abuse and work to keep victims down by keeping them frightened and contributing to low self-esteem, thereby making them less likely to leave the relationship.
Another favored tactic by abusers is to isolate and disempower their victims. Abusers often coerce or manipulate their partners into giving up all social and even family relationships, keeping them alone and helpless. Many abusers either won't let their victims work, or take all their victims' money and control all bank accounts and other assets, making it especially difficult - if not impossible - for the victims to leave. One study showed that half of all homeless women were in that position because they were fleeing from domestic violence.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Amy Wilcox
posted 10/15/07 @ 8:22 AM CST
Thank you for this article and good for you that you are thriving and speaking out about what happened in your family.
I wanted to share that November 17 is National Survivors of Suicide Day. (Continued…)
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