DOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Rhianna/EminemRhianna/Eminem

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

Definition of Domestic Violence Definition of Domestic Violence

The use of physical, sexual, economic, and/or emotional abuse by one person in an intimate relationship in order to establish and maintain power and control over the other person

Who are Who are the the

VICTIMS ?VICTIMS ?

THE VICTIMSTHE VICTIMS

• Domestic violence happens between people who are dating, married, separated, and divorced.

• It occurs in heterosexual as well as in gay and lesbian relationships and in adolescent dating relationships.

Who are the Who are the VICTIMS?VICTIMS?

Victims cross all socio-economic, religious, racial, ethnic, age groups

THE VICTIMSTHE VICTIMS

Stacy AllisonFirst American woman to summit

Mount Everest

“When people meet me, and find out that I’ve been in an abusive

relationship…they just can’t believe it.”

“Looking at me, with all the things

I’ve done in my life..They think, how could I have been in

a relationship like that?”

THE VICTIMSTHE VICTIMS

• Women represent 95% of adult victims *

• Between 1 and 4 million women abused per year

• Lifetime risk for women is about 20 – 30%

• *Why might this figure be inaccurate?

THE VICTIMSTHE VICTIMS

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women ages 15-44 in the United States

THE VICTIMSTHE VICTIMS

Research suggests DV results in more injuries to women requiring medical treatment than rape, auto accidents and muggings. (US Senate Judiciary Committee, 1992; Stark & Flitcraft, 1988)

•Why don’t they just leave?

Why don’t they just leave?Why don’t they just leave?

FEAR

LOW SELF ESTEEM

ISOLATION

LACK OF RESOURCES

PROMISES TO CHANGE

“Everyone seems to think that what you need to do is to just leave the relationship

and then everything will be fine.”

That’s the myth. The reality is that the violence escalates if you try to get away.

“I knew that not only did I have to leave, I had to DISAPPEAR.”

FEARFEAR

FEAR SEPARATION VIOLENCEFEAR SEPARATION VIOLENCE

• 73% of battered women seek emergency medical services after separation (Stark, 1981)

• Up to 75% of domestic assaults reported to police are made after separation (US Dept. of Justice, 1995)

• Women are most likely to be killed when attempting to report abuse or leave the abuser (Sonkin, 1985)

• Approximately one-half of males who kill their wives, do so after separation (Hart, 1992)

“I thought that I was worthless, that I couldn’t do anything right.”

I thought I was ugly, just a horrible individual … no one would ever love

me and I myself was incapable of love.”

LOW SELF ESTEEM: LOW SELF ESTEEM: Cause or Cause or

Consequence?Consequence?

StacyFirst American Woman to

summit Mount Everest

LEAVING IS A PROCESSLEAVING IS A PROCESS

“I think I left 12 times before I finally stayed gone.When I look back on it now, I realize I was practicing. It was a process…

it took time, I had to learn how to leave and I had to learn how to stay gone.”

Promises to ChangePromises to Change

“I don’t really know why I kept going back...

He begged me to, swore he’d never do it again.”

“And, I wanted to hear it.I was overweight, I felt

unloved…”

“After years of violence, I was completely bewildered. I didn’t know how to get away!”

There has to be a place to go to, its not just a matter of leaving from someone. And, for many

victims of domestic violence that place either doesn’t exist or they don’t know that it exists.

LACK OF RESOURCESLACK OF RESOURCES

Leaving is a ProcessLeaving is a Process

• Safety Issues

• Threats of Retaliation

• Fear of Talking about Abuse to Others

• Breaking Isolation

• Access to Resources

• Survival Strategies

• Batterer Accountability

Leaving Is a ProcessLeaving Is a Process

• SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DO LEAVE!– They leave when they are ready– They leave when it is safe to do so– We can support their process by providing an institutional

response affirming battered women and their decision making ability

DYNAMICS OFDYNAMICS OFDOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

POWER AND

CONTROL

THE DYNAMICS OFTHE DYNAMICS OFDOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• A pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior

• Physical• Sexual• Psychological

threats intimidation emotional abuse isolation

• Economic

DYNAMICS OFDYNAMICS OFDOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

“Either dinner wasn’t exactly what he wanted,

the house wasn’t immaculate, I didn’t look presentable enough…

any excuse at all, really…and it was always my fault.”

“ It was very debilitating, I ended up walking on eggshells.

I began questioning my own competenceto do anything.”

THE DYNAMICS OF THE DYNAMICS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• “It started out slowly. At first he just wanted to know where I was going all the time. Then he wanted to tell me where I was going all the time. By the end, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.”

• “If I went out with my girlfriends, I knew I would come back to find the house trashed… he would always break something he knew I really cared about.”

Who are theWho are theBATTERERS?BATTERERS?

Batterers cross all socio-economic, Batterers cross all socio-economic, religious, racial, ethnic, age groupsreligious, racial, ethnic, age groups

Characteristics of Batterers

Sense of Entitlement

Controlling

Manipulative

Frequently Charming

Uninvolved parent

Show contempt for others

Extreme Jealousy

THE BATTERERSTHE BATTERERS

• DV Is Learned Behavior by Batterers• DV Is NOT Caused By:

– Illness– Genetics or gender

– Alcohol or other drugs– Anger– Stress– Victim’s behavior– Relationship problems

The BatterersThe Batterers

• One study done with men who wanted to avoid prison did find 2 types of batterers:

• Pit bulls

• Snakes

What Makes Batterers So Powerful? What Makes Batterers So Powerful?

• Isolation of victim

• Societal Denial

• Use of Religious Issues

• Use of Cultural Issues

• Threats of Retaliation

THE CHILDRENTHE CHILDREN

Perpetrators of domestic violence traumatize children

(1) Physical injuries - intentional

- unintentional

(2) Psychological injuries - witnessing violence

THE CHILDRENTHE CHILDREN

Effect on Children:

• In 85% of police calls for domestic violence, children had witnessed the violence

• Witnessing parental violence is a risk factor for:Males- to physically abuse

Females- to become victims of abuse

DOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE and the Emergency Department and the Emergency Department

• 30% of all female trauma patients

• 22-35% of all females presenting to the Emergency Department

• most are repeat ER patients 20% 11 or more abuse related visits 23% 6-10 abuse related visits

DOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE SEQUELAE SEQUELAE

In the 12 month period following violence:

– Victims use health care services twice as often as non-victims

– Healthcare costs were 2.5 times higher for victims

Victimization was the single best predictor of total yearly physician visits and of outpatient health care costs

FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE DOMESTIC VIOLENCEDOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• Inappropriate treatment

• Increase victim’s sense of helplessness and entrapment

• Lost opportunity to refer to appropriate community resources

• Increase danger to the patient

REFER - Intervention With a REFER - Intervention With a VictimVictim

• Be aware, materials and referrals you provide a victim may place her in danger

• Make a follow-up appointment

LawsLaws

Rule of thumb

Family vs. criminal court (1962, NY)

Suffolk County has a mandatory arrest law: pros and cons?

VAWA (1994)

THE CHILDRENTHE CHILDREN

ResourceResource

• VIBES: 631-360-3606

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1−800−799−SAFE(7233)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

• How is the video accurate? How is it not accurate? Why would Rhianna and Eminem sing this song? Does it make the song more powerful or weaken it?