Domestic violence is a debilitating problem that calls for an understanding or comprehension of the composite dynamics in which the victims operate for one to present fundamental solutions to the problem. In achieving this, Seattle WA USA has been identified as the city of interest from which the study regarding domestic violence and the resources available to remedy the same will be conducted. Seattle is a seaport city located on the west coast of the US and is the headquarters of King County, Washington. With a total population of 713, 700, it is the largest county not only in Washington but also in the Northwest Pacific region of North America. Additionally, in addressing gender violence and protecting its victims, the city has several significant resources.
One such resource is the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence which holistically addresses not only domestic violence but also sexual assault. ADWAS as the other resource organization addresses domestic violence or abuse perpetrated against deaf women. An additional resource is the Seattle Counselling Services (SCS) which addresses domestic violence as well as sexual assault of the LGBT community, a phenomenon they have maintained since 1969. LifeWire is a resource whose effect on domestic violence is inscribed in its mission statement that targets to end domestic violence thus creating a world that is safe for every individual, and that is free from oppression allowing individuals to thrive. Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence advocates for togetherness and unity in not only promoting gender equity but also social justice in King County, which includes Seattle. Its members are representative of more than forty diverse individuals and agencies in King County. Fundamentally, the discourse will be centered on the problems or issues arising from domestic violence through the perspective of It Could Happen to Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay by Barnett and LaViolette (2000) as well as the interventions presented by the resources described above.
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Section 1
Summary
WASCADV is the predominant voice in ending domestic violence in Washington State. The resource augments how communities and individuals respond to domestic violence and in the process create a social intolerance for the abuse and violence via engaging the public, supporting its members, as well as visionary work and programs. The resource is a non-profit 501 © 3organization that was founded in 1990 by survivors of violence and their allies. To this end, the programs offered across the state spearhead efforts of aiding survivors towards freedom and safety. Also, these efforts are achieved through advocacy and action for social change from the status quo. The efforts of the resource are hinged on the right of each to live without fear or threat of violence, especially if violence is used as a means of control. The resource as well asserts that oppression in the form of sexism, racism, classism, anti-Semitism, imperialism, ageism, heterosexism, as well as oppression of disabled individuals are factors that lead to ownership and supremacy that encourages both domestic and sexual violence. Specifically, the resource advocates autonomy and self-determination of women regarding reproduction, employment, education, as well as finances (WSCADV, 2018).
Strength
Since the resource is a non-profit organization, there is the eliminating of bias towards business interests such as increasing profit margin. As a result, the organization is able to focus on domestic violence holistically as a problem. In addition, the resource provides specific civil rights that relate to domestic violence. In this regard, it addresses and presents the various factors that allow for domestic and sexual violence to prevail as a means of control especially to the women. Also, statistics regarding domestic violence fatalities are presented by the resource.
Weaknesses
The resource, however, does not present the specific rates of domestic or sexual violence in Seattle or other cities; rather it generalizes the problems.
Tie to Case
Domestic violence deleteriously exerts control over the victim even when the violator has been dealt with. These sentiments are reiterated by both the resource when it asserts that oppression and violence allow for control over the victim by the violator. This precept is as well parallel to the discussions by Barnett & LaViolette (2000, 66) who through Zari and Ahmed case study stipulate that violence results in control and intimidation of the victim long after the ordeal. The resource’s discussions regarding the controlling nature of violence and oppression further conform with the case’s assertions that battering inflicts both emotional and physical fear which in turn enhances entrapment and control. However, the resource presents preventive measures that address and impugn the ideologies regarding what it means to be a man or a woman. Also, the resource offers the creation of awareness as an additional preventive measure. The awareness is achieved through presenting policies and laws that speak against domestic violence. Ultimately, the resource advances programs that nurture the right ideas and concepts regarding healthy relationships in young adults in schools and the community thus potentially preventing future battering and violence (WSCAD, 2015).
Section 2
Summary
ADWAS as a resource empowers both the deaf and deafblind women who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault, as well as harassment in the spirit of transforming their lives. The resource as well provides fundamental services to both families and individuals, community education, as well as advocacy on policy and system issues. ADWAS envisions a community free from oppression and violence. Among the services provided by the organization are advocacy for domestic violence victims, counseling, children’s programs, education and awareness on positive parenting and supportive housing. Also, the ADWAS offers outreach programs that provide training and preventive information regarding sexual assault, dating violence, date rape, bullying, as well as technology safety for the deaf community (ADWAS, 2018).
Strengths
The resource duly defines domestic violence as a pattern of threats, physical assault, and coercive behavior used to maintain control over a former or current partner. It gives statistics which indicate that domestic violence affects 30 percent of women in America. Also, the resource identifies abusive behavior as continuous sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological, physical (hitting, kicking, punching, and destroying property), and economic (prevention from access to finances abuse that get worse over time. The resource as well identifies factors underlying domestic violence as alcohol, stress, drugs, as well as anger. The resource ultimately identifies reasons that tie a woman to an abusive relationship as dependence on the abuser for finance and lack of economic resources to support herself. Also, contact information is provided.
Weaknesses
The resource only focuses on the deaf or deafblind women, yet its information could be materialistic in helping other women. It is as well possible for men to be in an abusive relationship.
Tie to Case
The resource’s discussions regarding fear, lack of finance and economic resources for women to support themselves as reasons for staying in abusive relationships are in tandem with cases. Barnett & LaViolette (95) ascertain that fear of revenge is the second most common reason for women to remain violent relationships. As the resource asserts, coming out of an abusive relationship could be dangerous and at times fatal (resulting in death) since the violator deems death as the ultimate means of control following exiting the relationship. This is illustrated by the case of Betty and Henry (p.96). In addressing such issues, other than counseling, the resource gives other interventions such as providing housing to victims which could sever the tie regarding dependency on the violator. Also, the resource presents contact information for advocates and relevant authorities that could help in case of victimization.
Section 3
Summary
The Seattle Counselling Service started in 1969 provides counseling services to the LGBT community. The services offered by the organization include mental health counseling, addiction services, Medicaid and other insurance plans at low fees, consultation and training, medical and psychiatry management. As a resource, it further strives to advocate, educate, as well as advance the mental and social well-being of the LGBT community (SCS, 208).
Strengths
The resource provides services for each of the groups in LGBT through organizations specific to each group. Also, contact information is presented thereby enabling contact in case of victimization and violence.
Weaknesses
The resource does not provide materialistic information regarding how to prevent violence directed towards the LGBT. Moreover, the resource does not highlight the factors underlying the violence or threats the LGBT community is exposed to. Ultimately, the resource is constrained by financial resources to cater for the LGBT group in and outside Seattle adequately.
Tie to Case
The resources discourse on violence regarding the LGBT is reiterated by Barnett and LaViolette (2000, p.73) through the case of Sandy and Linda, a classic domestic violence of lesbian battering. The resource’s discussions regarding advancing mental health through counseling are parallel to Barnett & LaViolette’s (2000, p.72) assertions that lesbians and gay require more counseling because of the nature of their relationships which isolate them from the society. Counseling is pivotal intervention technique by the resource in aiding the women to wriggle out of depression and isolation and accepting themselves as part of the community. Moreover, through education and awareness programs proffered by SCS, the community and society can be indoctrinated into accepting the LGBT community. Perhaps most importantly in the intervention is the government through laws and regulations that holistically protect these groups within the communities. Moreover, seeking out the resource by the LGBT means coming out and exposing themselves which could lead to further stereotypes by the community.
Section 4
Summary
LifeWire’s mission statement stipulates that it is geared towards bringing domestic violence to an end thus creating a world and milieu free from oppression and safe to live in. Founded in 1982 and with a membership of more than 136, 000 domestic violence survivors, the resource aims to provide courage, stability, and healing to the victims. Other than one-on-one advocacy support, the resource also provides shelter to the homeless women and children rendered homeless by domestic violence. The resource partners with schools, universities, and religious communities to mobilize social change regarding the impacts of domestic violence (LifeWire, 2018).
Strengths
The resource provides contact information through which victims or potential victims of domestic violence could get help. It provides dynamic services that are wide in scope for helping victims and survivors of domestic violence. Moreover, the resource has links to sites that provide relevant information about the resources and organization.
Weaknesses
The resource singularly focuses on the interventions and thus does not provide the essential information regarding the risks facing the women, children, or men in an abusive relationship.
Tie to Case
In the case study of Zari and Ahmed (p.65), the case demonstrates that dependence on the man for finance and shelter is among the reasons why battered women cannot leave their relationships. In contrast, the resource asserts that domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children in the US. However, both perspectives seem to reach a point of concession in the sense that the homeless services offered by the resource seem to be a substantial intervention in alleviating the dependence on the violator that ground women in abusive relationships. To this end, battered women seeking shelter as well as young adults looking to explore new relationships would benefit from the resource.
Section 5
Summary
Consists of members that represent forty different individuals and agencies in King County which includes Seattle. As a coalition, the resource encourages individuals to help in their cause by reporting any coercive, disrespectful, or violent behavior. The resource as well proffers special services and projects that tap into the power of coalition. The vision of the resource is to create a just and safe milieu where every individual can thrive. The mission is to alleviate gender-based violence and in turn, promote equitable relationships through the collective action of social change.
Strengths
The resource defines gender-based violence which describes the problem satisfactorily. It identifies underlying factors for gender-based violence as poverty, oppression, lack and inaccessibility of resources, institutional racism, racial injustice, and gender inequity; stereotypes, and heterosexism. The resource addresses forms of domestic violence including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse. Also, the resource addresses the dynamic scope of gender-based abuse and violence including violence directed towards LGBT. Among its services, it advocates for women's freedoms regarding religion, reproduction, and access to services for the disabled.
Weaknesses
Based on the broad issues the resource addresses and significantly depending on support from the coalition members, the resource is substantially constrained by finances.
Tie to Case
The resource identifies racial injustice and gender stereotypes as factors underpinning domestic violence. These sentiments are ascertained by Barnett & LaViolette (2000, p.67) by indicating that there is a strong correlation between domestic violence or victimization and ethnicity or racial differences, especially in the black community as opposed to the white. Also, the resources discussion regarding psychological abuse as a form of domestic violence is in tandem with the case’s discourse regarding the fact that battered women experienced initial exposure to violence compared to non-battered women, (p.77). However, interventions given by the resource such as the hotlines for the various groups at risk (LGBT, sexual assault victims, and domestic violence survivors) could be essential in quick accessing help in the case of abuse and violence. Moreover, the fact that the resource encourages individuals to report cases of abuse ensures the protection of the victims before the violence mitigates. Moreover, the mission of the organization to mobilize the community to challenge cultural and social standards that perpetuate equity is an effective intervention for addressing racism and gender stereotypes.
Conclusion
Domestic violence is perpetuated by underpinning factors such as poverty, oppression, lack and inaccessibility of resources, institutional racism, racial injustice, and gender inequity; stereotypes, and heterosexism. Forms of domestic violence include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse. Women are the most common victims of domestic violence as opposed to men in the US and Seattle is not an exception. However, the resources above offer fundamental solutions such as shelters, policies and laws, advocacy, and hotlines to request help. However, as Barnett and LaViolette (2000, p.64) suggest, there are still some institutional factors that hinder battered women from adequately pursuing justice. To this end, the government is at a better position to implement and enforce laws, policies, and regulations that protect women, the LGBT community, as well as children thereby making interventions by the above resources easier.
References
ADWAS. (2018). Position Statements. Retrieved from http://www.adwas.org/position_statements/
Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence. (2018). Working together for gender equity and social justice in king county. Retrieved from https://endgv.org/
LaViolette, A. D., & Barnett, O. W. (2000). It Could Happen to Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay (Why Battered Women Stay) . Sage Publications.
LifeWire. (2018). We advocate for domestic violence survivors. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.org/
SCS. (2018). Proudly serving the LGBT community since 1969. Retrieved from http://www.seattlecounseling.org/
WSCADV. (2015). Prevention Guidelines for Domestic Violence Programs in Washington State. Retrieved from https://wscadv.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Prevention-Guidelines-for-DV-Programs.pdf
WSCADV. (2018). The leading voice for ending domestic violence in Washington State. Retrieved from https://wscadv.org/
