Domestic violence is the victimization of a person with whom the abuser has or had an intimate, romantic or spousal relationship (Burnett, 2017). Both men and women can be victims of domestic violence. Burnett (2017) observed that domestic violence is used by an individual to maintain power and control over another person through the use of coercive behaviors. These behaviors include physical violence, psychological abuse, nonconsensual sexual behaviors among others. CDC (2018) stated that domestic violence affects millions of Americans. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010-2012, more than 27% of women and 11% of men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence and stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (CDC, 2018). Due to the high prevalence of domestic violence, it is important to ensure that the victims of domestic violence can access justice.
Domsticshelters.org (2014) classified domestic violence into physical, sexual, emotional, financial and spiritual abuse. Physical abuse is the use of physical force to injure the other person or put the person at risk of injury (Domsticshelters.org, 2014). Activities leading to physical abuse include choking, hitting, threats using weapons among others. Sexual abuse entails forcing someone to carry out a sexual act such as kissing, touching or rape (Domsticshelters.org, 2014). Emotional abuse includes acts such as intimidating or belittling somebody with the aim of brainwashing to wear away one’s self-confidence (Domsticshelters.org, 2014). Perpetrators of financial violence still withhold or use the victim’s name and personal information to accrue debt (Domsticshelters.org, 2014). According to Domsticshelters.org (2014), spiritual abuse involves preventing somebody from practicing their religious or moral beliefs by forcing them to give up their culture or values.
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Domestic violence is influenced by several factors. Montaldo (2017) observed that women who became mothers at the age of 21 or below are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than those who become mothers at an older age. Men who became fathers by 21 years were more than three times likely to be abusers. Regarding alcohol consumption, men with severe drinking problems are at a greater risk of committing domestic violence (Montaldo, 2017). Households with lower income levels are more likely to have incidences of domestic violence. While women who were victims of domestic violence have difficulties in securing employment (Montaldo, 2017). Women with overwhelming mental and emotional disorders are more likely to be victims of domestic violence. Montaldo (2017) observed that 24% of women suffering domestic violence suffer from a post-traumatic stress disorder.
Victims of domestic violence experience injuries and at times death. Women between 15-44 years suffer more injuries as a result of domestic violence than any other cause (Amadeo, 2018). Besides the pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life, domestic violence has a total cost of $ 67 billion to the U.S. economy (Amadeo, 2018). This is due to the increase in the number of people who become homeless and the time spent by police officers in pursuit of domestic violence cases. According to Amadeo (2018), victims spend approximately $ 8.8 billion annually in pursuit of medical and health services. Victims of domestic violence experience difficulties in the workplace leading to reduced productivity costing the businesses in the United States approximately $5 billion (Amadeo, 2018). Domestic violence impacts negatively both on the victims and the state.
Several interventions can be implemented to prevent domestic violence. Cohn (2014) proposed the development of prevention programs and scaling up of promising programs. 2000 high-schoolers who participated in the “Coaching Boys Into Men” program reported they were less likely to be perpetrators of domestic violence. Penalties for domestic violence also need to be consistent and firm (Cohn, 2014). Funding for programs that support victims of domestic violence should be increased to reach out to more victims with the necessary support and services (Cohn, 2014). Cohn (2014) also proposed that the family courts need to change the methods of handling domestic violence cases. For instance, divorce proceedings and domestic violence case should be handled by one judge for comprehensive rulings.
According to the Charter of Victims Rights, victims need to be treated with compassion, courtesy, and respect for their rights and dignity. The victims should be provided with information regarding the available services that can be of assistance and supported to access them. The law enforcers are also required to provide the victim with information regarding investigations as long as the information does not interfere with the investigation process and also the progress towards prosecution of the perpetrators. It is the responsibility of the law enforcers to guide the victim on their role as a witness. The victim’s identity will be protected, and contact with the perpetrators and defense witnesses will also be kept away from the victim. The law enforcers are also charged with the responsibility of providing information to the victim regarding the perpetrators’ bail status and impending release, escape or eligibility for absence from custody. In cases where the victim’s property was taken by the prosecution, the law enforcers should ensure that the victims get it back as soon as possible. The victim is entitled to financial assistance from the Victim Support Scheme in cases of injuries. Finally, the charter allows for access to information to the victim on the process of filing of complaints where one thinks the rights provided in the charter have not been met (Victims Rights and Support Act, 2013).
There are over 3 million incidents of domestic violence in the United States reported every year resulting in 4,000 deaths related to domestic violence (Los Angeles Police Department, 2013). Domestic violence is more prevalent among the women with more than 4.5 million violent crimes including approximately 500,000 rapes or other related sexual assaults (LAPD,2013). LAPD (2013) stated that during 1992 approximately 1,414 women were homicide victims. They were killed by their husbands, former husbands or boyfriends. In contrast, the men reported to have been killed by their former wives, wives or girlfriends was 637. Partners tend to be more violent towards each other following separations or divorce. Approximately 75% of the calls to law enforcement agencies for intervention occur after separation from the perpetrators (LAPD, 2013). Despite the high incidence of domestic violence, 70% of domestic criminal investigations do not lead to prosecution (Nelson, 2013). This is as a result of the lack of photographs of victims, witnesses and the scene of the crime, failure to locate multiple witnesses, failure to obtain protective orders, failure to arrest suspected perpetrators, the omission of other viable charges and delays in submitting investigation reports to the prosecutor (Nelson, 2013). Domestic violence cases are difficult to prosecute due to the difficulty in recognizing the crime and the credibility of the witnesses (Bishop, 2016). Gender roles assigned to women such as home-making, mothering and being a sexual partner make it difficult to distinguish between romantic love and control (Bishop, 2016). The mental conditions of witnesses lead to unreliable and inconsistent accounts of events that hinder prosecution.
In conclusion, domestic violence has affected many Americans due to various reasons. It has impacted negatively on both the economic and social lives of the victims. Various efforts have been made to address domestic violence, but there is a need to intensify and scale up interventions that prevent domestic violence. There is a need to restructure some systems to ensure that the rulings made provide justice for the victims.
References
Amadeo, K. (2018), Domestic Violence Costs to the Economy, retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/domestic-violence-statistics-3306207 accessed on 14th July, 2018
Bishop, C. (2016), Why it’s so hard to prosecute cases of coercive or controlling beha vior, retrieved from https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-prosecute-cases-of-coercive-or-controlling-behavior-66108 accessed on 14th July, 2018
Burnett, L. (2017), Domestic Violence, retrieved from https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/805546-overview#a6 accessed 14 th July, 2018
CDC (2018), Violence Prevention, retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/summaryreports.html accessed 14th July, 2018
Cohn, J. (2014), Five Things We Can Do to Reduce Domestic Violence: A national conversation has started. Here’s how it should end, retrieved from https://newrepublic.com/article/119436/how-to-stop-domestic-violence-experts-offer-5-steps-policymakers accessed on 14th July, 2018
Domesticshelters.org (2014), What is Domestic Violence: Know 5 types of domestic violence, retrieved fromhttps://www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-articles-information/faq/what-is-domestic-violence accessed 14 th July, 2018
Los Angeles Police Department (2013), Domestic Violence: Disturbing Facts about Domestic Violence, retrieved from http://www.lapdonline.org/get_informed/content_basic_view/8891 accessed 14th July, 2018
Montaldo, C. (2017), Domestic Violence in the US: Intimate Partner Violence-Causes, Frequency and Risk Factors in the US, retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/domestic-violence-in-the-us-973320 accessed 14th July, 2018
Nelson, E. (2013), Investigating Domestic Violence: Raising Prosecution and Conviction Rates, retrieved from https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/investigating-domestic-violence-raising-prosecution-and-conviction-rates accessed 14 th July, 2018
NSW Government (2013), Charter of Victims Rights, Victims Rights and Support Act 2013, retrieved from https://www.victimsservices.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/vss/vs_victims/VS_victimsrightscharter2.aspx accessed on 14th July, 2018
