DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
As this is an issue that affects people with disabilities, particularly women, far more often than the general population, we have included a few web pages on this very serious issue.
Introductory facts:
- Although women really want to believe that the abuser will change, research shows that a man who abuses his partner will do it again, and again, and again. Over time, the violence gets worse, not better.
- 97% of those battered are women
- Children who witness violence at home are more likely to fail in school, more likely to have emotional disorders and more likely to become abusers or victims themselves.
- Children who are living in homes where there is domestic violence are 1,500% more likely to be abused than the national average. 1,500%. 1,500 %. I said that three times because I think it should bother you as much as it bothers me.
The will to protect herself and to protect her children must come from that woman.
Recommendation #1: Do NOT drop a case if you have been beaten, even if you decide to go back to the man. You can ask for it to be continued to a later date. Men who batter may say they cannot control their impulses, but it is amazing the control they find when the keys to the jail are being held over their head. If he truly loves you and is not going to do it again, what difference was it make if the case is continued to six months from now? Then, you can just go in and tell the judge you changed your mind. As one District Attorney said, "If the guy doesn't hit her again, that's a successful outcome in a case."
The average woman will leave her abuser eight times before she leaves for good. If you are a family or staff member, you will be saying the same things to the same person over and over again.
As the authors of one of the articles in the series cited below states, "We need to quit asking why women stay and start asking why society allows women and children to be abused." Domestic violence reports are more common in cities probably because the neighbors call the police.
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Recommendation #2: Call the police. If she somehow finds out it was you who called, she may be angry. If you don't call, she or her children will get hurt again. |
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Totally recommended website, 60 articles on domestic violence from a series of news articles by South Coast today |
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Next page on domestic violence: what can you do to help |