Domestic Violence and Abuse are a generational problem in our society. This problem continues to increase in prevalence due to people turning a blind eye to the signs and downplaying it as a commonly acceptable form known as corporal punishment.  Why is it ok in our society to hit a child, grab them by their hand or arm and yank them off their feet and leave imprints that are bruised welts for days after? Yet, if you do this same thing to another adult it is assault and battery?  Does age really matter that much?  Isn’t our society just teaching our children it is ok to hit another person and hurt them, just to punish them through the legal system when they are older for the very thing they taught them as children in the first place?

Research shows:

·      1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.  

·      1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner.  

·      1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.  

·      More than 12 million people every year are affected by intimate partner violence.  

·      76% of the time or greater female victims of intimate partner violence were previously victimized by the same offender.  

·      Nearly 1 in 4 intimate partner violence cases filed in state courts were witnessed by children.  

·      30% to 60% of intimate partner violence perpetrators also abuse children in the household.  

·      More than two thirds of children reported at least 1 traumatic event by age 16.

·      40% of child abuse victims go on to experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

·      At least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse or neglect in this past year (this is likely an understatement).

·      In 2019, 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States.

·      Each day, more than 1,000 youth are treated in emergency departments for physical assault-related injuries.

·      Each day, about 14 youth die from homicide, and more than 1,300 are treated in emergency departments for violence-related injuries.

·      Studies have found that children exposed to violence in the home were 15 times more likely to be physically and/or sexually assaulted than the national average.  

·      Trauma is a risk factor for nearly all behavioral health and substance use disorders.

·      According to the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, domestic violence may be the single major precursor to fatalities from child abuse and neglect in the US.

·      From 2016 through 2018 the number of intimate partner violence victimizations in the United States increased 42%. After declining from 2018 to 2021 this rate has increased ~70% since 2021.

·      In 2018, partner violence accounted for 20% of all violent crime. This rate was declining until 2022 when the rate doubled that seen in 2021.

·      In 2022, about 2 in 5 (42%) violent victimizations were reported to police. 

You may be asking yourself, “Why people don’t report?” Or, “Why, with these statistics something hasn’t been done about it?”  Most people who experience domestic violence don’t speak up, at least not initially, for fear they won’t be believed and that it will only make things worse.  As one of those people, I can tell you it does make things worse until someone is willing to step in and take action. People with narcissistic personality disorder have a way of convincing others that they never did anything wrong, and that the victim was really the one out of control.  They do this by breaking that person down, manipulating, and then threatening them.  These actions don’t stop with the partner, but continue with the children.  If you are a survivor of domestic violence you know this to be true.  Those of you who have not suffered at the hands of someone you love most likely know someone who has.  You will see or be impacted by these situations sometimes without even knowing it. 

The CDC defines child abuse and neglect by any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent, caregiver or another person in custodial role that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (a preventable act).  The vagueness of this statement is the reason there are so many interpretations, and why we continue to have an increase in violent acts against others in our society.

The only thing it takes for evil to thrive is for good people to do nothing.  (a quote routinely attributed to Edmund Burk) Please, take a stand with me today to make a difference in the lives of our children and help stop the generational curse of child abuse.  The organizations put in place to do this are not able to because laws are unclear and need to be changed to be specific: “Anytime there is a mark left on a child over 24 hours is considered child abuse and is punishable by law.”

 

 

References:

Black, M.C., Basile, K.C., Breiding, M.J., Smith, S.G., Walters, M.L., Merrick, M.T., Chen, J., & Stevens, M.R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=261262​

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/2009/B​

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/213503.pdf​

http://www.unicef.org/protection/files/BehindClosedDoors.pdf​

https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma

Morgan, R.E., & Oudekerk, B.A. (2019). Criminal victimization, 2018. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv18.pdf

Smith, S.G., Zhang, X., Basile, K.C., Merrick, M.T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M. & Chen, J. (2018). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2015 data brief - updated release. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf

Alexandra Thompson and Susannah N. Tapp, PhD. (2023) Criminal Victimization, 2022. Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Retrieved from https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv22.pdf​

https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/domestic_violence-2020080709350855.pdf?1596828650457