Domestic Violence Essay

Before I answer to this question, let me tell you a short story. Her friends describe Maria â€Å"as the perfect girl†. She is beautiful, she is working and she has many friends. However, Maria has many problems in her family. Her father is alcoholic and he is not working to feet his family. So, Maria and her mother are doing two or three jobs each in order to earn enough money to survive. Her father was hitting her and her mother almost everyday. One day one of Maria’s friends that know what it was happening report this situation to the police in order to help Maria. When the police ask Maria if she believes that there are any signs of Domestic Violence in her family, her answer was just like that â€Å"Of course not, no one rape me or my mother or my little brother.† I am here to talk you about Domestic Violence and specifically what it is, how common it is and some basic signs of identifying it in everyday life. In 1993 the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) Report on Domestic Violence used the following definition: â€Å"any form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse which takes place within the context of a close relationship. In most cases, the relationship will be between partners (married, cohabiting, or otherwise) or ex-partners†. So domestic violence can affect many aspects of someone’s life. It is more likely to acts against women more than men. Crime survey found that 45% women and 26% men had experienced at least one incident of inter – personal violence in their lifetimes. This means that women affected almost twice as much than men. Domestic violence is repetitive, life – threatening and can destroy the lives of women, children and men. I will be concentrating on how common is domestic violence nowadays. The association for domestic violence prevention in the family was founded in Nicosia on the 25th July 1990. The association is an non- profitable organization. An Administration Body of 9 members also administrates the association. The goals of the association are prevention of use in the family, immediate help to victims in the family, shetter to victims of family members and provide information and generate awareness of the public for the problem of domestic violence. According to the statistics 20% of the murders are due to family violence, generally speaking the police signify two events of domestic violence murders a year. In 2009 8 out of 19 murders are family-violence murders. 85% of murderers are men and 15% are women. 36% of victims are men and 54% are women. We have seen until know how common is domestic violence between sexes but it is very important to highlight some points that can help you to recognize an abusive act or relationship. All forms of domestic violence, psychological, economic, emotional and physical come from the abuser’s desire and control over other family members or intimate partners. Although every situation is unique, there are common factors that link the experience of an abusive relationship. Acknowledging these factors is an important step in preventing and stopping the abuse. This list can help you to recognize if you, or someone you know, are in an abusive relationship. Firstly, is the destructive criticism and verbal abuse like shouting/mocking/ accusing/name/calling verbally threatening. Secondly, the Pressure tactics like sulking; threatening to withhold money, disconnect the telephone; lying to your friends and family about you; telling you that you have no choice in any decisions. Thirdly, when they show to you disrespect for example putting you down in front of other people; not listening or responding when you talk; interrupting your telephone calls; taking money from your purse without asking. Also when breaking your trust, for example lying to you; being jealous and having other relationships. The most serious forms of domestic violence is the sexual and physical violence. Using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts or having sex without want it. Punching, slapping, hitting, biting kicking and so on are part of the physical violence. Maria now, knows that the problems that she was having are fall in Domestic Violence. Now she can realize that rape is not only the main cause of it. She and her mother report her father in the police. But even though Maria she is never going to forget what it was happening to her all these years. Further to my analysis of what Domestic Violence is, how common it is and what are the basic signs of it I will show you once again which are the statistics about reported facts of Domestic Violence in the UK. 1. One call about Domestic Violence every minute†¦ 2. 1,300 calls each day†¦ 3. 570,000 every year†¦ After all now you know what Domestic Violence is. Next time you are asked what Domestic Violence is †¦., now you Know the answer.