Domestic Abuse in the US
Domestic abuse in the United States is a large-scale and complex social and health problem. The family is perhaps the most violent group, with the home being the most violent American institution or setting today. Sadly enough, the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a hold-up or similar crime but are killed by someone they know. Not surprisingly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention has identified interpersonal violence as a major public health problem (Herman, 1997). Current estimates suggest that three to four million women are the victims of physical abuse by their intimate partners (Herman, 1997). According to the FBI, some form of domestic violence occurs in half of the homes in the United States at least once a year (Walker, 1984). In reality in one out of every six marriages the wife is physically abused. Every fifteen seconds a women is battered in the United States. Daily, four American women lose their lives to th!eir husbands or boyfriends, equaling more than one-third of all female homicide victims (National Institute of Justice, 1996). These numbers report that too much violence is directed toward women. Historically, domestic violence has been downplayed and, of
The fact that each case of domestic abuse is somewhat different form another calls for using a variety of theoretical orientations to better examine the nature and extent of this pressing problem. Many health care professionals adopt the stance that domestic abuse is a problem that falls outside the spectrum of their job description. In order for "positive change" to occur, our legal system needs to protect the battered and not the batterer. In our society, a large number of girls are told to slap a boy if he gets "fresh". Domestic violence will always be a part of our culture. The issue of domestic violence, especially wife abuse, first gained national attention in 1974 with the publishing of Scream Quietly or the Neighbors Will Hear by Erin Pizzey, the founder of Chiswick's Women's Aid, a shelter in England for battered women. Sadly enough, physicians fail to always recognize and/or acknowledge the source of repeated injuries. This would ensure their safety and allow them enough courage to leave a horrible situation. The term domestic violence against men causes many Americans to react with disbelief. The batterer may apologize, beg forgiveness, or promise that the violent behavior will never happen again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**Giles-Sims, J. While many theories have been proposed to explain the causes of family abuse, one of the most useful has been th!e social learning theory.
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Acceptance Essays
