Family Violence
Violence against women and children used to be an acceptable part of life. Actions like beating and hitting were allowed by laws that everyone followed to enforce discipline within their families.fæ Stubborn children laws made it legal for the male head of the household to beat the child to death if he thought they were out of hand.fæ A husband had freedom to pull his wife's hair, choke her, spit in her face, kick her, and he could also beat her with a stick as long as it was no thicker than his thumb.
fæ Approximately 30 percent of abused children grow up to be abusive parents. Physical violence is any act by a person that causes pain or injuryfæ Broken bonesfæ Concussionsfæ Permanent brain damagePsychological violence is a condition that exists when one family member threatens to injure another or forces the other to perform degrading or humiliating acts. fæ When a spouse is battered, the criminal justice system moves in to try to protect her. Efforts to end family violence have combined many ideas and approaches. Sexual violence includes rape or forced sexStatistics indicate the most frequent victims are children under age five and women involved in intimate relationships. fæ This protection isn't available until after a person has been hurt. fæ Women who witnessed abuse during their childhood are also at greater risk of experiencing abuse as adults. 5 million children, fifteen of every thousand, are seriously abused each year in the U. fæ Sometimes the abuser isolates the victim from friends or family members who could help him or her. By providing preventative programs to families identified as high risk for violence today, the next generation of intimate partners and parents may be able to live violence free. In 1994 1,300 children died from child abuse.
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