The physical and emotional scars of domestic violence can cast a long shadow. Too many individuals, regardless of age, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, circumstance, or race, face the pain and fear of domestic violence. During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we shine a light on this violation of the basic human right to be free from violence and abuse, pledge to ensure every victim of domestic violence knows they are not alone, and foster supportive communities that help survivors seek justice and enjoy full and healthy lives.
Over the past two decades, rates of domestic violence against females have dropped by nearly three-quarters — but there is still much work to do to build on the progress we have made. Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have suffered from domestic violence by an intimate partner. All people deserve to feel safe with loved ones, and my Administration is committed to eliminating this scourge and supporting survivors’ healing — and we must ensure that survivors and their families have access to the resources, care, and support they need to do so.
Violence is the intentional use of force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself (self-abuse or suicide), another person (child abuse, partner violence, elder abuse, assault on strangers, etc.), or against a group or community (social, economic, or political violence). It can result in injury, death, psychological harm, or deprivation.
Young people are of often victims of violence. Check out these statistics:
Nearly half of all adolescent girls think a husband is justified in hitting his partner
1/5 of all homicide victims are under 19; almost 1/3 of them are under 10
6 out of 10 children globally are subjected to physical punishment
Almost 1/4 of 15-19 year old girls have been victims of physical violence
4 out of 5 children aged 2 to 14 are subjected to some kind of violent discipline in their homes
What can you do as a peacemaker? Bring together people in your neighborhood or school/college to talk about how violence, in all of its forms, affects members of your community. Try making sure people in your community have information about how violence exists in many forms, their rights and places they can go for support.
ABUSE AND THE CODE OF SILENCE
Women obey a code of silence for many reasons. They are scared of enraging their husbands and escalating his violence. They don’t want to break up the family. They may have no source of income without their husband and feel that they have nowhere to go. A wife may be scared that if she leaves, her husband will seek her out and exact revenge. She may feel that she has no safe place to hide. She might need to quit her job to prevent being tracked down at work. Her kids might have to be moved to another school to prevent her husband finding her when she is dropping them off or picking them up. A woman will need strong support from friends, relatives and the community to achieve a safe exit from an abusive relationship, especially if she has young children in tow.
Yet some local authorities in America, rather than helping abused women, may penalize them for speaking out. All Things Considered on National Public Radio ran a story on June 29, 2016 about how low-income domestic abuse victims are being forced to choose between silence and eviction. In an attempt to combat crime and nuisances in rental dwellings, local communities have passed laws to limit the number of times police can be called to a residence. Abuse victim Lakisha Briggs, from Norristown, Pennsylvania, discovered that her landlord could face a fine and the suspension of his rental license if police were called to her home more than three times in four months for “disorderly behavior.” The solution? Evict the tenant. After already having “one strike” against her, Biggs chose to keep silent about her boyfriend’s continuing abuse. After he cut her throat with a broken ashtray and left her bleeding, both the police and an ambulance had to be called to the home. When Biggs returned from hospital, the landlord told her she had to leave.
Independent Journal on October 30, 2013, in Marin County, California, domestic assault is the number one crime. This is one of the wealthiest areas in America. Despite statistics like these that show outrageously high rates of domestic violence, the media stays as silent about it as do the abused women.
In all ethnic groups and all classes of society, from the extremely disadvantaged to the most affluent, a veil of silence allows domestic violence to be tolerated. The result is that today abuse keeps on happening, over and over again. Silence is not golden. Women must speak out and receive the support they need to live in a safe environment. The media should draw attention to the issue to encourage communities to develop viable solutions. The bottom line: in our culture there should be zero tolerance of domestic abuse.
Can a black dot on a victim's hand help tackle domestic violence?
The idea behind the Black Dot campaign is this: victims of domestic violence can draw a black dot on their hand as a silent signal. Once it becomes widely enough understood, people who see the dot on their friends' hands can approach them and have a conversation about abuse.
But as the Black Dot has garnered media attention, it's also been criticised by people who worry that a specific symbol highlighting domestic violence would draw unwanted attention to victims - and thus risk the wrath of their abusers. Others have pointed out that professionals and support agencies won't have received training on what to do when spotting someone with a black dot on their hand.
"It seems a good idea but with wide coverage then the abusers will know what this thing means,"
"As a way of seeking help, it's not going to be a solution for everybody. As a victim, you know what triggers your abuser," she says. "So if it's not safe to draw a black dot, don't do it. Just because you're a victim doesn't mean you're stupid - you know yourself what is safe and what is not safe."
Now it is suggested that, instead of drawing black dots in solidarity, the campaign is now encouraging supporters who aren't at immediate risk of abuse to write "Say no to domestic violence" on their hands to avoid confusion.
"Also, remind people of how different perpetrators can behave. In many situations - the perpetrators do monitor victims very closely. If there's any noticeable change, for instance if they forget to wash the dot off their hand, that could lead to further abuse."
CIRCLE OF 6 FOR IPHONE AND ANDRIOD PREVENTS VIOLENCE, GIVES YOU A WAY
OUT OF DANGEROUS SITUATIONS
Circle of 6 is a free app for iOS and Android devices that lets you build a circle of six friends or trusted people to quickly call on when you're in danger and need help, in a bad situation with someone else, or need to reach the authorities. With one touch, the app pings your trusted friends or emergency services with your request for help, along with your current location so they can find you.
Circle of 6 is primarily designed to prevent domestic and sexual violence, and help people who may find themselves in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation get out of it quickly—either thanks to their best friends or thanks to police or other authorities. Still, the idea is sound for anyone who may need help that doesn't necessarily involve calling 911: if your car's broken down and you need a lift, one tap sends your friends a message saying you're in trouble along with the address where you are so they can pick you up. If you're in the middle of a horrible date and need a distraction, the app can help with that too.
Whether you install it on your own phone or suggest it to a good friend, Circle of 6 is worth an install. It's available now for free in the iTunes App Store and at Google Play.
How Facebook is Helping Victims of Domestic Violence
Protecting your privacy on the Internet has always been difficult to do and with the increasing use of social media, it has become even harder. Since social media sites like Facebook and Twitter were established, they have struggled in the area of protecting their users’ privacy.
Recently, activists accused Twitter of making it too tough to report rape threats. After receiving this criticism, the site has been trying to update its system for flagging abusive and threatening tweets. Similarly, Facebook has received criticism and pressure to modify its policy regarding content affiliated with sexual assault and violence against women. Again, activists claimed that the social media site was allowing its users to post images of battered women in contexts that made violence against women seem acceptable. Yet, when several advertising firms stopped supporting the site, Facebook realized that such photos really were an issue and that other forms of violence on the site needed to be addressed. Facebook is now concentrating on eliminating violence on its site and is taking initiative to help protect the privacy of its users, especially former victims of domestic violence.
The new guide explains to Facebook users how to manage the content they share on their walls. It allows users to filter through content and also control who is able to see the content they are posting. Additionally, the guide explains to users how to block people from finding their profile and how to flag abusive content for the site’s administrators. Most importantly, however, the guide details information for Facebook users on how to create a less discoverable name, making it more difficult for former abusers to locate survivors. The site allows you to change your name to a nick- name or even a farfetched name so that survivors’ identities are more protected.
Although Facebook has mastered how its users, particularly domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, can protect themselves on the site, it still needs to work on managing what other people can post. It is very difficult to manage each and every post by a friend involving a domestic violence survivor. However, every time this occurs, the survivor is exposed to more risk that a former abuser will find him or her. Therefore, it is imperative in the future that Facebook focus on helping protect the privacy of its users, especially violence survivors, from every possible angle.
Look at different options that can work for you or someone you know who you think could be in an abusive relationship
If you are the one that's being abused, confide in someone that you trust with your life for help
The sisters Of Eta Sigma Delta is reaching out in hopes that this blog can help anyone in need, even if we touched one person, we have reached a goal against the perpetrator.
Blogger: Egypt A. Assanti {aka} Big Sister Southern Heat { ESD Baroness }
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