WHY NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH IS IMPORTANT
- It inspires change
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month encourages those in abusive relationships to get help. The month isn’t just about learning, it’s about doing.
- Victims need our support
Millions of Americans are domestic violence victims. They need our support to move beyond the abuse. - It’s about facts
The month aims to educate Americans about what is considered domestic violence. It also reinforces a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to abuse.- Domestic violence doesn’t always manifest as physical abuse. Emotional and psychological abuse can often be just as extreme as physical abuse.
- Lack of physical violence doesn’t mean the abuser is any less dangerous to the victim nor does it mean the victim is any less trapped by the abuser.
4 SIGN YOU’RE EXPERIENCING ABUSE
- Your partner threatens or tries to control you
This can be anything from making you feel inadequate to telling you what to wear or how to look. - You partner controls your money
Keeping cash or credit cards away from you, or discouraging you from working is unacceptable. - Your partner isolates you
Cutting you off from family and friends makes you even more dependent on your partner and could be a sign of abuse - Your partner physically abuses you
This is a serious crime regardless of your relationship status.
Family Members/Friends signs to watch for:
- When the person in the relationship becomes distant / stop communicating with you
- When they make reasons/excuses not to see you or go out
If they do come out or over to hangout and the abuser is always there
When you leave the situation this is the most stressful and dangerous part.
- Reach out to a family member or friend someone who can keep you safe in a disclosed location for some time
COVID-19 & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES
- With Covid19 alcohol and drug abuse also increase so does the chance of violence
- National Domestic hotline reports a 15% increase in April 2020 of phone calls regarding domestic violence
- “Women — and it is predominantly women who are victimized — are confined to isolated homes with abusive partners whose coercive and physically violent tendencies are enabled and further inflamed by economic stressors [due to coronavirus],” according to Natasha Lennard with The Intercept
- NBC reports that with families locked down in order to slow COVID-19, police say domestic violence cases have risen up to 35% in recent days.
- They also need to think about long-term solutions to reduce disparities in income and wealth accumulation, which COVID-19 is exacerbating, particularly among Latinas.
- Already underfunded support programs and services are being overwhelmed, and even cut.
LATINAS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE U.S
Several issues impact the actions of abused Latinas
- These include the cultural role of wife and mother, religious beliefs, lack of Spanish-language support and resources, and the concept of the ideal woman in the Hispanic/Latinx community
- “Marianismo” which is essentially rooted in Christianity. The name stems from none other than the Virgin Mary. Girls aren’t offered many alternative role models because our mothers (bless their hearts) think this is the only way. Even in telenovelas they always pray to the virgin mary in their time of need. Which there’s nothing wrong with but there is something wrong with a notion that prevents girls from knowing they can be and do other things as well.
- Mothers also suffer silently because of marianismo. There’s this idea that, once you have children, you must do everything for them and for your partner. They suffer in silence because they are only doing what they are “supposed” to be doing. But latinx or not, mothers don’t have to sacrifice everything to be good mothers. It’s okay to have a career outside the home and parent, or work from home, or not work but still have outside interests other than your children. It’s okay to hire help from time to time to care for your children. It’s okay to expect your partners to do their fair share of the housework.
- There are also studies that show that Hispanic/ Latinas are more concentrated in low paying semi-skilled occupations than the overall workforce. This, therefore, leads to limited financial resources which create substantial barriers for women trying to leave the abuser or obtain legal assistance, housing, and childcare.
- Latin American/ Hispanic immigrants may be less likely to report domestic abuse and seek help from formal agencies due to fear of deportation.
STATISTICS
- 479 Gun related domestic violence fatalities this year
- The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%
- 10 million people a year are physically abused by an intimate partner
- 20,000 calls are placed a day to domestic violence hotlines
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence
- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
- 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
HOMICIDE
- 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder-suicides are female
CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence
ECONOMIC IMPACT
- Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline suggests
- practicing self-care,
- reaching out for help
- and creating a safety plan. A safety plan is a personalized plan. It has ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave, or after you leave.
- The UN has also issued domestic violence reduction recommendations:
- Increase investment in online services and civil society organizations,
- Make sure judicial systems continue to prosecute abusers,
- Set up emergency warning systems in pharmacies and groceries,
- Declare shelters as essential services,
- Create safe ways for women to seek support, without alerting their abusers,
- Avoid releasing prisoners convicted of violence against women in any form,
- Scale-up public awareness campaigns, particularly those targeted at men and boys.
If you are being abused by your partner, know there is nothing you have done or are doing to cause the abuse. It is solely the choice of the abuser to abuse. It may seem impossible to escape your abuser, change your circumstances, or find the help you need, but it is possible. However, you know your abuser best, so think carefully through your situation and circumstances and do what is best for you.
You can find numerous resources here:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/get-help/state-resources
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for free (English and Spanish): 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224) If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
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