Domestic violence is a widespread problem in the USA that has serious impacts. It is defined as abusive behaviors between intimate partners and can include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Women are disproportionately affected, with 85% of non-lethal domestic violence victims being female. Black Americans experience the highest rates of domestic violence. Impacts include health issues, behavioral problems, and mental health issues for victims and witnesses. Domestic violence also negatively impacts workplaces and the economy through increased medical and criminal justice costs as well as decreased productivity. Solutions include increasing awareness, supporting domestic violence hotlines and shelters, and implementing stricter legal consequences for abusers.

1. Domestic Violence in the USALulwa AlThani9D

2. Region

3. The region I will base this case study upon in America. America is located in North America.

4. What is Domestic Violence?The definition of Domestic violence is “(1) domestic abuse, spousal abuse, family violence and intimate partner violence, can be broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends.”“(1) Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, mental illness” and much more. There are many hotlines, shelters and awareness campaigns in the USA to help stop domestic violence and also take care of victims of domestic violence.A popular domestic violence hotline is the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

5. ImpactsAlmost half of domestic violence in the USA is not reported.The impact of domestic violence on kids is emotional disturbance in their childhood to reenacting this violence when they grow up.Other impacts on children are, anger, low self-esteem and loss of trust. These can hold them back when they are growing up by them not having trust in themselves.

6. Impacts on Society The impacts include serious health problems which need medical care, which is provided by government. Behavioral problems that can cause violent fights and problems with other members of the society. Another impact is the victim, the abuser and the witness can develop mental issues. This means they can cause harm to themselves and others.

7. It also affects the workplace. the victims, abusers, and witnesses of domestic violence might not be well enough to come to work, might not concentrate, might cause problems in the workplace.Children who witness domestic abuse can develop an very violent personality. They might think that hitting and hurting people is okay because they see their parents doing it. This might mean that they will disturb other children while learning in school and also hurt them on the playground.

8. Impacts on the EconomyWhen victims get hurt from the all the physical violence they are getting, they need medical attention. The government has to pay for the medical care.This means that they are providing medical care that doesn’t have to be provided because it happened on purpose.

9. When domestic violence witnesses, victims, and abusers come to work, they might not really work hard enough or pay attention to their work. This will mean that their employers are paying them money that they do not deserve or did not work hard enough to get.The employers can also fire the workers and that can cause the number of employees to decrease.

10. An economic impact is that the government has to pay to open up shelters for women who are getting abused. They have to build them and furnish them.These shelters have doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, cooks and so on. All of these people need to be paid for the jobs that they are doing.

11. Statistics about Who gets targeted the most in Domestic Violence:(1)Gender trends: Women make up about 85% of the victims of non-lethal domestic violence. In all, women are victims of intimate partner violence at a rate about 5 times that of males. Women make up 3/4 of the victims of homicide by an intimate partner. An intimate partner murders 33% of all women who are murdered. Racial and Ethnic trends: Black women and men suffer from the highest rates of domestic violence. "Black females experienced domestic violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experienced domestic violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races."

12. Age trends: Domestic violence is most prominent among women aged 16 to 24.Economic Trends: Poorer women experience significantly more domestic violence than higher income women.Reporting to police: The rates at which individuals report domestic violence to police vary along racial and gender lines. Hispanic and black women report domestic violence at the highest rate (approximately 65% to 67% of abuse is reported). For white females, only about 50% of the abuse is reported.

13. Example of Domestic Violence & its Impacts An example of Domestic Violence is a women called Vickii Coffey, 39. And this is her story. “Vickii says she was one of the large number of Black victims. Coffey, who married her childhood sweetheart when she was 19, says her dream marriage turned into a nightmare of violence that often resulted in her hospitalization. Eventually, she says, she turned the violence inward, blaming herself for her plight. After eight years, Coffey filed for divorce, saying among other things, that she feared for the life of her two small sons, one of whom, she says, tried to protect her from the abuse. Today, almost 13 years later, Vickii Coffey is the executive director of Greenhouse, Chicago's oldest and largest shelter for battered women and their children. Now happily married, she fights to keep the doors of her shelter open-as well as the minds of an unsympathetic public which often can't understand why battered women remain with their abusers. "The question I get all the time is, 'Why would a woman stay there and take something like that? What's her problem?'" says Coffey who now counsels women on their options to violence. "That is victim blaming. There are many factors that prevent her from leaving.” “

14. Vikii’s story is only one of many survivors of Domestic Violence. Vikii acted out and got out of being abused by leaving her abuser, her husband. Many women are afraid to leave their abusers because they have fear of them beating them even more. When leaving their abusers or calling a hotline asking for help, they are saving themselves and their families of abuse.

15. SolutionsOne solution to this topical issue is awareness. When people have a better understanding what the problem is and ways they can stop it and escape it, they can be sure that it wont affect them much. Another can be help hotlines where people from all ages, races and gender can call at any time, asking for help. The help can come from the police or a group of people who will stop the violence happening. This will help stop people causing violence because they will know that the police is just a phone call away.

16. Another solution could be that there should be a women shelter in at least every city. This place should be a safe place where the women and their children can escape from their abuser.There should be a no tolerance law that stops domestic violence. Abusers should go to jail for hurting other innocent people.

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