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| We Must Stop Domestic Violence |
Myth: Domestic violence only occurs in poor, uneducated and minority families.
Truth: Studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Justice and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence have found that domestic violence occurs in all social, economic, religious and cultural groups.
Middle-class women often face more barriers in getting public assistance when they decide to leave an abusive relationship because of their family's above poverty line financial status.
Myth: Drugs and alcohol are the main causes of domestic violence.
Truth: Even though abusers may use alcohol or drugs as an excuse for their violence and as a means to place the responsibility for their actions elsewhere, neither drugs nor alcohol are the root cause of domestic violence.
Simply stopping the abuser's drinking will not stop the violence. Drinking and violence are two separate problems and must be addressed independently. People must understand that not all alcoholics are batterers, just as not all abusers are alcoholics.
Myth: Battered women provoke the abuse and like it or they would just leave.
Truth: Certainly no one could believe that any woman wants to be beaten, raped or murdered. Studies have shown that the danger to a domestic violence victim increases by 70 percent when she tries to leave. The violence tends to escalate and the abuser uses his control tactics in an attempt to totally isolate his victim.
The victim may be dependent on the abuser for financial support and may feel that she has no place to go. The victim may have called the police only to have her abuser arrested and then released to come back and attack her again. Some women simply feel trapped and see their current circumstances as their destiny.
What may appear to be bizarre behaviors are often survival strategies women use to keep themselves safe. It is important to understand the reasons why some women tolerate domestic violence.
Myth: Domestic violence is an isolated occurrence.
Truth: According to an Allstate Foundation National Poll conducted in 2004, 74 percent of respondents personally knew someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports there are 16,800 homicides due to intimate partner violence each year. Almost one third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.
Men can also be victims of domestic violence, but women make up about 97 percent of domestic violence survivors.
Chances are that if you belong to a civic or professional organization, a church or simply go to work every day, there is someone around you who is currently experiencing or has experienced a violent relationship. It is important to understand some of the things you can do when domestic violence affects a friend or loved one.
Domestic violence affects every aspect of daily living and it is the duty of every member of a free society to learn the truth and dispel all the myths surrounding the domestic violence problem.
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If you are a business owner and haven't adopted any particular cause or campaign, why not get involved in promoting domestic violence awareness? When businesses work together, great things can happen. The only way we can help stop domestic violence is to talk about it. There is someone in your community who is living in a violent relationship. Please join me on LinkedIn and Google+.--Ken
