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MESSAGE
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| not pissed |
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Posted: 4/21/2009 8:30 AM |
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Subject: stand up against domestic violence |
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WomanSaver MoFo
Female Member
Age: 28
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Total Posts: 304
gullah gullah baby
South Carolina
United States
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D omestic violence is a pattern
of abusive and controlling behaviors that
some individuals use against their
intimate partners or former partners. It
can include:
Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, punching,
shoving, kicking, burning, choking, using weapons
and other objects to cause injury.
Sexual Abuse: Forcing a partner to engage in
unwanted sexual acts, refusing to practice safe sex,
treating a partner like a sex object.
Emotional Abuse/Intimidation: Name-calling and
put-downs; denying/shifting blame; treating a
partner as an inferior; threatening to harm self/
others or to have a partner deported; abusing
children or pets; stalking; using threatening looks,
actions or gestures.
Property/Economic Abuse: Stealing or destroying
belongings/money; refusing basic needs such as food
or medical treatment; interfering with a partner’s
work or education.
Joining the Effort
To stop domestic violence, we all need to work
together. The following are some things that you
can do to help:
Help a friend who is being abused. Let her
know that the abuse is not her fault, listen to her,
help her to identify resources and options,
empower her to make choices for her safety, and
provide nonjudgemental support and an
opportunity for her to seek your support again.
Support your local domestic violence program
Most hotlines, advocacy or shelter organizations
could benefit from your time, financial support
or other donations. Call them to find out how to
help in your area.
Speak up about abuse. Let abusers know their
behavior is wrong and encourage them to get
help. If you see abuse, call the police — doing
nothing can make the abuse worse and even
deadly.
Educate yourself and others. Call your local
domestic violence program to schedule
informational workshops for your workplace,
community group or church. Encourage schools
to include abuse prevention as part of their
curricula.
Set an example. Make a committment to work
for equality and ending violence in all of its
forms. Model non-violent and respectful
behavior through your everyday actions.
Knowing the Facts
¨ Domestic violence is a social problem. It is
rooted in social values that place importance
on people having power over others, and allow
violence against women and other groups to
occur without punishment.
¨ Battering is not caused by using drugs or
alcohol, mental illness, being “provoked,”
stress, or poor anger control — batterers
choose to be abusive.
¨ There are many barriers for battered women
seeking to escape abuse including: fear of
injury; shame and self-blame; lack of money,
resources and support; social pressures to keep
their family together and other cultural
taboos.
Racism, homophobia, ageism and
discrimination based on physical ability,
nationality or other factors can make finding
safety even more difficult for some women.
¨ Battering can have many effects on victims
such as: lowered self-confidence, physical
illness and disability, difficulty trusting self/
others, and poverty. Despite these effects,
battered women find many creative and
courageous ways to survive and protect
themselves and their children.
¨ There is no simple way to identify or describe
batterers. Often they are well-respected
members of their communities.
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