Hard Hitting Hits Home

It is believed that women who are in love are willing to do whatever it takes to continue a relationship with their partner. Love is the foundation for every relationship and helps couples overcome any bump they face along the road. Unfortunately, after a while, this love that once thrived goes away and is replaced by bruises and hurtful words. A relationship that was once a picture perfect story is affected by an epidemic that is Domestic abuse. It affects people from all age, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class; therefore, it is important for an individual to receive the treatment necessary to reduce and prevent further abuse. To do this, there must be an increase in the information provided to our society on the types of domestic abuse that exists and also on all the help that they can seek to better their life. Screening for domestic violence in healthcare settings and support groups that can advocate for these changes are two ways in which this dilemma can be reduced.

Some people might argue that we do not need to educate our society on domestic abuse because we give an assembly that touches on the subject. Usually the annual presentation also involves drugs, child pornagraphy, and rape. To only have one section of an hour long speech be about domestic abuse, is not enough. Domestic abuse should be introduced at a young age and continue to be talked about throughout their lives. Without the knowledge of domestic abuse children will grow up not knowing what a toxic relationship is. They will be confused and stay longer because they do not know any better.

Once domestic abuse affects a relationship, it is hard for the woman, or man, to realize the abuse because of their lack of knowledge on the subject. Society also normalizes unhealthy behavior so the victim may not understand that their relationship is abusive. Even children that are in elementary school are constantly told “If a boy/girl is mean to you, it means they like you!” Because of this, some children grow up and find themselves in abusive relationships. Then they justify the abusive behavior with love because that is what they have been taught since they were little. This is a misconception that is surprising to see in our modern day. Associating love with being hurtful and inconsiderate is a bad notion and simply should not keep a space in today’s society.

Most predators feel insecure and believe they can only maintain a relationship through force. After a conflict, an abuser will turn the situation around and make their partner feel guilty or as though they are somehow at fault. The victim feels personally responsible for their partner or their behavior. In many cases, self-esteem and domestic violence go hand in hand. Low self-esteem can be influenced by many factors and can be a serious issue for women (and men) who are victims of domestic violence. Individuals with low self-esteem feel that they cannot do better than the situation they are in, which makes them far less likely to leave than someone who has high self-esteem and can stand up for themselves. Domestic violence offenders tend to prey on men and women who have low self-esteem, realizing that the victim will want and need them no matter what they do. Due to the connection between self-esteem and domestic violence, it is critical to teach children about self-esteem. According to Overcoming.co.uk, a website that focuses on mental health issues, “Crucial experiences that help to form our beliefs about ourselves often (although not always) occur early in life.” It is, therefore, essential that children are introduced to the idea of self-esteem at an early age. In order to help stop domestic violence in future generations, children need to understand if what they are feeling is healthy and learn positive ways to feel better about themselves.

When we discuss domestic abuse it is often assumed that the victims are women. Our society tends to forget about the male victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse. Highlighting these statistics is not meant to diminish the importance of domestic violence among women. It is, however, intended to add to the increasing conversation that anyone can be the victim of domestic abuse and everyone who needs protection deserves access to it. Male victims of domestic violence, just like female victims, often deal with intense self-doubt and anxiety before reaching out for help. One in four men have been victims of physical violence. That is three million male domestic violence victims every year, or one man in America abused by an intimate or domestic partner every 37.8 seconds. On contrary to popular belief, domestic violence laws and resources apply to men. Little boys and girls should be taught that they are equal in every way and that they deserve the same opportunities. These high statistics reflect how important it is to focus more on this topic and search for a solution to this issue that affects society as a whole.

At the beginning of most relationships, everything is perfect. A couple months go by and then one night everything changes. Makeup covers up bruises. Sunglasses covers up black eyes. False stories covers up the truth. Relationships should be about love and trust not hatred and accusations. Without the information about domestic abuse, younger generations can not understand what type of relationship they are in. They can not realized that it is wrong and that they should leave. In elementary school we need to start educating younger children about domestic violence. This generation also needs the information provided because they lack the knowledge that they need to understand how get the help they need.