Domestic violence occurs in an
estimated 4 million intimate relationships each year in the United
States.
We are now recognizing and dealing with the urgency and severity of domestic
violence in cities from coast to coast.
The statistics reveal that
domestic violence is one of the most important public health
problems in our country and it is time that we all address this
issue.
Consider the
following findings:
-
The Surgeon General of the United States
reports that domestic violence causes more injury to adult women
than cancers, heart attacks, or strokes.
-
FBI statistics point out that a woman is
battered every 15-18 seconds in the United States.
-
More than three million children witness
domestic violence, and more than four million women are battered
to death by their husbands or boyfriends each year.
-
Approximately one third of female murder
victims in the United States are killed by their husband or
boyfriend.
Domestic violence, partner
abuse, and battering refer to the physical, emotional, sexual, and
psychological abuse, performed by one person against another.
The abuser and the victim are involved in or have had an
intimate or romantic relationship.
Domestic violence, including
battering, happens in all socioeconomic levels, to urban or rural
women, young or old, with child and childless, single, married,
divorced – and within all religious, racial, ethnic groups, and
geographic locations. Councils
On Family Violence has designated domestic violence battering as
an “Unreported Epidemic.” It is important to note, that women
initiate and carry out physical assaults on their partners as
often as men do, according to a 1993 study by Straus and Gelles.
However, when it comes to serious physical abuse, women are
still overwhelmingly on the receiving end.
More women are injured through
domestic violence than by rape, muggings, and car accidents
combined. Many pregnant women have been and may be victims of
domestic violence abuse. Forced
sex or marital rape is the leading type of sexual assault.
Yet marital rape or forced sex maybe the most underreported
and least legally punished crime of partner abuse because many
victims are reluctant to report and file charges against the
abuser, for various reasons.
The Justice Department’s 1994 National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS) found that only about half of the
women who suffered domestic violence between 1987 and 1991
reported the abuse to law enforcement authorities.
 African Americans, including
African American Women suffer deadly violence from family members
at rates decidedly higher than for other racial groups in the
United States. However,
it is observed that research concerning family violence among
African Americans is inadequate.
Factors such as the breakdown
of families, unemployment and underemployment, poor schools,
inadequate vocational skills and training, bad housing, the
influence and use of drugs, and the density of liquor stores in
the inner city contribute to the problem of domestic violence.
All of these ingredients may compound and coalesce into a
strong undercurrent of frustration that can lead to domestic
violence.
Many
Black women may find it harder to leave a battering relationship
than White women. The
reasons for this are unclear, but some possible explanations
include the following:
(1) African American women have fewer
options in their search for a marital partner than do White women;
(2) African American women on average, have a lower income level
than that of most White women;
(3) Black women are reluctant to
call the police because they see the racial injustice in the
criminal justice system;
(4) Community support systems including
women’s shelters and other service programs may be less
available to them and they may view the shelter system movement as
something mainly to benefit White women. Unfortunately, many Black
women resort to “homicide” as an answer to the violence and
battering they encounter.
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Domestic violence is a Federal crime.
Call 911 immediately.
This will activate the criminal justice system in regards
to your domestic violence abuse and injurious claims.
Experts say that women are beaten about times before they ever dial 911.
-
Try to give police all available
information and make certain that the police listen and write down
your statements and their observations, and direct quotes of what
your abuser said while attacking you.
-
Never refuse medical evaluations and
medical services! Never
clean up the house or location after a domestic violence attack,
so that critical evidence of harm or injury is not removed.
Keep a Polaroid or some type of camera and film on hand to
photograph your injuries and any damage to property, etc.
Remember, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and is
a good sign of evidence.
-
Call domestic violence resource agencies
in your community or call the National Domestic Violence hot line
at (800) 799-SAFE. This
hotline was initiated in 1996 with cooperation from the Justice
Department. Through this hotline, a woman anywhere in the United States
can be connected to resources to help her get away from her
violent abuser.
A protective order can be
issued by civil and criminal courts against anyone who is a threat
to your safety. The
1994 Federal Violence Act against women specifies that protective
orders are recognized and enforced from state to state and
includes Indian Tribal Reservations.
Call the various domestic violence organizations and
agencies for information and advice about a protective order.
 We must all work together to
fight against domestic violence.
Churches, corporations, hospitals, and individuals in
general must be vigilant about increasing the awareness that
domestic violence is a major problem facing our communities.
Churches should present sermons, workshops and provide
information about domestic violence and sexual violence including
rape, child incest and child molestation, and conjugal battery.
Churches should also keep a
file of references of therapists who work with victims of domestic
and sexual violence and of medical, law enforcement, social
services, and other resources that offer help and support.
The Church needs to be open and forthright about the
reality of domestic and sexual violence and not be silent on these
subjects.
Additionally, hospitals and
health care providers must be more vigilant in screening for
domestic violence. The
American Medical Association (AMA) advises doctors and nurses to
routinely observe and screen patients in the emergency rooms for
signs of domestic violence, and report their findings to proper
authorities.
Domestic and sexual violence is a vicious
malady that the African American community must confront, reduce,
and eliminate from our lives.
The ancient Chinese proverb says that a
journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
You are taking the first step by being
informed and aware that domestic violence is a hard reality and no
laughing matter for Black women.
 Hot
Line
National Domestic Violence
Hotline (800) 799-SAFE
Web
Sites:
U.S. Department of Justice www.usdoj.gov/vawo/
American Bar Association www.abanet.org/domviol/home.html
Books
Marian
Betancourt, What
To Do When Love Turns Violent, New York, NY: Harper Collins
Publishers, Inc., 1997
Maria Hong, Family
Abuse, A National Epidemic, Springfield, NJ: Enslow
Publishers, Inc., 1997
Cynthia L. Mather, How
Long Does It Hurt? San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994
Susan
Murphy-Milano, Defending
Our Lives, New York: An Anchor Book, published by Doubleday,
1996
A.E. Sadler, book editor, Family
Violence, San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc.,
1996
Jan
Berliner-Statman, The
Battered Woman’s Survival Guide, Dallas, TX: Taylor
Publishing Company, 1995
Karin L. Swisher, book editor,
Domestic Violence, San Diego, CA: Greenhaven
Press, Inc., 1996
Karin L. Swisher and Carol
Wekesser, book editors, Violence Against Women, San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1994
San Jose Mercury News, Wednesday, August 4, 1999, p. 3B
Rev. Arly Pryor, the author of the article, is a spirit-filled, ordained minister of the gospel. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Sociology from San Jose State University. Rev. Pryor is married and is the father of four children.
This article is a reprint from the Black Women's Health website. We highly recommend our women visitors to visit this sight and bookmark it as an essential Internet resource.
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