Domestic Violence: A Survivor Story

Although we lost Ellen Pence, a woman who changed how domestic violence is addressed, in 2012, there are many lives that are being saved to this day because of her work. Ellen Pence found her calling in 1977 when she began working for the Minneapolis Housing Authority that helped individuals relocate with housing complications (StarTribune, 2010). It was then that she immersed herself through domestic violence cases and set the standard for addressing these cases. Ellen Pence is especially known for establishing the Duluth Program, a program that address batterers in the court systems, and Praxis Training, which are training on addressing domestic violence for law enforcement, advocates, community agencies, and institutions. Pence’s 35 years of service change the way domestic violence cases were handled, educated key players in domestic violence cases, and showed the world what it was like to be a victim of domestic abuse. Without her efforts, many individuals in power addressing these cases would be lost and those to who are victims would not be understood as they are today.

This literary writing will attempt to examine the impact of domestic violence (DV) in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community (LGBT). Domestic violence is prominent in a homosexual relationship, if not more so than in a heterosexual relationship (White & Goldberg, 2006). Domestic violence is also associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) (Dunne, 2014). Statistically, domestic violence rates are higher than heterosexual domestic violence with IPV (Fox, 2010). Knowing that domestic violence brings about a plethora of disparities, it is solidified

On 03/18/2017 at approximately 2132 hours, I was dispatched to 8340 Rd. 46 in the County of Montezuma, and State of Colorado for reports of a domestic disturbance.

http://paperrater.comRespondent denies that she made any of the vile racist statements Complainants have alleged and asserts that the only reason that she visited Complainants on December 3, 2016, was because of text messages of noise complaints she from tenant Christina Santoro, who lives directly below Complainants. Respondent states that Santoro’s text messages described three days and nights of domestic violence. Respondent states that her goal was to re-establish peace in the building and reiterate the rules and regulations to Complainants about the noise.

According to statistics found by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Every nine seconds a woman is abused by her husband or intimate partner. At least 1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 9 men have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. Most often the abuser is one of their own family. Domestic violence is a problem that somehow affects every one of us in this room at some time and is actually the leading cause of injury to women -- more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

This documentary looks into the lives of three women who have experienced domestic violence. Each woman’s story is different but they all share an experience that will never fade away from their memory. Sabrina is shown first, badly beaten and bruised. Her boyfriend is taken into custody and she is left with the decision of pressing charges. This isn't the first time her boyfriend has abused but her injuries are so bad that something has to be done. With the help of a counselor Sabrina gets the courage to press charges but thats just the first step. Over the course of six months Sabrina has to consider all of her options for refuge and her safety. After about six months the court hearing takes place. She wasn’t expecting to have such strong feelings when she saw he abuser.

I simply looked up Domestic Violence Resources in Snohomish County in my search bar Online. Right away there were resources available for myself or other’s to use. I found a couple helpful websites on is http://snohomishcountywa.gov/434/Helpful-Resources and the other is http://www.dvs-snoco.org . Both of the sites gives options and resources for people who are going through or have been victim of domestic violence. It was really easy to find these resources online.

Unfortunately violence and abuse are very common in the United States. They can be expressed in many ways such as physical, emotional, mental, sexual, financial, and even spiritual abuse. The victim can suffer major health and mental problems caused by the mistreatment. Not only does it affect those involved, but also those who witness the violence. It is a very difficult cycle to break, as the abuser tends to continuously abuse the victim, even when they claim that they have changed and will stop.

This research paper focuses on the prevalence of domestic violence in the United States. Domestic violence impacts the lives of people from various age cohorts, sexual orientation, educational levels, ethnicities, and socioencomic backgrounds. Studies have revealed that domestic violence impacts the live of one and every four women, in comparison to one in every seven women. Women and children are primary victims of domestic violence when compared with men. Victims of domestic violence often experience devastating effects, such as suffering from extreme cases depression, developing Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), and dissociation. There are physical scares, such as black eyes and bruises, which remind them daily of their victimization.

Thinking back on my life now, when I was about 4 years old, I can remember a time when I was at the grocery store with my mother and she had these big black glasses on, she took them off to pay for our groceries and I saw that she had a big black bruise under her eye. I found out later in life that my father abused my mother. It was about power and control for him. My Mother instilled in me to never allow a man to hit me and if one ever does, run and never look back. Men abuse women because they can. Domestic violence is a behavior that is observed and learned. Perhaps something happened to the abuser as a child that they are now modeling as an adult. (www.mocadsv.org)

Victims who are both sexually and physically abused are more likely to get killed by a family member or spouse. Women who are pregnant, have a disability or attempt to leave are at a huge risk of partner rape. No one should ever have to experience sexual assault. Being sexually assaulted can ruin someone’s life and also can affect their perspective on people. No man or woman should be held against their will to do something that they don’t want to do. Both men and women are victims of sexual abuse. “Nearly 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men experienced sexual violence victimization other than rape at some point in their lives.” (ncadv.org) Sexual assault is a topic that most people feel uncomfortable to discuss. Sexual assault is a huge problem and needs to be addressed appropriately. Individuals need to seek help and report sexual abuse, because it is very wrong. “Only 36 percent of all rape victims ever report the crime to the police.” (ncadv.org) The percentage of women who report sexual abuse is very low. Individuals who have and are experiencing sexual assault and rape need to speak up and report it. Victims need to report sexual abuse, because the abuser could sexually assault someone else. If a victim speaks up, they can have a higher chance at getting help. Individuals that are experiencing sexual abuse need to get help. Friends and family of the victim can encourage them to get screened for any signs of physical and sexual assault. Victims and survivors of sexual abuse can demand state legislators to update and revise law to include martial rape as form of sexual assault. Those are some ways that can help and prevent sexual

Many of you don't know my story and I was hesitant to post this, but the issue is bigger than me. I was born into a household of anger and pain. I tried my best to be a good girl. I studied hard and earned good grades. I cleaned the house spotless, but I was never good enough. The verbal and physical abuse from my parents was unpredictable. I don't think I will ever escape the emotional scars that I earned from my childhood. My body has dozens of scars, but I'm fortunate because I survived. We have to talk about domestic violence. It can be a silent killer, there are many that don't survive. If you suspect someone is being abused, reach out. If you are being abused, seek

Domestic violence is not a label that can be boxed and defined. No, it is emotions of pain, fear, shock, confusion, and most surprising, love. It is difficult for many to comprehend if not brought up within a violent home; the true, passionate emotions that fall as a burden upon the victims, who often stay quiet. What brings the traumatic pain to domestic violence is that a person who is supposed to cherish and love another, ends up creating fear and panic when even mentioned. Domestic violence, which is indeed a form of abuse, is an issue that needs to be handled with delicate, yet able coherence. Within the society of America, the fight against domestic violence needs to be accepted instead of ignored. In doing so, there are many questions

Ellie and I lay in our beds, neither one of us knew what to say. In the other room, our host parents were arguing. We didn’t know what about, but we knew it was serious. Then we heard a “THWACK” followed by silence. Ellie and I sat up in our beds and looked at each other, I could tell she was as scared as I was. “Was that? Did he just?” she asked me. Then the arguing started back up again. We calmed back down until we heard it again. “THWACK” We knew then, the noise we heard, was him beating her. We got up, our hearts racing; neither of us knew what to do. We got our nerves together to go get help. When we opened the door to our room we saw the children sitting on the couch crying out for their mother. I could see the fear in their face and I knew something needed to change.

Abuse can have many different meanings, there is one in particular that takes control in many Americans relationship, “physical maltreatment” (Abuse). Sadly there is an increasing amount of young adults going through an abusive relationship or were in one. Many of the people that become abusers consider violence as a normal behavior because they have witnessed it on a daily basis. They than begin to mistreat everyone that comes in his or her way. An abuser is frequently interested in controlling their victims. An abuser’s behavior is usually manipulating, in order to make their victims