Information on battering
Battered women's
syndrome
To understand battered woman's syndrome, one must first understand how
someone becomes a "battered woman". According to Dr. Lenore E. Walker, the
nation's most prominent expert on battered women,
a woman must experience
at least two complete battering cycles before she can be labeled a
"battered woman". The cycle has three distinct phases. First is the
tension-building phase, followed by the explosion or acute battering
incident, culminating in a calm, loving respite - often referred to as the
honeymoon phase. L. Walker, The Battered Woman (1979).
So
What Is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is about one person getting and keeping power and
control over another person in an intimate relationship. The abusive
person might be your current or former spouse, live-in lover or dating
partner. A psychologist and law school professor who is an expert in
domestic violence has described it as "a pattern of behavior in which one
intimate partner uses physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation,
isolation and emotional, sexual or economic abuse to control and change
the behavior of the other partner." (Mary Ann Dutton)
Domestic or family violence happens to people of all ages, races,
ethnicities, and religions. It occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex
relationships. Economic or professional status does not indicate domestic
violence - abusers and victims can be laborers or college professors,
judges or janitors, doctors or orderlies, schoolteachers, truck drivers,
homemakers or store clerks. Domestic violence occurs in the poorest
ghettos, the fanciest mansions and white-picket-fence neighborhoods.
About
95% of victims of domestic violence are women. Over 50% of all women will
experience physical violence in an intimate relationship, and for 24-30%
of those women, the battering will be regular and on-going. And there are
significantly many many many more battered women than men. Every 15
seconds the crime of battering occurs. Most abusers or batterers are men.
They may seem gentle, mean, quiet or loud, and may be big or small. There
is some evidence that shows boys who grow up with domestic violence often
become abusers as adults, however, many abusers are from non-violent
homes, and many boys from violent homes do not grow up to be abusive.
The law
defines domestic violence in very specific ways. Every state and U.S.
territory has laws that allow its courts to issue protection orders, as do
many Indian tribes. Each state, territory or tribe decides for itself how
to define domestic violence and how its laws will help and protect
victims, so the laws are different from one jurisdiction to another.
Although you may be a victim of domestic violence, the laws in your
jurisdiction may be written in a way that does not include or protect you.
This does not mean that you are not a victim, and it does not mean that
you should not seek help.
The law
is a useful and important tool for increasing safety and independence, but
it is not the only tool. In addition to legal assistance, you might
benefit from safety planning, medical care, counseling, economic
assistance and planning, job placement, childcare, eldercare or pet care
assistance, or many other types of practical help and advice. You can seek
assistance from advocates, shelters, support groups, the National Domestic
Violence Hotline, and perhaps even your religious leader or doctor.
Click the links below for more
information on various aspects of Domestic Violence.
Family
violence links
Domestic abuse
statistics
Another definition of Domestic Violence
