5 Backward Ways Our Society Responds to Domestic Violence

[redqueen]

You’d think domestic violence would be one thing we can collectively agree is a bad thing, but, as the news so often illustrates, you’d be wrong. Some members of society seem to think that the problem with domestic violence lies not with the perpetrators, but the victims, who can end up being punished as harshly if not more so than the people who abused them. If that’s not an illustration of serious injustice and a backwards system, we’re not sure what is.

1. Eviction

Calling the police for help is what domestic violence victims are told to do —and they’re assured that law enforcement officers will arrive, help them resolve the situation, and connect them with the resources they need. What they’re not assured of is that they’ll have a home to come back to after the case is processed, because reporting criminal activity at a residence can be grounds for eviction in some cities. If police respond to calls at a residence too many times in a given period, a city can revoke a landlord’s rental license, and evict any tenants. Landlords can also decide to evict tenants they deem “nuisances.”

...

2. Charged for Fighting Back

Self-defense is supposed to be a human right, but all too often, victims of domestic violence find themselves charged with assault while their abusers walk free or receive minimal punishments, as occurred in 2010 when Marissa Alexander was imprisoned for fighting back while her abusive ex escaped penalties. In such cases, it’s common to see a household with a history of domestic violence where a woman either defends herself from a particularly vicious attack, or decides she’s had enough and stands her ground in the face of abuse. Teenage children in abusive households can find themselves in the same position; by fighting back to protect their younger siblings or mothers, they may end up charged with crimes.

Astoundingly, courts often blame the victims in these cases, suggesting women should have left or used another method of resolution like calling for help. These responses ignore the very real psychological effects of long-term domestic violence and abuse, and also send a signal to other abusers that they may be able to manipulate a situation to end up with reversed charges where they face no consequences for their abuse, and their partners end up in jail or prison.

...

http://www.care2.com/causes/5-backward-ways-our-society-responds-to-domestic-violence.html

[DreamGypsy]

1. And, tragically, responses 6 and 7...

... are the death or suicide of the victim.

As reported by the Domestic Violence Resource Center:

On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. Intimate partner homicides accounted for 30% of the murders of women and 5% percent of the murders of men.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006.

(more recent statistics may be available)


and from suicide.org:

Domestic Violence and Suicide

One in three women is victimized by domestic violence at some point in her life.
Only one in five victims with physical injuries seeks medical treatment.
Only about half of domestic violence incidents are reported to police.
Almost all of the perpetrators of domestic violence say that they will stop. But most don't. The violence usually gets worse.
All women who are victims of domestic violence are at risk of being murdered by their abusers.
And one out of every four women who are the victims of domestic violence attempt suicide.

[ismnotwasm]

2. Then there's this little gem

Domestic Violence Victim Fired From Teaching


“Basically, we’d had a very bad weekend with him, we’d called the sheriff’s department three times on Sunday with him,” said Charlesworth, referring to an incident in January that put her leave of absence in motion.

She went to her principal at Holy Trinity School in El Cajon the following morning and told the principal to be on the lookout for her ex-husband. As many domestic violence cases go, this one has a trail of restraining orders and 911 calls. When Charlesworth’s ex-husband showed up in the school parking lot, the school went into lockdown.
Charlesworth and her four kids, who also attended Holy Trinity School, have not been back since the January incident. A letter was sent home to parents the following day, explaining the situation and noting Charlesworth and her children were being put "on an indefinite leave.”
While Charlesworth’s husband went to jail on two felony charges, she says she felt like a criminal too.
“And that’s what it felt like, the kids and I were being punished for something we didn’t even do,” she told NBC 7 San Diego.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52183094/ns/local_news-san_diego_ca/t/domestic-violence-victim-fired-teaching/#.UblUBcu9KK0

[redqueen]

3. It is sick how much these assholes can fuck up other people's lives.

Not just the women they terrorize, or their own children who are most often treated not much better if not the same... but all these other people who have to deal with the fallout of their violent, narcissistic bullshit.

[ismnotwasm]

4. And I think in this case it gave him way too much actual power

He terrorized a school system. If we have to have the patriot act, why aren't these guys terrorists?

[nomorenomore08]

5. I agree completely. A parent making terroristic threats at a school should be a federal offense.

nt