Childhood Violence and the Risk Involved

Childhood violence is one of the most terrifying and deplorable menaces that the society has faced. The Indian society has a long history of childhood violence which has been brought to the core by the media in higher frequency in the last decade. Plenty of new cases have been highlighted which has depicted children being molested, assaulted and even killed. One of the major risk factors of childhood violence is poverty. With families being so poor that they cannot afford to put roof over their own head, let alone their children, the vulnerability level of the children is bound to increase.

Another risk factor of childhood violence is vicious circle of children facing abuse that make them menacing adults. Various scientific studies have shown that children facing abuse and violence are more likely to cause trouble in the society when they grow up. We have seen the Nirbhaya case that occurred a few years back where the accused and later on guilty never really felt or showed any remorse for the heinous crime they committed. The natural knee jerk reaction is to think how in the world they cannot understand the gravity of their deplorable crime. However if we analyze these criminals or any other criminals who have committed similar crimes we will find a common pattern and a trend.

Their upbringing is not apt which includes their education, access to normal civic facilities and other necessary characteristics. With the lack of education in terms of human etiquettes, how to treat another individual, what is acceptable and what is not etc are missing. This is a massive gap that becomes a massive loophole delivering such deplorable results in future. This is not a failure from the point of view of the parents of the criminals but rather failure of the country, its government and our system. If these risk factors are not improved in future, the chances of such heinous activities will only be on the rise. Poverty, lack of financial resources and thus lack of education is a primary reason for such crimes. Mindsets of our society, our leaders, our people and our children would have to change.

A child with traumatic memories of violence and assault is going to be permanently affected for the rest of his or her life. There has to external agencies independent of the government’s control but working in collaboration with the government to induce new policies and implement them to protect the future of this country. Although certain NGO’s do exist who cater to such causes, the numbers are not enough to make a sizeable contribution to the actual problem. It’s high time we as a country do some introspection and make changes.

Domestic Violence and Why it Must Never Happen

Studies reveal that one out of 3 women around the world has been abused at least once in her lifetime and most often, the abuser is a member of her own family. As domestic violence has become a common existence in the society, it has been accepted normally by many people. And, the commonness of these activities shows that domestic violence is a very crucial issue and requires a serious attention today.

Domestic violence defined

Generally, domestic violence is associated with physical abusive actions that a person does towards a partner such a slapping, choking and hitting. But, this term also refers to abuse that have several other worst actions that can cause emotional, physical, mental, sexual or financial injury to a person. Humiliation and putting the partner is a form of domestic violence because they might be emotionally and psychologically destructive to the victim.

Busting myths

You know that the fights are normal in a relationship. And due to these fights, the bond between two people becomes stronger. But if these fights cause injury or any worst condition like death of another person, they are not acceptable and need an immediate action.

This can happen with any couple who are in any kind of intimate relationship. It has been seen that generally the women are the victims and this can be vice-versa too in some cases.

Effects on children

Children who encounter violence at home may pretend that whatever is happening in the family isn’t affecting them. But sadly it is. These children feel neglected and are sometimes abused too. The abuse these children have experienced in a very small age may have long-term effects.

It has been seen that these children have very low self-esteem, confidence and respond late to things. They face difficulty at school and studies, they are never comfortable while interacting with a new person. Young adults and have faced abuse, they seem to be violent and exhibit rebellious behavior.

What should be done?

Domestic violence can make anyone its victim, from any religion, race, age, culture and gender. The abusers hold low self-esteem, and resort to harmful actions in order to control their partners or families. So, the best solution to stop domestic violence is “leave”. But, there are many victims who do not do this because they are dependant on the abuser in one way or the other. Victims who have families choose to leave to keep the family complete.

So, my dear friends, if you are a victim and are having a difficulty in leaving your home, then do not hesitate to tell your friends and family members about what is happening with you. Speak up, take some actions and even call the police, if the need be. You are not meant to be beaten or abused by someone, you are meant to be loved and cared for. So, raise your voice today and find the real you.

Why Domestic Violence Hurts Everyone

Now you know that domestic violence is a scary issue. The people who have gone through it or are presently going through such a nasty thing are so embarrassed or afraid that they never talk about such topics. The abuser or the doer has never faced this embarrassment. The point is who will talk about this ongoing violence? This is not something which is affecting two or three people, rather millions of people in the world. Domestic violence needs to be discussed because it has a huge impact on everyone in the world where it is allowed to continue unabated.

Here is an example of a woman who was abused in a relationship. The victim is too ashamed, afraid, guilty or threatened that she cannot even consider telling about her situation to anyone. She has bruises on the outside, she explains away as running into a door or some other inanimate object. Some bruises heal with time. Sometimes she thinks that she is the only one who is going through all this and things might get better with time.  but how is this hurting this victim?

1. This woman is losing or has already lost her self-esteem and purpose of life.

2. Now she has hopes that are all false that things will get better and she decides to stay with all these abusive situations and letting her beaten down till the worse.

3. The productivity work is going down and she is taking too many sick leaves.

4. All inside she is physically and mentally damaged.

5. Her social circle has reduced or is almost lost, and she is keeping herself away from all the ways to communicate.

6. She is facing a dilemma to stay in the relationship or get harmed.

Even after so many things, she doesn’t report this to the police. She is not talking out this with her friends and family. She may think that nobody is noticing all this, but she’s wrong here. Her close ones are noticing, and are concerned about her too. So, domestic violence is not only hurting this woman, but everyone around her too.

Domestic violence hurts everyone including children, women, men, businesses, servants and the future generations too. Nobody is untouched by it. A major section of the victims includes children. In many cases, the children are not physically hurt, but they witness it among their parents, but they are rendered helpless. These children always go through bad mental conditions or are silent victims who hardly care about making friends and don’t mix up easily with the surroundings.

We all should not keep quiet or hope that it will end up day. It won’t till we don’t step forward and speak out and help ourselves, or find ways to help and throw out our fear of getting involved. We need to put an end to this endless moving cycle. So, join hands because it’s time of action.

Domestic Violence - Signs To Look For

The most common abuse today is domestic violence that is being carried out between family members. And the victims generally are women and children who face domestic violence, a very common cause of injury to women between 15 to 44. Also, about 25% of women have experienced abuse from someone with whom they were intimately involved.

One should never accept domestic violence. In case you find or already know someone who is a victim of domestic violence, do look for the below mentioned signs to find out.

1. The victim usually has an inclination towards loved ones, and the abuser tries to keep the victim around them. And, in case the victim is unable to reach his or her parents or family, they look for a person with a close relationship. That’s when the culprit gets into the scene.

2. A good romantic relationship, when suddenly gets distracted from their former lives due to any third person, the things change so much that it becomes an abusive relationship. Also, the abuser stays out of the violence when someone is around or is noticing them.

3. Domestic violence is sometimes caused due to the insecurities of the abuser, when the partner becomes jealous because of the attention their partner gets from other people. You very well work on the jealousy factor.

4. The abuser always tries to convince their partner by saying that they need each other. The abuser isolates the victim for some time, so that the things come reach a certain level and get in control.

Here are a few questions to ask the victim:

• Have you ever changed your behavior to set your partner's mood right?
• Do they control your finances?
• Do you have any kind of nervousness when he/she is around you? Or any discomfort?
• Are you sure of their loyalty towards you?

Domestic violence is a very common threat in a kid's childhood, if they witness or go through any kind of physical or emotional violence, they behave differently. They may sometimes isolate from the world as well and the same happens with grown ups. They perform suicidal attempts every now and then, so it is very important for everyone to understand childhood violence. If we are aware, we can keep our loved ones and children safe and sound.

Small children or adults or teens who are involved in abusive relationships in their homes are very much involved in bad activities like alcohol, smoking, drugs and lots of other things. Also, they are quite prone to illness such as high blood pressure and HIV AIDS. They lose their memory very soon and lose their psychological balance for indefinite spans of time.

Do take care of your loved ones and save them from this ongoing violence today.