Domestic Violence

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Domestic Violence
Domestic violence (DV) or intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem in the United States of America (USA) (Leigh et al. 215). Many people suffer in silence from this pervasive, life-threatening, and insidious societal problem. DV, may it be psychological, sexual, or physical can contribute to numerous negative health impacts, including depression, trauma, anxiety, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. In addition, children who become exposed to DV might experience growth-related problems, distrust of caregivers, and behavioral disorders. The majority of individuals affected by this issue are not willing to share it with others since they believe it is a family problem that should be solved internally. That perception make it challenging for the victims to get appropriate help, where in some cases DV results in death. Domestic violence should be eliminated by creating safe platforms where people can speak freely since it violates humanity and endangers the lives of women, men, and children.
DV has been a significant societal issue for an extended period. Traditionally, it was perceived as a private family matter, meaning that affected individuals would not have reported the problem. Family members were expected to solve the issue without informing the public, which contributed to the majority of the victims remaining silent. Males, females, and children can be victims of DV. However, women are significantly affected and 1 in 3 females experience some kind of DV in their lifetime. Some victims of DV are killed by their aggressive partners. In particular, women’s probability of being killed is 70 times, particularly when they try to leave their intimate partners after experiencing DV (Noltimier 870). Cases of DV in the USA increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, during this period, individuals were encouraged to stay at home due to lockdowns, quarantine, social distancing, and other preventive measures implemented by the government and health organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to reduce the spread of the deadly virus. Specifically, the lifetime prevalence of severe DV is 15% for men and 21% for women. Between 16th March and 30th April 2020, cases of DV in the USA increased to over 24,000 incidents (Hsu and Henke 363). The main challenge in addressing this problem is that many people still believe that DV is a private issue. That is why the majority of victims suffer in silence since they hesitate to report perpetrators of IPV to the respective authorities as it might appear as a betrayal. As such, if safe platforms are created, many victims of DV will come out and speak without fear, which is the only way they can get the assistance needed to overcome their problems. Individuals should realize that they should not feel tied to abusive partners, marriages, or families and that they can redeem themselves by speaking openly in safe platforms, where no one is judging them.
Women and children should be more encouraged to speak out on DV since they are the ones that suffer the most. They are likely to become victims of DV, which has far-reaching adverse consequences o...