Posted by Scott on April 13th, 2010 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
I just read a very interesting article about a new study that has provided even stronger evidence that the link between spanking and future aggressive behavior is causal, not just correlated as has long been known. In other words, this study is strong evidence that corporal punishment causes children to become more aggressive and misbehave more in the long run. The study controlled the variables that could also contribute to children having aggressive behavior to help make sure it was the spanking that was causing the aggressive behavior.
The article states, “Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.”
I can think of two main reasons this is important in relation to violence prevention.
Firstly, getting parents to abstain from making the mistakes such as spanking that cause their children to become aggressive and to misbehave later in life will prevent violent crime from occurring. I assume it would most prevent bullying in school, since that is perhaps the main way these children who are made aggressive by spanking end up victimizing people out of the home.
Secondly, making it common knowledge that spanking is counterproductive will disable physically abusive parents from trying to defend themselves by claiming that they were merely using corporal punishment. That’s not to say that any parent who has ever spanked a child was being abusive; they may have genuinely believed it was in the child’s best interest. Rather, I’m saying that parents who are actually abusive could pretend that they were like those parents who actually thought spanking was an effective way to get a child to behave in the long run. But they can’t pretend that anymore once all parents are made aware of the fact that spanking is a counterproductive parenting technique.
What do you think? You can post a comment below. You can also discuss the study in this thread at the Philosophy Forums.
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Posted by Scott on March 7th, 2008 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
I just read an interesting letter in which John Hemming urged the UK government to stop punishing women who are victims of domestic violence by taking their children away.
A recent UK government report revealed that “51.1% of women who have had their children removed had it done so in part because they were victims of domestic violence.”
At first, I figured that taking the kids out of a violent home makes sense. It will protect the children from the emotional pain of watching their mother suffer from abuse. Also, the abuser could begin abusing the children. I figured that, if the mother wants to keep the children, then she needs to get away from the abuser permanently. For the children’s sake, we cannot leave them in an abusive home.
But the author of the letter made a good point. He pointed out that victims of domestic abuse may not report it if they think the government will take away their children. That makes sense.
So what do we do? Do we take children away from mothers who live in abusive homes or who date someone abusive? What about mothers who make a habit of dating abusive people?
In some cases, dealing with the abuser may solve the problem altogether. In the other cases, I think the solution depends on the circumstances. Some abused mothers may not do enough to protect their kids, and I want the kids taken away from those mothers. Once we have dealt with the abuser, some abused mothers may take care of their children as well as any other person. Then I say let them keep their children. Perhaps increasing supervision of abused mothers would help, but then we need to make acceptable standards for determining when to take the kids away and when not to take them away.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 13th, 2008 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
I just read an interesting article that says that domestic violence starts at home.
Basically, the article says that we cannot rely on police and courts to stop domestic violence because arrest and punishment can only do so much. The article then suggests intensive counseling for at-risk couples as well as putting more effort into raising children better.
I agree.
We do need to put domestic abusers in jail, but we can only stop domestic violence by preventing it in the first place. Most abusive people probably learn that behavior as children, so I agree that we need to find a way to make sure children get raised in a way that does not lead to domestic violence. If we do that, hopefully we could stop the cycle of domestic violence.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 11th, 2008 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 23.6 percent of U.S. women and 11.5 percent of U.S. men reported being a victim of domestic violence at some point in their lives. The CDC estimates that 1,200 women are killed and 2 million are injured in domestic violence every year in the United States.
Instead of needlessly wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on the occupation of Iraq and the war on drugs, maybe we could put some of that money into preventing domestic violence.
I would much rather see a war on domestic violence than a war on drugs. I suggest we stop throwing non-violent druggies in jail and instead use those law enforcement resources to stop domestic violence and lock up domestic abusers.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on January 23rd, 2008 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Hip-hop artist Big Lou told me about the YouTube music video of his song, Stop Hittin Me. Even if you do not tend to like hip-hop music, I beg you to watch this powerful music video about domestic violence:
I love the song. And I love the fact that Big Lou uses his talent to raise awareness about such important issues. What do you think of the music video?
Every year, approximately 1.3 million women suffer from domestic abuse by an intimate partner. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.
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Posted by Scott on October 8th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Trying to stop domestic violence can prove very hard, namely because victims often fail to report the abuse and leave the abusive place or relationship. Victims protect their perpetrator for various reasons, some include self-blame, psychological dependence, and fear.
Women who leave an abusive husband have a greatly increased chance of getting killed by that partner, so perhaps they have some justification for protecting their abuser.
To get the victims out of these abusive situations, we need to make it favorable for them as much as possible. We need to provide high-quality shelters that have enough resources. Additionally, these shelters need to protect the victims from their abusers, perhaps even hiding the victim’s identity or location from the public. Additionally, the victims need to be offered a pleasant and permanent alternative life. Many victims depend on their abuser. For example, we need to make sure that battered women can support themselves if they leave their abuser. Many cannot, and thus must stay with their abuser.
What do you think? How do you suggest that we get abuse victims to help themselves and get out of the abusive relationship?
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Posted by Scott on October 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Many police stations across Maryland have implemented a new procedure when responding to domestic violence complaints to discover which victims have the highest risk of getting murdered by their partner.
A Washington Post article describes the program, saying that it consists of an 11 questions quiz that probes whether victims have ever been threatened with a weapon, been choked or received death threats. Police also ask if the abuser has access to a handgun.
When the answers show a high risk of lethality, the police immediately call a counselor and urge the victim to talk.
It seems like a great program to me, but I wonder why it took this long to come up with one. I hope to see this program implemented even further, and to see even more programs like it.
Domestic violence poses a unique problem, because victims tend to not report it, for various reasons. Especially for that reason, our society needs to take major action to reduce and hopefully eliminate domestic violence. We need to protect victims, and we need to restrain and treat perpetrators.
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Posted by Scott on October 2nd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
In case you don’t know, I want to tell you that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Domestic violence is a horrible but prevalent problem. For example, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.
You can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.
If you or anyone you know suffers from domestic violence, I urge you to take action to stop it.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on September 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
I found the following good video about domestic violence on YouTube:
I like that the video also addresses domestic violence against men and children. I think the song fits the theme. What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on June 25th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Today I want to highlight a type of abuse that people sometimes overlook - the abuse of elderly people.
Every year, an estimated 2.1 million elderly Americans suffer from physical abuse, psychological abuse, or other forms of abuse and neglect. Experts estimate that only 1 in 6 incidences of elder abuse get reported.
No matter their age, color, size, or gender, every human deserves basic respect and deserves to live a life free from abuse.
Collectively, we can help fight elder abuse by raising awareness and changing policies. Individually, we can take care of the elderly people closest to us and treat them with respect. For example, we can avoid sending our parents or grandparents to convalescent homes. Additionally, we can volunteer at hospitals and such to spend time with elderly people. Make sure to report any suspected incidences of abuse.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on June 4th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse victims often stay in their abusive relationships and violent homes because these victims feel they have no way out. If you suspect a person may suffer from domestic abuse, offer that person a way out. For example, if a woman friend of yours may get abused, offer to let her stay at your house. You don’t even have to tell her why, if she tends to get defensive when questioned. If you can’t personally provide the victim with a way out, show the victim where she/he can get help, such as domestic abuse shelters or hotlines.
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Posted by Scott on May 23rd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Rebecca Ross recently wrote an article about Jackson Katz, including an interview. Here’s an excerpt:
Jackson Katz believes it’s time to stop calling domestic violence “a women’s issue.”
The educator, author, filmmaker and activist has spent years speaking out on the issue of gender violence, an issue he feels is firmly rooted in America’s culture.
“There isn’t violence against women because of some genetic abnormality in men; it is our culture. It is learned behavior,” said Katz, who wrote the 2006 book, “The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help.”
Read entire article by Rebecca Ross.
I agree with Jackson Katz that domestic violence is more of a man’s issue than a woman’s issue. If we want to stop domestic violence, we have to focus on stopping the perpetrators, which tend to be men. We cannot just tell the victims, which tend to be women, that the problem is theirs. Instead, to fight violence we must change the culture that leads men to commit violent acts against women as well as each other.
Of course, we do need to remember that sometimes women abuse men as well, even though it happens much less frequently.
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