DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
What is Domestic Violence?
 Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power
and control over another person through fear and intimidation,
often including the threat or use of violence.
 Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault,
battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated
by an intimate partner against another. It is an epidemic affecting
individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic
status, race, religion, nationality, gender, or educational
background.
 Domestic violence results in physical injury, psychological trauma,
and sometimes death. The consequences of domestic violence can
cross generations and truly last a lifetime
Domestic Violence Statistics
 Estimates of violence range from nearly 1 to 4 million
incidents each year
 In 2001, women accounted for 85% of the victims
 95% of DV perpetrators are male
 Intimate partner violence occurs in one out of every six
couples
Do you consider emotional abuse as
a form of domestic violence?
Yes or No
Understanding Abusive Relationships:
the Cycle
 The Cycle of Violence
 Learned Helplessness
 The Survivor Theory
 Stockholm's Syndrome
Battered Women Who Kill their
Husbands
 Relatively few battered women kill their abusers
 “Lethality factor”
 The Battered Women Syndrome as a defense
 “Cooling Off ”
 People v. Berry, State v. Norman
 pp. 298-315
 Critics of the Battered Women Syndrome
Does the Battered Women
Syndrome help or hurt women?
Yes or No
Statistics of Using Battered Women
Syndrome
 Not a successful strategy
 Rarely acquitted
 Receive harsh sentences
 25 years to life
 More likely to receive longer sentences than non-battered
women
 More likely to receive longer sentences than men using
mitigating claims of “heat of passion”
Who is Likely to Be a Victim of DV?
 Has been the victim of DV Previously
 Member of ethnic minority/immigrant groups
 Pregnant
 Poor
 Limited Support systems
 Don’t Speak English
 Have traditional beliefs
 Younger
 Divorced/Separated
 Live in rural areas
DV Against Immigrant Women:
Statistics
 50% of women reported that violence increased upon
coming to the U.S.
 Married immigrant women experience higher rates of abuse
than unmarried immigrant women-60% to 40%.
 72% of batterers never filed petitions for their wives even
though 50% qualified, and those who did file took 4 years to
file
 Women from societies governed by religious law have special
problems-Muslim societies, orthodox Jewish societies.
Statistics Cont.
 81% of Asian women report experiencing intimate violence in the past year.
 27% report emotional abuse.
 16% report being forced to have sex.
 67% “occasionally” experience, 48% experience regularly.
 African immigrants victimized at higher rates by family members.
 Assaulted at double the rates of other groups.
 Highest educated.
 77% of Hispanics indicate they have/someone close to them has been the victim of DV-
will be 12.2 million by 2030.
 39% report severe abuse
 50% believe DV is caused by forces beyond batters control.
 20% report being forced to have sex.
 83% indicate they believe a batterer who abuses his wife is more likely to abuse his
kids, but only 47% believe DV passes from generation to generation.
Barriers to Reporting
 Don’t trust police.
 Lack of understanding of American legal system.
 Language barriers/Lack of bilingual support systems.
 More isolated than the average woman.
 Lack of community ties.
 Low education level.
 No personal funds.
 Stigma of admitting marital problems.
Relief Available
 VAWA-civil rights remedies/criminal provisions.
 Federalized enforcement of restraining orders,
prohibited gun ownership for those convicted of DV
offenses, immigration relief.
 Political Asylum? Alvarado case.
 T & U Visas, VAWA Self Petition.
 All of these provide the victim work authorization, permission
to be in the U.S., and a pathway to a green card and citizenship.
 Minor children also.
 Video: Rosa’s Story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njg4w7UkvrQ
Do you think political asylum should be
available for victims of domestic violence?
Strategies for ending DV
 Mandatory Prosecution/Arrest?
 Training law enforcement?
 Court advocates?
 Therapy?
 Educating Public?
What do you think is the best way to combat
domestic violence?
What Would You Do?
 Men abusing Women
 http://youtu.be/nIEFiHgPPgE
 Women abusing Men
 http://youtu.be/CRCS6GGhIRc
DV and Entertainment
 DV & Sports
 http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/page/lapchick-
111130/the-public-underwhelming-reaction-athletes-assaultwomen
 DV & Television
 http://www.the-spearhead.com/2010/01/17/mtvs-domestic-
violence-double-standard-and-public-reaction/
DV in the Limelight
 Movies and other media with domestic violence themes
 Celebrity victims and aggressors
 Ike & Tina Turner
 Madonna & Sean Penn
 Chris Brown & Rihanna
 Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee
 Mel Gibson
 Halle Berry
 Mariah Carey
 Bill Clinton
 Diane Lane
Stalking
 Annually in the United States, 503,485 women are stalked by
an intimate partner.
 One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their
lifetime, for an average duration of almost two years
 Seventy-six percent of female homicide victims were stalked
prior to their death
Prevention and Treatment
Some Warning Signs of Violence
 Your dating partner is using threats or violence to solve a problem
 Frequent calling and texting to check where you are or who you
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are with or other jealous behavior
Telling you who you can spend time with, what you can do, or
what to wear
Name calling, putting you down, embarrassing you, or making you
feel bad about yourself
Making threats towards you, your family and friends
Making threats of suicide or self harm
Forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do
(OK.Gov)
How to get out
 Make a plan
 Call a women's shelter.You can remain anonymous and they can help you make a
plan.
 Leaving
 Pack in advance and be sure to leave a bag at a friend’s house and create an extra set
of keys to you car and home that you keep outside of the home
 Take all important papers and Id’s for you and your children if you have them.
 In case of an incident or argument
 Try to be in a place with an exit. Preferably one without weapons such as the kitchen.
 Identify and practice escaping through possible exits in your home such as windows
or other doors.
 Pick a few neighbors you can trust. Tell them about the domestic violence and ask
them to call the police if they hear a disturbance in your home.
 Pick a code word to use with family and friends so that they know when to call the
police.
 Use your instincts
 Try to keep a cell phone with you
VPO’s
 If you or your children have been threatened or assaulted, you can
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request a Victim’s Protective Order.
You can get assistance on how to obtain a Protective Order from
your local Domestic Violence Service provider.
Always keep your Protective Order with you.
Call the police immediately if your partner violates the Protective
Order.
Think of alternative ways to keep safe if the police do not respond
immediately.
How to Help Someone Dealing with DV
 Do listen, believe and let the person know that he/she is not
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alone.
Do recognize the warning signs of an abusive situation for
victims (absenteeism, isolation, unexplained injuries…) as
for perpetrators (public blames, outburst of anger, attitude of
domination…)
Do facilitate the development of a safety plan to protect the
victim from the abuser. Domestic violence survivors may be
at increased risk for violence when they take steps to leave an
abusive partner or to seek legal relief. It is important to
develop a safety plan for yourself and your children whether
you choose to remain with a partner or are separating.
Don’t underestimate the danger of the situation.
Don’t let the abusive behavior continue in the work place
(phone calls to the victim, blames in public, threats...)
(from worldbank.org)
Prevention and Treatment
 Batterer’s
 Domestic Violence can be prevented by counseling and
rehabilitating batterers as well.
 http://absrehabilitation.com/violence.html
 Victim’s
 Victims Compensation Information
 Your rights as a crime victim
 http://www.womenshelters.org/sta/oklahoma
Resources
 Resources
 The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
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1-866-331-9474
Oklahoma Safeline
1-800-522-7433 (SAFE)
Love Is Respect
www.loveisrespect.org
The Safe Space
www.thesafespace.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datingmatters
www.facebook.com/VetoViolence
http://www.ok.gov/health/Disease,_Prevention,_Prepared
ness/Injury_Prevention_Service/Intimate_Partner_Violence
/index.html