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VIOLENCE, ABUSE
&
HARASSMENT
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“Only when we are no
longer afraid do we begin to
live in every experience,
painful or joyous, to live in
gratitude for every moment,
to live abundantly.”
- Dorothy Thomson -
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INTRODUCTION
WHO’s CLASSIFICATION OF
VIOLENCE
1. Self-Directed Violence
2. Interpersonal Violence
3. Collective Violence
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SELF-DIRECTED VIOLENCE
Self-Mutilation
Examples of Self-Mutilation:
Skin cutting with razors and knives
Burning or biting one’s self
Picking one’s skin or hair
Extreme injuries such as autoenucleation,
castration, or amputation
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Risk Factors for
Self-Mutilation:
Female gender
Adolescence and college age
Substance abuse or personality
History of self-mutilation
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PERSPECTIVES ON
VIOLENCE
SOCIOCULTURAL ISSUES
Events That “Trigger” Violence
Not obeying one’s husband/partner
Talking back to one’s husband/partner
Not having food ready on time
Questioning one’s husband/partner about $ or girlfriends
Going somewhere without permission
Refusing one’s husband or partner sex
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Percentage of Women Reporting Rape in
Their Lifetime by Race/Ethnicity of Victim
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HISTORICAL TRENDS
No punishment for husbands in England murdering
their wives until 19th century
U.S. courts did not criminalize wife beating until 20th
century
Spanish explorers used female Native American captives
for sexual services
17th century New England female servants represented
1/3 of rape victims
African female servants in the South victimized by
white overseers
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POVERTY INFLUENCES
Women in families with incomes <$10000 are more
likely than other women to be victims of violence by an
intimate partner
ALCOHOL/DRUG INFLUENCES
75% victims report alcohol/drug use by the offender at
the time of the crime
MEDIA INFLUENCES
1 in 5 children (10-17 years old) receives unwanted
sexual solicitations on the Internet
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COSTS OF VICTIMIZATION
U.S. government spent $147 billion for police
protections, corrections, and judicial and legal activities
in 1999
Victims and families received $370 million in
compensation benefits in 2001
LEGAL DIMENSIONS
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Decrease in the number of violent crimes by intimate
partners against females is attributed to VAWA
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Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Crime to cross state lines to continue to abuse a
spouse/partner
Creating tough new penalties for sex offenders
Prohibiting anyone facing a restraining order for
domestic abuse from possessing a firearm
Substantial commitment of federal resources for police
and prevention service initiatives
Requiring sexual offenders to pay restitution to their
victims
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Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Continued…
Requiring states to pay for rape examinations
Providing funds for federal victim-witness counselors
Extending rape shield laws to protect crime victims
abusive inquiries into heir private conduct
Requiring that release offenders report to local
enforcement authorities
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GLOBAL ISSUES
20% to 50% of the female population world-wide will
become victims of domestic violence in their lifetime
Sexual harassment in healthcare settings
Genital mutilation
Forced gynecological exams
Obligatory inspections of virginity
Rape as a weapon of war
Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict = an estimation of
10,000 to 60,000 women raped
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FAMILY & INTIMATE
VIOLENCE
STALKING
Course of Conduct:
Reported visual or physical proximity (on 2 or more
occasions)
Nonconsensual communication
Verbal, written, or implied threats
A combination thereof that would cause fear in a
reasonable person
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The Stalking Realities:
81% of women stalked by a current husband, former
husband, or cohabitating partner were physically
assaulted by that partner
31% of women stalked were sexually abused by that
partner
1st anti-stalking law was passed in California in 1990
Cyberstalking is a factor in 20% to 40% of all
stalking cases reported
45 states are now protecting their residents from
cyberstalking
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Beware of Cyberstalking:
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
At Least 1 out of Every 3 Murdered Women is
Killed by Her Husband
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CHILD ABUSE
The Reality:
903,000 children were victims of abuse in 2001
45% of the mothers of abused children are
themselves battered women
4 Major Types of Maltreatment of Children:
1. Physical Abuse
2. Child Neglect
3. Sexual Abuse
4. Emotional Abuse
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ELDER ABUSE
3 Major Situations for Abuse of the Elderly:
1. Domestic Abuse
2. Institutional Abuse
3. Self-Neglect
7 Types of Elder Abuse:
1. Physical Elder Abuse
5. Neglect
2. Sexual Elder Abuse
6. Self-Neglect
3. Emotional Elder Abuse
7. Abandonment
4. Financial Exploitation
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RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
Estimated Occurrence of Forcible Rapes
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Women Victims’ Age at Time of First Rape
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VIOLENCE BY
STRANGERS
COMMON CRIMES INCREASING
Carjacking
Gang Violence
Robbery
Sexual Assault
Murder
Rape
HATE CRIMES
9,726 hate crimes were reported in 2001
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT
TYPES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
1. Gender Harassment
2. Unwanted Sexual Attention or Advances
3. Sexual Coercion
DEALING WITH HARASSMENT
1. Human Rights Commissions
2. Fair Employment Practice Agencies
3. Civil Rights Act
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INFORMED
DECISION MAKING
SOURCES OF HELP