Why has it taken so long for to recongise the harm caused by Domestic Abuse
@lightlysalted (183)
March 8, 2007 1:40pm CST
In the UK 1 in 4 women are likely to be victims of domestic abuse and two women a week die after being assaulted by their partners/husbands. And yet it is only in the last 5 years that as a society we have begun to take the issue seriously, so why has it taken so long to address this problem, as a male I find it appalling that governments have not acted sooner.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
8 Mar 07
Well I think there are many reasons for that. First, even in the UK, it isn't so long ago that women were considered to be very much the "property" of their husbands, and could not get a mortgage, or many other things, without their husband, or another male relative acting as guarantor. So "domestics" were seen as something that people left alone, and didn't get involved in, and even now there are some areas even in the UK, where domestic abuse is shrugged off as part of life. Also, as I'm sure you've read in other recent discussions here on MyLot, there are still some cultures, and religions that still actively encourage their men to "chastise" their wives if they are "disobedient", and that kind of ingrained culture/religion thing, makes the whole subject even more difficult.
Things are getting easier now. There are refuges for women to "escape" to, and as women become more emancipated, and able to hold down a decent job, and live without a man, hopefuly things will get easier.
Thanks for a good first post, and welcome to MyLot.
@rosie_123 (6113)
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8 Mar 07
Thanks. That is Sasha - oldest and biggest of my 5 cats. He is quite a "personality" in his own way!
@naty1941 (2336)
• United States
8 Mar 07
In the USA domestic abuse has been taken seriously since I was a young girl; I am 65 now. It is a problem because the spouse be it woman or male continues to love the person even when the spouse is abusive. The children suffer and it affects them when they grow up. The majority of times the victim does not want to press charges against the abuser.
@lightlysalted (183)
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8 Mar 07
I actually work with Domestic Violence Perpetrators and I totally agree that victim's, through no fault of their own often continue to feel a sense of loyalty, it really is heart breaking when you see the devotion they still have to their partner who has beaten them black and blue. in the UK we can definately learn a thing or two from the US and Canada in dealing with this importance subject, thanks for the comment
