There has always been anecdotal evidence that domestic violence was passed from one generation to another to young men or boys by watching their fathers abuse their mothers or daughters. Now there is a study involving more than 1600 American families which “found 4 out of 5 families in which parents were involved with intimate partner violence had adult children who committed violence against partners and three quarters of those families had adult children who became victims of domestic violence.”
The study is scheduled to be presented to the American Society of criminology in November 2013. Until the study has been peer reviewed, the conclusions should be viewed as preliminary.
An astonishingly high 92% of the parents in the study said they committed at least one minor act of intimate partner violence which could be pushing, grabbing, slapping, hitting with a fist or hitting with an object. More severe acts of domestic abuse assault include choking, beating, threatening with a weapon, throwing something or attempting to kill a partner or spouse.
There are other types of domestic abuse besides physical violence. Psychological abuse probably tops the list. It is usually a precursor to physical abuse. It can include “isolation from family and friends, forced financial dependency, verbal or emotional abuse, threats, intimidation” and other acts that are abusive to a partner. With the dominance of social media these days postings on Facebook or Twitter that are negative, derisive or untrue can have a residual psychological effect that will last for years. Once it’s on the Internet it’s there to stay.
In our humble opinion domestic violence is a blight on the American landscape. Not that we are the only country in the world that has domestic abuse and domestic violence, far from it. In most countries around the world it’s actually worse than it is here in the United States. In some countries women are treated no better, sometimes worse, than barnyard animals. So if we use that as a yardstick, the United States is doing pretty well.
Similar to rape on college campuses, many domestic abuse assaults go unreported until the clock has run out on alternatives.
When physical domestic abuse gets so severe that you fear for your life, women need to take steps to learn how to protect themselves. A Self-Defense Course such as this one is geared specifically to women, to learn the basics of how to defend herself.
Getting and knowing how to use a self-defense product that is legal in your area would be the next step. A good Women’s Pepper Spray, for example, can disable an assailant/partner for as long as 45 minutes allowing you time to escape a dangerous situation to seek help.
We now have the largest assortment of Pepper Sprays in any one place on the Internet with 180 to choose from. Check them out! One of them will be just right for you.