What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is behavior used by one person in a relationship to control the other person. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. Emotional and physical abuse is often associated with domestic violence. - It involves any abusive, violent, forceful, or threatening act or word inflicted by one member of a household on another.

Domestic violence can take many shapes and forms and can happen all the time or only once in a while. An important step toward helping yourself or someone you know in preventing or stopping domestic violence is recognizing the warning signs. Some signs include:

Name-calling or putdowns
Keeping a partner from contacting their family or friends
Stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job
Actual or threatened physical harm
Sexual assault
Intimidation

Domestic Violence is now recognized as an anti-social mental illness. Sometimes a woman's dependence, low self-esteem, and fear of leaving cause her to endure this conduct or fail to protect a child. Prosecutors and police often face the problem that a battered woman will not press charges due to fear, intimidation and misplaced "love".

Domestic Violence Protection

Once thought to be a problem that was best handled without legal intervention, domestic violence is now treated as a criminal offense. Many states and municipalities have instituted measures designed to deal swiftly and harshly with domestic abusers. In addition, governments have attempted to protect the victims of domestic violence from further danger and have launched programs designed to address the root causes of this abuse.

Many states have expanded the definition of domestic violence to protect other groups of people, including:

Wives and husbands
Girlfriends and boyfriends
Elders being abused by family members
Roommates abusing each other
Gay and lesbian relationships

Stages Of Domestic Violence

It is believed that domestic violence occurs in a cycle of three general stages.

First, the abuser uses words or threats, perhaps humiliation or ridicule.
Next, the abuser explodes at some perceived infraction by the other person, and the abuser's rage is manifested in physical violence.
Finally, the abuser "cools off," asks forgiveness, and promises that the violence will never occur again.

At that point, the victim often abandons any attempt to leave the situation or to have charges brought against the abuser, although some prosecutors will go forward with charges even if the victim is unwilling to do so.

Some abusers learn from their mistakes and seek outside help to control their problem and go on to live life within repeat incidents - without help typically, the abuser's rage begins to build again after the reconciliation, and the violent cycle is repeated.

A Domestic Violence Attorney May Become Necessary

Victims of Domestic Violence - It is imperative to report any incidents of domestic violence to the local authorities (police) as soon as possible. Hiring an attorney is also an important tool for your own benefit. Besides informing you of your legal rights and remedies, a lawyer can also assist you in obtaining:

A Restraining Order to keep the person away from you
A Restraining Order to remove the person from your household
A Divorce or legal Separation

It is never a good idea to take the law into ones own hands. However, in some cases of repeated domestic violence, the victim eventually strikes back and harms or kills the abuser - because over time they suffer from low self-esteem, and feel they have no outside protection from their batterer and are trapped in a situation from which there is no escape - forcing them to turn to self-protection.

Accused of Domestic Violence - If you are accused of domestic violence, you should speak to a criminal defense lawyer immediately. You may be facing serious criminal charges, so it is important to understand your rights.

Disclaimer:

This article is a guideline -The legal information provided within this guideline is not warranted or guaranteed for any purpose. Please consult with a legal professional to determine your rights.

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