Pictures -- 3

The first picture shows that when the woman is abused by her husband, she has no idea how to avoid it. In the second picture, the woman is trying to avoid the violence, but she is not physically strong enough to do it. Hence, women should know how to protect themselves smartly.

Pictures -- 2

The two pictures show the effects of domestic violence on women. In the picture on the top, the woman is too sad to take a picture after being abused by his husband. In the picture one the right, the woman is hurt on her face after being abused, and she is looking at the mirror broken by her husband.

Pictures -- 1

The two pictures are about the effects of domestic violence on children. When domestic violence occurs, children are also the victims. The picture on the top is a card written by a six-year-old child. He loves his parents, but he is also afraid when his father is abusing his mother, and he is too young to know what to do let the violence stop. The picture on the right shows the girl needs someone to help her to stop the domestic violence.

Survey -- The costs of domestic violence

The costs of domestic violence:


Source: Roberts, G. 1988, 'Domestic Violence: costing of service provision for female victims - 20 case histories' in Beyond these Walls, Queensland Domestic Violence Task Force.

For the first time in Australia a study has costed domestic violence in dollar terms (Roberts, 1988). Data were derived from case histories of twenty women who were victims of domestic violence, taking into account the costs of services generated, other direct costs of compensation and superannuation payouts, and indirect costs relating to potential income lost. The costs incurred were well over $1 million for these twenty victims alone.

Survey -- Circumstances in which physical force against wife considered

Table 1: Circumstances in which physical force against wife considered

Circumstances % agreeing
Argues with or refuses to obey him 2
Wastes money 2
Doesn’t keep the house clean 2
Doesn’t have meals ready on time 1
Keeps nagging him 4
Refuses to sleep with him 3
Admits to sleeping with another man 11
One or more above circumstance 14
At least one circumstance 19


Source: Public Policy Research Centre Domestic Violence Attitude Survey (1988)

Remarkably, the survey revealed that large sections of the Australian public believe that violence against one's wife can be justified under some circumstances. Overall, 19 per cent of respondents, or nearly one in five, believed that it is acceptable for a man to use physical force against his wife under at least one circumstance. Although men were more likely than women to think that the use of physical force is acceptable (22 per cent to 17 percent), the difference is not as marked as one might expect.

Taken from: www.aic.gov.au/publications/vt/vt2-text.html

An article_domestic violence rates drop

Domestic Violence Rates Drop Sharply
By Charles Montaldo from Charles Montaldo's Crime /Punishment Blog

Domestic violence in the United States declined significantly from 1993 to 2004,
with nonfatal incidents dropping more than 50 percent, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nonfatal incidents of intimate partner violence fell from 5.8 per 1,000 residents in 1993 to 2.6 victimizations per 1,000 in 2005.

According to the agency, "intimate partner" is a current or former spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend or same-sex partner. For reporting purposes, "violence" includes homicides, rapes, robberies and assaults committed by partners.
Although the rates of domestic violence followed a ten-year trend of general declining crime rates in the U.S., officials do not know the reason for the dramatic reduction of violence between partners.

"There's still generally no consensus about why any crime in general has dropped," Shannan Catalano, the study's author, told reporters. "It's safe to say it's more than one factor that went into it." The entire report, "Intimate Partner Violence in the United States" is available online. According to a Department of Justice press release, here are the highlights of the report:

Serious Violent Crimes

During 2004 there were approximately 627,400 nonfatal intimate partner victimizations -- 475,900 against females and 151,500 against males. Approximately one-third of these offenses were serious violent crimes -- rapes, sexual assaults, robberies and aggravated assaults -- and involved either serious injuries, weapons or sexual offenses.

Long-term trends in nonfatal intimate partner violence differ by gender. Non-fatal intimate partner victimization for females was about four victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 and older in 2004, down from about 10 in 1993. Non-fatal intimate partner violence for males remained relatively stable -- 1.6 victimizations per 1,000 males 12 years old and older in 1993, compared to 1.3 per 1,000 in 2004.
Domestic Homicide Declines

The number of intimate partner homicide victims has declined since 1993, with greater declines seen for male victims. During 1993, the number of females murdered by intimates was 1,571, compared to 1,159 during 2004 -- a 26 percent decline. The number of males murdered by partners during 1993 was 698, compared to 385 -- a 45 percent decline.

Overall intimate partner violence during 2004 remained unchanged from 2003, although some demographic groups experienced an increase. During that period the rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence among black females increased from 3.8 to 6.6 victimizations per 1,000 females aged 12 and older. Non-fatal intimate partner violence for white males increased from 0.5 to 1.1 victimizations per 1,000 males age 12 and older.

American Indian, Alaskan Natives at Risk

Between 1993 and 2004, non-fatal intimate partner victimizations represented 22 percent of violent victimizations against females and 3 percent of those against males aged 12 and older. Females and males who were separated or divorced reported the highest rates of nonfatal partner violence, whereas those who were married or widowed reported the lowest rates of such violence.

The average annual rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence from 1993 to 2004 was highest for American Indian and Alaskan Native females at 18.2 victimizations per 1,000 females aged 12 and older. The risks also varied by age group. Females 20 to 24 years old were at the highest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. Asian males, white males and the elderly reported the lowest rates of partner violence.
For non-fatal intimate partner violence, as for violent crime in general, simple assault is the most common type of violent crime. Simple assault is an attack without a weapon that results either in no injury or a minor injury.
Alcohol a Factor

One-third of female victims of non-fatal intimate partner violence between 1993 and 2004 reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol during the victimization.

One-fifth of male victims reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol. Both male and female victims reported that their attacker was under the influence of drugs in about 6 percent of all victimizations.
Overall, 21 percent of female victims and 10 percent of male victims contacted an outside agency for assistance. Female victims were more likely to contact a government agency than a private agency. Male victims were equally likely to contact a government or private agency for assistance.

reder from: http://crime.about.com/b/2007/01/03/domestic-violence-rates-drop-sharply.htm

News article_project changes attitudes towards domestic violence

Duluth project changed attitudes toward abuse victims and batterers
By Maureen Boyle
June 02, 1995 6:00 AM

Fifteen years ago, a group of community leaders in Duluth, Minn. grappled with ways to deal with a rising number of domestic violence cases.
If everyone treated battered women like it was their favorite sister getting beaten, we wondered how they would react,'' recalled Ellen Pence, training coordinator of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.

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The result in this inland port community of about 100,000 on Lake Superior was a change in attitude and policy for police, court and probation officials - all aimed at keeping battered women safe and punishing the batterers.
What Duluth did - using close to $200,000 from federal, state, local and private sources - embraces many elements other communities have emulated in the 15 years since: quick police response, mandatory arrest of batterers, helping victims get restraining orders and prosecuting cases even if the victim is reluctant.
After the new policies were enacted, the city saw what Ms. Pence called ``a huge increase in arrests'' of batterers and cases flowing into the courts.

Victims reluctant to testify weren't pressured to take the stand. ``The prosecutors said they understood and basically made a case without them,'' she said.
Slowly, more batterers were convicted. ``We went from 20 convictions a year to 200,'' Ms. Pence said.

Batterers were ordered into treatment or jail and any repeat violent acts were reported to the court.
By 1994, one in every 19 men in the city had been through the court system for abuse.

To keep the children in touch with both parents - and to avoid an escalation of violence over visitation issues - a center at the local YMCA was opened to provide a neutral setting for abusing parent and child to meet.

The center's staff monitors the visitations, keeping written notes and informally helping the abuser hone parenting skills. The victims and abusers come and go through separate doors, never seeing each other.

As a result, more women felt comfortable seeking help. ``We went from 90 protection orders to 300,'' Ms. Pence said.
And the city began seeing some results.

Ms. Pence said there were fewer life-threatening assaults and women felt comfortable seeking help.

What sets the Duluth effort apart from many of its clones is a system that closely monitors how authorities deal with domestic violence on the front lines.
Police traditionally don't like to be open to scrutiny,'' Police Chief Scott Lyons said. That really is what is very special about what we are doing here.''

Each day, representatives from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project review each police report on a domestic violence incident to see how the cases are handled.
It's mandatory that we leave reports on all domestic calls. They always have reports to look at, to review, to see if the officer acted appropriately,'' Chief Lyons said.

The daily reviews are helpful to the department and have helped the city refine policies on how to handle the domestic violence issue, Chief Lyons said.
We're always looking ahead,'' he said.

Chief Lyons said officers on the 134-person department now understand the problems a battered woman faces - and that they may be called to the same household repeatedly before the person leaves.

You don't have to drag anybody through this anymore,'' he said. ``They realize there is no simple solution.''

But the program still hasn't accomplished what its framers hoped.
We did think if we did all of this, guys would be too scared to batter,'' Ms. Pence said.

While battered women are safer and can get help easier and the type of violent behavior seen by authorities is not as severe, cases continue to flow into the system.

We haven't seen it as a prevention program. There are just as many cases as there were 13 years ago,'' Ms. Pence said. ``Maybe we're poo-pooing what we've accomplished sofar . . . We still have more work to do.''

Refer from: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19950602/NEWS/70308089/-1/SPECIAL11

news arctile -- 2 Wareham men charged with domestic violence

2 Wareham men charged with domestic violence
By Manuela Da Costa-Fernandes, Standard-Times staff writer
12/2/98

WAREHAM -- Two Wareham men were in court this week for separate domestic abuse charges involving odd weapons -- a dish and a blow torch.
Michael Murphy, 45, of 17 Pinehurst Drive, was charged with assault and battery on the Thanksgiving weekend.
However, when he was arraigned Monday at 4th District Court in Wareham, the charge was upgraded to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
If convicted, Mr. Murphy could face a 2?year House of Correction sentence and $500 fine.
According to police reports, when officers were called Sunday night to a domestic fight they found a 39-year-old woman with a large cut on top of her head.
She told police Mr. Murphy had been yelling at her and drinking while watching a football game on television. While she was talking on the phone, Mr. Murphy threw a spoon at her. In response, she threw the spoon back.
That prompted Mr. Murphy to smash a plate over her head, police said, causing a large cut that was treated at Tobey Hospital.
A pre-trial hearing for the case was scheduled for Dec. 15.
In a separate incident also played out in 4th District Court on Monday, a 30-year-old Wareham electrician is accused of trying to set fire to a woman's hair with a blow torch.
John Gonski of Hideaway Lane, East Wareham, also was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
According to police records, the incident happened on Nov. 15 and Mr. Gonski was arraigned the following day. Mr. Gonski is being held without bail at the Plymouth House of Corrections.
He was in court this week for a pre-trial hearing, and his next court date is Dec. 8.
According to police records, the victim said the defendant was intoxicated when he started "flipping out" with a blow torch.
"He tried to set my hair on fire and chased me down the stairs," said the victim in a statement to police.
Then, Mr. Gonski started moving about the house with the torch and saying he was going to burn down the house, which contained three occupants, according to the statement.
A Stoughton native, Mr. Gonski was denied bail to ensure the safety of the victims, court documents said.
While Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season, some women's advocates say it also marks an increase in domestic pressure on families.
"Anytime anything goes on in the family (like Thanksgiving) can cause a violent outburst," said Barbara Fuyat, executive director of the South Shore Women's Center in Plymouth.
During Thanksgiving week, she said, her organization's domestic violence hotline received 132 calls and five women requested shelter.
However, Gerry Garvey, executive director of the New Bedford Women's Center, argues that it is a myth that the holidays trigger an increase in violence.
"Domestic violence is created by a perpetrator. It does not start with a stress or a holiday. A perpetrator may see the family he normally has control over has access to a support system, so he feels a need to exert control over the family," Ms. Garvey said.
Both women agree that what has changed are the attitudes of police and victims toward reporting domestic violence.
"More women who have been affected by domestic violence have reached out and know the services out there," Ms. Fuyat said.
Likewise, Ms. Garvey said what has increased is the number of police being trained to take domestic violence more seriously.
Once assault and battery with a dangerous weapon meant a knife or a gun, but 4th District Court records show an increase in the use of non-traditional weapons reported in domestic violence. Recently, dangerous weapons have included a vase, a telephone, a car and a starter motor.
Ms. Fuyat said the severity of domestic violence has definitely increased, as has community and police awareness. "We have a better way of tracking it now," she said.
Added Ms. Garvey, "As a society, we are starting to come out about reporting domestic violence."

news arctile -- Domestic violence laws defended as necessary

Domestic violence laws defended as necessary
By Carol Lee Costa-Crowell, Standard-Times staff writer
2/21/98

The state's 209A restraining order law aimed at protecting women from domestic violence might not be perfect, but Rev. Robert Heskett says it is necessary.
The head of the Community Center for Non-Violence in New Bedford was reacting to members of The Fatherhood Coalition claiming the 209A is used as a weapon against them by vindictive women.
A group of men and women protested outside Fall River's 2nd District Court Wednesday when one of their members was about to go on trial for violating a restraining order.
The group contends many of the orders taken out by women are fraudulent.
Rev. Heskett isn't so sure.
"I think you first need to think how the law originated," Rev. Heskett said. "It came about because women were finally protesting. Abuse by the males battering them was making the headlines. The seriousness of domestic violence is that women were being murdered."
The 209A law was put into effect to protect women from domestic abuse before any serious harm can be done, he said.
"The law can never solve interpersonal problems. The law is only there to deal with extreme situations, primarily those that might endanger women and children," he said.
While Rev. Heskett said there may be some cases of fraudulent claims by women, they are few. But when they come through the doors of the Community Center for counseling, it is the first claim the batterers make.
"Very often that is one of the primary messages they give," Rev. Heskett said. "When they enter the program they always say that the women are responsible, if only the women listened, or the women weren't telling the truth."
Batterers are often ordered to participate in domestic violence counseling by judges who have authority under the 209A law.
"I think counseling has a very important effect," Rev. Heskett said. "It will not help everybody. But it is a positive situation for men who are willing to change."
The Community Center for Non-Violence is certified by the state Department of Public Health to conduct the battery intervention program.

Taken from: http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/02-98/02-21-98/a05lo035.htm

news article -- Domestic violence an old issue

Domestic violence an old issue
By Natalie White, Standard-Times staff writer
NewStandard: 7/10/96

In the days of the Roman Empire, husbands could legally kill their wives and children if they felt the family's dignity was threatened.
That empire is history, and domestic homicide is outlawed, but echoes of those values remain in contemporary society, experts on violence say.
Yesterday, a 20-year-old Fairhaven man was arraigned in the brutal stabbing deaths of his 18-year-old girlfriend and their 8-week-old baby. Upset with her boyfriend, the mother had left their apartment last week, but returned home Monday night with the couple's infant son.
Both she and the baby were dead within 90 minutes. The boyfriend was arrested at his father's graveside yesterday morning.

The tragedy has shocked many in the community. Yet, to those who deal with family violence, such cases do not come as a surprise.
"This kind of violence isn't new. It's been happening for thousands of years," said Dr. John Waters, a pastoral psychotherapist, psychologist and clinical director of Interfaith Counseling. "It's a tradition. Sadly, a slow-changing tradition."
Since spring of last year, 32 women and three children in Massachusetts were murdered by batterers.
"This case adds two more to those numbers," said Gerry Garvey, executive director of the New Bedford Women's Center. She said a woman is murdered by a spouse every 12 days in Massachusetts.
The women's center hotline has handled more than 4,000 calls since the beginning of this year.
At St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, health professionals deal frequently with the black eyes, choke marks, bruises -- and the cover-up lies and excuses -- of domestic violence. Occasionally, they also deal with the deaths.
"This kind of case is distressing," said Dr. Daniel Shea. "But I can't say that this kind of case comes as a surprise. We don't have statistics, but we're seeing a fair amount of domestic violence injuries. We're seeing what leads up to a case like this."
Dr. Michael Murphy, a forensic psychologist who works with violent prisoners as a consultant, said the murderer in such cases often sees the family members not as individuals, but as an extension of himself.
The violence can be set off by any number of events, such as a humiliating arrest, a spouse leaving the relationship, the threat of divorce, loss of job or money troubles.
"His thinking is that the family is at risk, so he will take the whole family out of existence. Often, this goes along with suicide as well," said Dr. Murphy of Cape Cod, who has recently written an inspirational book about being a father titled "Popsicle Fish: Tales of Fathering."
This "maladaptive thinking," said Dr. Murphy, can lead to murder and violence, and is often accompanied by substance abuse.
Dr. Murphy said that nationally, overall violent crimes are on the decline, but among certain sub-populations -- young males in particular -- these crimes are on the rise. Society needs to do a better job of teaching children to control their aggressive impulses and also to help children understand how their actions can hurt others, Dr. Murphy said.
While a particular event may push a batterer from abuser to murderer, domestic violence experts said the profile of a batterer isn't one of someone who has momentarily slipped into a state of wild uncontrollable rage.
"We want to believe that batterers become so enraged that they commit these acts when they're totally out of control -- that they just go blank, lose their minds. That isn't so," Ms. Garvey said. "Murder is about the ultimate control. If they can't control this person any other way, they can do it this way."
Linda Aguiar of Our Sisters' Place in Fall River agreed.
"You don't know what will make the situation escalate. Maybe losing a job, or it could be something else. But the murder is a way of taking control. Not losing it. You notice he's not losing control with his boss, or at another driver. No. He knows what he's doing and who he's doing it to," Ms. Aguiar said.
Dr. Waters said batterers are tied to a "pathological belief system" that sees people as belongings, not human beings.
"Today, killing your wife and your children is illegal. But it's still happening all too often," Dr. Waters said. "When you try to figure out why or where it all started, you just keep peeling back the skin on the onion. It just goes back and back and back."

Taken from: http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/07-96/07-10-96/a02lo021.htm