Battered Women

Battered women or violence against women is an increasing problem in our society. Police and social scientists have long been concerned with the level of battered women and violence in our streets.

Juvenile specialists have noted the link between violence at home and the increased likelihood of adolescent crime. Of the adults that the courts have remanded for treatment, the majority have come from emotionally or physically abusive homes. As a result financial aid for women and federal grants for women have been on the increase.  Even witnessing violence can leave emotional scars as deep as being the recipient of violence as experienced by battered women all over this country.

The number of battered women in this country is not on the decline, as demonstrated by greater use of reporting methods through a number of community agencies. Historically, physical abuse was not something that was spoken of outside the home, and strangers were not to be brought into a relationship.

It was simply none of their business. Battered women have suffered many types of abuse throughout the ages, at the hands of men who felt that they should control and dominate the lives of “their” women, greatly due to their own stupidity, stubbornness, and insecurity.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that battered women and all women became more vocal and fought back, citing a number of indiscretions that were being committed against them. This was a time of openness and rectification on many fronts. It was a time of war, peace, love, drugs, and rock n roll.

People of both genders and different racial backgrounds whether they be African women or Japanese women joined forces to protest the stuffy patriarchal attitudes of the establishment; also participating were the battered women who gained new found strength and support by the change in times.

These great turning points in our history have had a great influence in the number of support programs available to battered women and their children. Now there are better reporting procedures in place, more protective measures to guard safety of victims, as well as shelters, support groups, outreach programs, job programs, and education programs, all designed to help battered women get themselves and their children out of abusive homes.

These programs are funded by state and local communities, federal monies, and donations from private citizens and groups, which enable battered women to get on their feet and clear their head.

Many of these battered women are lucky to escape with their lives and should look upon any opportunity as a blessing and take it for what it is. Unfortunately, many battered women find it hard to leave an abusive situation, greatly due to fear of more severe attacks.

A woman in this type of situation has left many times before and has always gone back, and each time it was the same. He bought her flowers and kissed her and told her how sorry he was and that it would never happen again. Sound familiar? Within a very short period of time it was back to business as usual, only worse.

Battered women shouldn’t ever go back, they should get help. Check online, check the local phone book. If you’re not sure where to call, look in the government pages of the phone book under social services for the nearest battered women’s shelter or outreach center.

No battered woman deserves it, nor should she ever have to settle for it, for whatever reasons. If you’re one of the growing number of battered women, get out, get help, and get rid of him - before he gets rid of you, for good.  

Is there a way out of this dilemma? Perhaps, but first we must recognize it as a false dilemma. Looking for points of intervention is not the same as blaming the victim. If we feel victims are at fault, we have no need to intervene; we can justify ignoring their plight. But if we wish to help battered women, one possibility is to find ways to enable them to change patterns of behavior.

That would be genuine self-empowerment. And it does not mean we have to cease addressing issues at the state or community level. However, we can only help battered women and other individuals empower themselves if we understand the biochemistry and attachment dynamics of trauma.

Resources

Domestic Violence - Over 11,000 women are imprisoned in California's state prisons. The majority have survived domestic violence. Hundreds are serving life sentences after defending themselves and their children from abusive partners.

Support Network For Abused  Women – For battered or abused women. Sunnyvale, CA — The board of the Support Network for Battered Women, a nonprofit agency dedicated to empowering women to live free of domestic violence.

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