The Effect of Domestic Violence on Children
Posted on: Sunday, February 1st, 2004 by Janis Erickson
Every 15 seconds a woman is battered in the U.S. by her husband, boyfriend or live-in partner.
It is estimated that each year a minimum of 3.3 million children witness domestic violence.
More than 53% of male abusers beat their children.
Children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate of 1500% higher than the national average in the general population.
Children living with domestic violence feel:
- Powerlessness: By not being able to stop the abuse and violence from happening against their mother or themselves.
- Guilty: For loving the abuser and by blaming themselves for causing the abuse.
- Angry: At the abuser for hurting them and their family
- Confused: By having mixed feelings of love/hate towards the abuser. Not understanding why the abuser does this when he claims to love mom and the family. Not understanding why mom stays. By parents trying to get children to choose sides.
- Afraid: For their safety and their mother's safety. Of getting hurt. Of losing someone they love. Of abandonment.
- Isolated: By feeling alone; that this is only happening to their family.
- Anxious: Due to constantly worrying because of the uncertainty of when another beating will occur to mom when the abuser is mad.
- Sad: This this is happening to them. That their mom keeps getting hurt. Wishing for the abuse to stop.
- Ashamed: Of the secrets in their home.
Even if you don't work directly with children, you CAN make a difference. Domestic violence is not only a family problem, but a social problem.
Watch for behavior changes or signs in children who may be "caught in the middle" of domestic violence.
Report to local police any time you suspect/witness domestic violence.
Be supportive and empathetic to any child who is experiencing/disclosing domestic violence.
Volunteer at your local battered women's program to work with children and their mothers.
Help break the cycle and silence of domestic violence so that future children won't be "caught in the middle"
God bless you richly,
Janis Erickson The Refuge Ministry Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Articles by Janis Erickson
| Title | Published |
| Journey to Wholeness | 08-16-04 |
| Are You One of the Three? | 06-06-04 |
| Why Do Women Stay? | 04-10-04 |
| The Effect of Domestic Violence on Children | 02-01-04 |
| Elderly Abuse | 01-01-04 |
| The Heart of a Battered Woman | 12-31-03 |
| October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. | 10-02-03 |
| A Program to End Violence and Control | |
| You Have a Right to Be Safe | |
| About the Refuge Ministry | |
| Some Characteristics That Might Identify A Potential Batterer |
Either You Are, Or You Aren't a Renaissance Woman!
A renaissance woman is someone who sets her own agenda for personal achievement and will not allow herself to be manipulated or intimidated by self-proclaimed spokesmen who try and wrap their political philosophies around terms like "equality," "choice," "peace," "tolerance" and "diversity." She understands that she has been created for such a time as this and embraces her destiny as a challenge and not a curse, no matter what her personal circumstances. She is a winner not a whiner, a leader not a follower, a victor, not a victim. She wants to change the paradigm of the feminist movement that has served to marginalize and ridicule women who do not follow their collective agenda.
Millions of women around the country, from all professions, backgrounds and cultures, are courageously picking up the mantel of leadership and virtue, that the feminist movement has squandered. They are providing thoughtful and accurate analysis, on a variety of issues, of where, and who we are as a nation.
Remember, this is not a club. It is a mindset!
Categories
- Abortion
- America at War
- Culture
- Domestic Violence
- Education
- Environment
- Event Announcements
- Faith
- Feminism
- Foreign Affairs
- Free Speech
- Gun Control
- Historical View
- Hollywood
- Homosexuality
- Inspirational
- International Relations
- Internet Safety
- Judicial Nominations
- Leadership
- Legislative Issues
- Liberals
- Miscellaneous
- Morality
- Politics
- Population Control
- Pornography
- President Bill Clinton
- President George Bush Sr.
- President George W. Bush
Renaissance Women
Profiles, images and commentaries written by the following spokeswomen:
- Alveda King
- Amy Nyhuis
- Ann Coulter
- April Sampson-Kelly
- Barbara Ferguson
- Barbara Howard
- Barbara LeDeen
- Becky Norton Dunlop
- Cathy Cleaver
- Ceci Royals
- Cheryl Felicia Rhoads
- Cindy Jacobs
- Deanna Gelak
- Deborah Perry
- Donna Pisani
- Donna Rice Hughes
- Donna Wiesner
- Eileen Audrey Wilder
- Erika Harold
- Evelyn Joe
- Frances Rice
- Governor Sarah Palin
- Jane Abraham
- Janis Erickson
- Jeane Kirkpatrick
- Jill Griffith
- Jill Kamp Melton
- Josette Shiner
- Kandace Kenyon
- Karin Agness
- Katharine DeBrecht
- Kay Daly
- Kay Coles James
- Kellyanne Conway
- Kerri Houston
- Kim Alexis
- Laura Ingraham
- Lindsey Lorinovich
- Lisa Bevere
- Lorraine Coconato
- Mariam Bell
- Marianne Clyde
- Marie Jon
- Marsha West
- Michele Fletcher
- Michelle Easton
- Michelle Malkin
- Nancy Coen
- Nina May
- Pam Pryor
- Pat Allen
- Pat Kempthorne
- Paula Dobriansky
- Rashida Jolley
- Rebecca Hagelin
- Renaissance Men
- Resa Laru Kirkland
- Sandra Swann
- Susan Au Allen
- Suzanne Scholte
- Tricia Erickson
Join Our Mailing List
Receive Newsletters, Special Offers, and Regular Bulletins from Renaissance Women
