by Ken Bradford

Created on: October 08, 2008

To Stop Domestic Violence, We Must Understand Just What It Is

Domestic violence is at epidemic levels across these United States and even though both men and women suffer the affects of abusive, sometimes violent relationships, this article is designed to address domestic violence against women. The statistics show us that the majority of domestic violence victims are women and the majority of those who are killed by a partner are also women.

There seem to be hundreds or even thousands of organizations who proclaim that their mission is to stop domestic violence. So, why aren't we stopping domestic violence? Could it possibly be that we don't really understand just what it is?

In reviewing state laws addressing domestic violence, I find they differ, sometimes drastically, in how they actually "define" domestic violence. For example, the Alabama Code addresses domestic violence as simply "abuse", in New Mexico it's "domestic abuse" and in other states domestic violence is mentioned in with all the other "assault" statutes. Most state laws mention only the physical abuse of domestic violence, with seemingly little or no concern for the emotional or psychological abuse that goes along with a violent or abusive relationship.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence sees the problem like this:

"Domestic violence may include not only the intimate partner relationships of spousal, live-in partners and dating relationships, also familial, elder and child abuse may be present in a violent home. Abuse generally falls into one or more of the following categories: physical battering, sexual assault and emotional or psychological abuse, and generally escalates over a period of time."

It would appear that the very first step in bringing domestic violence to an end would be for all states in the United States to understand just what domestic violence is and adopt a standard definition. Our state laws and the national agency against domestic violence don't even agree on the definition.

Once we agree on a "common" definition, then we can move forward in changing our laws and providing the necessary training to those who are responsible for enforcing them.

Here's a perfect example of an actual state law that needs to be changed (the state isn't important here):

"(A) After an adult, who falls into one of the categories set forth in Section 36-3-601(9)(A) through (F), has been arrested for assault pursuant to 39-13-101, or aggravated assault pursuant to 39-13-102 against a victim

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