Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The quarantine for the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to suffer from anxiety, depression, irritability and even violence, the latter of which, at the domestic level, has generated a large number of victims that, in some cases, have ended tragically.
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence is the deliberate intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another, says the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCAV).
Domestic violence can lead to physical injury, psychological trauma and, in severe cases, even death. The devastating physical, emotional and psychological consequences of domestic violence can span generations and last a lifetime.
However, says the nonprofit, the frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically; the only constant component of domestic violence is the constant efforts of one partner to maintain power and control over the other.
Because domestic violence has become another epidemic that plagues the U.S., it doesn't discriminate by age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality, where, on average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by their partner.
This is equivalent to more than 10 million women and men in one year. While 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe physical violence from a partner, sexual violence from contact and/or harassment with impacts such as injury, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.
Also, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence from a partner, this includes a variety of behaviors, for example, slapping, pushing, and in some cases, may not be considered "domestic violence.
It should be noted that on a typical day, more than 20,000 phone calls are made to domestic violence hotlines across the country, where the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent and women ages 18-24 are most commonly abused by their partner.
In terms of rape cases, one in five women and one in 71 men in the United States have been raped in their lifetime. Almost half of women - 46.7% - and men - 44.9% - victims of rape were raped by someone they knew.
On the other hand, a study of homicides among couples found that 20 percent of the victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, as well as friends, neighbors, people who intervened, law enforcement officers or bystanders.
72 percent of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner, where 94 percent of the victims of these murders are women.
In terms of violence against children and domestic violence, one in 15 children is exposed to violence from their partner each year, and 90 percent of these children witness this violence.
Economic, physical and mental impact of violence
Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of eight million days of paid work each year, so the cost of intimate partner violence can be estimated at over $8 billion per year.
Between 21% and 60% victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs because of the abuse.
Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were killed at their workplace by their abuser, 78 percent of the women killed in the workplace during this period.
Among the physical impacts of violence is that women abused by their intimate partners are more vulnerable to contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases due to forced intercourse or prolonged exposure to stress.
While among the impacts to mental health, studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence, depression and suicidal behavior.
Physical, mental and sexual and reproductive health effects have also been linked to intimate partner violence, including teenage pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, fetal death, intrauterine bleeding, nutritional deficiency, neurological disorders, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.
Victims of domestic violence are also at greater risk of developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
