Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The quarantine by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to suffer from anxiety, depression, irritability and even violence, the latter, at the domestic level, has generated a large number of victims that, in some cases, end in a tragic end.
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 (NCADV).
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 one constant component of domestic violence is the ongoing efforts of one partner to maintain power and control over the other.
Domestic violence has become another epidemic that plagues the U.S., and it does not discriminate by age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality, where, on average, almost 20 people per minute are physically abused by their intimate partner.
This is equivalent to more than 10 million women and men in a year. While 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner, sexual violence by touching and/or stalking with impacts such as injuries, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.
Also, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, this includes a range of behaviours, e.g. slapping, pushing and shoving, 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 nationwide, where the presence of a weapon in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent and women ages 18 to 24 are the most commonly abused by their intimate partner.
In terms of rape cases, one in 5 women and one in 71 men in the United States have been raped in their lifetime. Nearly half of female ?46.7%? and male ?44.9%? rape victims were raped by an acquaintance.
On the other hand, a study of intimate partner homicides found that 20 percent of victims were not intimate partners themselves, but family members, as well as friends, neighbors, interveners, law enforcement officers or bystanders.
Seventy-two percent of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner, with 94 percent of murder-suicide victims being female.
In terms of violence against children and domestic violence, one in 15 children is exposed to intimate partner violence 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 more than $8 billion per year.
Between 21% and 60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs because of the abuse.
Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in the workplace by their abuser, 78 percent of women murdered in the workplace during this period.
Among the physical impacts of violence is that women abused by 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 mental health impacts, studies suggest a link 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 hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, neurological disorders, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.
Victims of domestic violence are also at increased risk of developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
