Hello, I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday. I had planned to do it after my Chem lab, but by the time I finished it was after midnight.
As for my current event, domestic violence is a major problem in our society. Even though it was outlawed in the late 1800s, many men still beat their wife or girlfriend. It is not only unfair to women, but costs cities and towns a lot of money. In the town of Hartlepool, which is located on the coast of northern England, they get up to 8 calls of domestic violence a night. That totals almost 3000 a year.
According to recent calculations, it costs Hartlepool over 27 million British pounds, a little under 46 million dollars a year to deal with domestic violence. Only about one in four victims of domestic abuse come forward. Most are either scared of what will happen if they tell someone, or ashamed they let it happen to them.
What do you think needs to be done in order to get more victims to come forward and help reduce the amount of domestic abuse in all countries in the world?
For more information go to:
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/domestic_violence_costs_27m_a_year_1_4052374
I think that it is a big issue that more people do not come forward about spousal abuse, which can cause a lot of physical and emotional harm. One way I think that abuse victims can be helped is if they learn to understand that getting abused is not something to be ashamed of, but something to do something about. I think that some people may be denying that they are abused because they feel like they "let it happen" to them, which is surely not the case. Perhaps air PSAs about the issue and how it is the right thing to tell someone, and encourage families and spouses to report spousal abuse like any other serious crime. I think that this could help those other 3/4 victims of abuse who are too scared to tell someone stand up for themselves and get some help as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David, that domestic violence is a huge issue effecting millions of women around the world, and I too think that public service announcements would be a good way to let women know it is never their fault that they are being abused. Women who are in an abusive relationship, or anyone who has ever suffered abuse, tend to blame then selves, and this is where the problem starts. It is never the victims fault. This is a global issue that could be helped by public service accouterments, hot-lines that women can call so they can at least talk to someone who is qualified to help them get out of being hit. The women and men also need to realize that if your partner hits you once, then they are going to do it again, at the first sign of domestic violence everyone needs to be able to find a way out of that relationship before things get worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the two people above me that domestic violence should be dealt with in a way that tells women who are being abused that it is not their fault. I also think that we need to change the tone that our society sets for victims of domestic violence. In our culture, we tend to blame the victim for not coming forward soon enough or letting the abuse happen. That is a major reason why I think most victims do not report domestic violence or take a very long time to tell anyone. I agree with John, more public service announcements should be made to make people aware of this issue provinding them with information if they themselves or someone they know is being abused.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates above saying that domestic violence needs to be dealt with, especially in towns like Hartlepool. Like what everyone else has said, it is not the victim's fault that they were abused and they should be able to take actions to prevent the abuse from happening again. I really like David's idea of a public service announcement. This would let people know that they are not alone in dealing with domestic violence, there are others who go through it also. Also what John said, hot lines for people to call can be beneficial also. But the issue with hot lines is getting people aware of what the numbers are and that they are even out there to help people. Overall, people need to know they're not alone and shouldn't be ashamed to say they've been abused.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree more than everyone else who previously commented that domestic violence among woamn is crucial and is negatively ffecting womens health physically and phsychologically. Women are terrified to leave a abusive relationship, so therefore i support the idea that public service anouncements along with other therapudic and help available will keep possible and current vixtims aware. Domestic violence mostly occurs behind closed doors in homes with families and children who do not know who to turn to or go to for help. If more governemnt funded organizations structured to provide safety, shelter and information for these victims, i beleive many woman would be more open to coming forward about the abuse. As John said, domestic violence only increasingly gets worse unless more attention and support is given to the victims in order for the victim to feel confortable and safe to leave the relationship.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with all of my classmates above me. Domestic abuse is a very tough topic to get across. It is a very big problem not only in the United States but all over the world. Most victims are scared or ashamed of being abused. I like the idea about the PSA because it will really get across to everyone in the United States even women that aren't specifically being abused it is spreading the word and getting the message of domestic violence. I also think that if there is a women being abused and the friends think that the women being abused is showing signs of physically or emotionally abused they need to speak up and reach out to the friend and not just let it go. I also think that police need to take the situation of domestic violence more seriously and make sure the women feels safe enough to tell someone and keep the abuser away.
ReplyDeleteI believe that making the issue of domestic violence more known will make many more women feel comfortable about coming forward. I can only imagine how embarrassed and uncomfortable a woman would feel coming forward and admitting that she let the issue happen to her. I agree with John that it is a very hard subject for many women to even consider talking to anyone about, but I believe that if the issue was talked about as much as the use of drugs or tobacco is talked about it would be a more comfortable subject. Smoking is seen in TV shows and movies very early on in a child’s life so that they grow up knowing the harms it can cause. I believe that if people saw the signs and harms of domestic violence from TV shows it would be easier to stand up and say something about it because the victims would understand that it is something that happens to many other people across the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela in the point that making the issue more known is a definite feature that needs to be included in the fight against domestic violence. I also feel that it needs to be more advertised on television. One way to create a greater awareness is if there is a domestic violence month like black history month on the major networks like CBS. I disagree with Michaela though in the fact that it should be more advertised in tv shows because if there is domestic violence on the shows the kids may see the characters and believe that it is an ok thing to do because they see these characters they've known to love beat women.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex and think that raising awareness and making the issue more known would make a big impact on domestic violence. I don't think people are as educated as they need to be. If people knew the statistics and facts about how many women are abused, people would change the way they feel and try to make a difference.
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