Domestic Violence Site : Violence Against Women

Violence against women is at the forefront of the international agenda right now. In places like the Middle East and Africa, poverty, illiteracy and customary traditions are said to be at fault for the increasing waves of sexual and physical abuse against women. However, in more industrialized nations, the profiles are quite different, with the majority of abused women coming from households making over $50,000/year. Most female victims hold a high school diploma or have attended some college. Additionally, most American victims are white and between 35 and 55 years of age.

In America, violence against females typically starts in the dating phase. Many women are drawn to men who appear confident, assertive and intensely interested in them. However, abusers are generally as passionate in anger as they are in love and quickly a romantic relationship becomes a continuous cycle of fighting and making up. In some cases, the men are very remorseful when they see their partners taking steps to leave them, which is all part of their control, where women think, "Well he didn't mean it. Deep down he must love me. I probably deserved it." In other cases, the controlling behavior reveals itself in shoving, punching, slapping, pinching and physical violence.

Overseas, violence against women may include state-sponsored terror. For example, in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, women were forced into labor camps, or "gulags," where they were locked up in snowy outdoor kennels completely naked, where they would become victims of sexual abuse. In Shangai, circa 1932, the first "comfort station" was set up, which was a prostitution house to serve Imperial Japanese soldiers who were passing through. Since recruitment was slow, nearly 200,000 women were tricked into sexual slavery or outright captured and then raped, beaten or tortured. Today, human trafficking still exists and women from third world countries are tricked into sexual slavery by Americans, Canadians and Brits. An estimated half a million women are trafficked into America each year to be sold as sex slaves.

It is hard to understand how victims of violence against women end up in such deplorable situations. In third world countries, women don't have much of a choice. With a gun to their back, the lives of their children at stake and no way of providing for themselves, submitting to the will of the abuser seems the only alternative to death. In America, women have the choice to escape their abusive relationships; however, they are often psychologically abused into submission, misled, threatened with physical violence or tricked into believing their situation is "normal." Only with continued education, funding and international programs can these atrocities be eradicated.

Just enter your name and email to get your FREE Domestic Violence gift immediately !

Today's Tip On Domestic Violence

Following domestic violence cases, victims are encouraged to seek emotional support and therapy. While you were victimized, you likely suffered the manipulation tactics from your partner, who had you feeling worthless, helpless, at fault, guilty, incompetent, stupid, anxious, depressed and unlike yourself. Perhaps you became isolated and withdrawn, losing contact with many of your friends, as well as apathetic, losing all your hobbies and independent interests that used to make you happy. You may have become totally dependent on your abuser in every way, which reveals that your partner's goal was reached successfully. To get back in touch with the "real" you, self-help support groups, assertiveness training, confidence-building, parenting skills courses and one-on-one therapy can work wonders. A domestic violence hotline can link you with local resources to ensure your healthy recovery.