Domestic Violence Caught on Tape

Domestic Violence in the Home

• As Discuseed before, Domestic Abuse is the most common type pf abuse toward women. It can happen in many different ways such as through physical violence, verbal abuse, or even sexual abuse and it is a continuing cycle that never ends.
• Married women, in particular, are women who do not seperate from a violent partner either because they feel emotionally attatched or most commonly because they have formed a family with children and are afraid that their kids will not support her or that she might lose the love of her children. 
• In some situations, the women who seperate from their partners, do get reproaches from the children. Kids might blame their mothers for leaving their father behind, or they might even get blamed for causing the violence.
• Still, women who are domestically abuse MUST report the abuse not only for them but for their children. For the women who have kids, they have to take them away from such a violent environment, otherwise the children can grow to be violent or grow up angry at both parents because they allwed it to keep happening.
• Many women who are domestically abused by a partner have specific thoughts and feelings as to what it going on in their lives.  Some of those thoughts are:

1. A woman worried about speaking her mind because she is afraid that her partner will disagree.
2. A woman feeling useless and not worthy of her partner.
3. A woman feeling helpless or dependent of her partner.
4. A woman avoiding certain topics of discussion afraid of what her partner will do to her if those topics were to arise in a conversation.
5. A woman thinking that she deserves to be abused, either sexually, verbally, or physically because they are not good enough.

Below, is a video of a woman named Susan is recorded by her son getting verbally and physically abused by her husband while her other son is also in the room watching. Susan is humiliated and hurt and her kids have to watch her suffer. Luckily, Susan was one of the few women that are able to escape this domestic cycle abuse and she tells her story of what is was like living with a violent partner, her struggles, her fears, and her reasons for staying quiet.

• To start the discussion, here are some questions:

1. What was you first reaction to this video and how did it make you feel?
2. If you were her children, do you think you would have had the courage to step in and defend her? Why do you think her children did not?
3. Does watching such a tragedy make you appreciate your family even more or do you feel like domestic violence is not such a big deal?
4. Are there ways in which women can prevent this suffering before it even begins? Is there anyway we can end domestic violence or is too widespread already to do anything about it? What are some ways in which you think communities can join together and help prevent domestic violence?

                                                                                                                                                              -S.G.