Domestic violence is something a lot of families know about in the 21 st century. It is not a good thing, but it is reality. The legal definition of this is “the continuing crime and problem of the physical beating of a wife, girlfriend, or children”, (Law.com). Domestic violence that some women endure day in and day out is also seen as a mental illness by some. It's like the woman has no self esteem, respect, or worth, that keeps her enduring this type of assault in her life. Most of these victims will not press charges due to feelings of misplaced love, protection of children, and fear of it getting worse.
Domestic violence is widespread among women. Besides just physical, it can be psychological and sexual also. “Statistics suggest that one-fifth to one-third of all women will be physically abused at some point in their life.” (M. Cohen, AJPH, 2000). Mardge Cohen did a study trying to link together the effect domestic violence and child sexual abuse had with women who were HIV positive. The study showed that most of the women in the study were at some point in their lives abused in some way as a child. If most women are abused, then this is a cycle that must be changed, starting at home with families.
It is the family that must be educated first in order to avoid a life long list of mental problems. Some people do not believe that they are living in an abusive situation. It is normal to them, and they have not seen anything different. It was done to mothers by fathers, sisters by brothers, uncles, and cousins, and it is expected norm is for it to happen to them also.
