Domestic Violence Essay Example

Introduction

Domestic violence is one of the primary cause of serious injury among women in the United States. The rates account more than that of car accidents, rapes and muggings combined (Anderson & Aviles, 2009). Every year in the United States, an approximate 1.5 million women are physically assaulted or raped by their partner. Women are at a higher risk of being assaulted than men. Although domestic violence does not select the victims based on race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic class, and religion, minority women experience higher rates and more severe partner violence than their white counterparts (Anais-Bar, 2013). Scholars have argued that the social identity of minority women has rendered them susceptible to domestic violence and this creates barriers to their utilization of victim services. For this case, higher vulnerability and limited access position minority women at a higher risk of domestic violence. The existence of discriminatory practices hinders minority women to disclose incidences of domestic violence and seek out support services. Moreover, the criminal justice system and the various support services have been found to address inadequately issues of domestic violence affecting minority women. Minority women are the most affected by domestic violence. The social constructs that hinder them to air their views increase their burden to seek help. Their partners, in this case, the men, benefit from the societal constructs that bind their women to the relationship. The men enjoy their liberty since they know the women have no place to seek help.

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The Setting of the Study

The study will be conducted in a rescue center in Detroit that creates programs and additional services for women who experience domestic violence regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or religion. The center is a focal point that will help the researcher to select participants who are undergoing real-life experiences of domestic violence. The researcher will play the role of conducting background checks on the admitted women in the rescue center, meet them, educate them about the essence of the study, and interview them.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the social constructs that hinder minority women undergoing domestic violence access services that can help alleviate their situation. The research will also discuss how the criminal justice system and the various support services fail to address cases of domestic violence among minority women appropriately.

Literature Review

Social Constructs that Affect Minority Women

Throughout history, domestic violence has always been viewed as a minority issue. The domestic violence victims are typically portrayed as poor women of color. The media, law, and social norms significantly affect the perception of domestic violence in the case of minority women. The stereotypes have existed in the community for so many years and hinder the victims to disclose their abusive relationships. The social and cultural context of the life of a woman influences how a woman responds to experiences of domestic violence. Although domestic violence does not choose its victims, social constructs and practices surrounding the issues of domestic violence are discriminatory (Anderson & Aviles, 2009). Discriminatory practices limit a woman's level of confidence in disclosing domestic abuse and seek help from social services. The stereotypes that surround the issue of domestic violence deny the legitimization of women of color as victims. For instance, violence against black women is not considered as severe as when committed against a white woman (Anderson & Aviles, 2009). Equally important, healthcare service providers have the perception that immigrant women accept domestic violence in their lives. This belief makes some Latino women to withhold information regarding domestic violence. Additionally, the social construct that women are supposed to stay at home renders them financially unstable. When the woman is physically assaulted, she has to decide whether to live or stay in the abusive relationship due to economic instability. According to Anderson and Aviles (2009), poverty is a considerable obstacle that affects the decision-making process of African-American women.

Minority Battered Women and the Criminal Justice System

According to Weisz (2005), research from various scholars has recorded that battered women report mixed feelings with interactions with the police and the courts. The fear of going to the court, and what will happen once they disclose their problems to the judge hinder the victims to receive protective orders. According to Diaz (2012), undocumented immigrant women are afraid to come into contact with the police. Many of the women in abusive relationships cannot call the police because it puts the woman at risk of deportation. Immigrant women also fear that engaging the justice system with the issue will result in the state's assessment of the moral character of the victim. In communities of color, trusting the police and the criminal justice system is a difficult task because of the historical factors and the current abuse of power that affects the minority groups. Diaz (2012) provides various examples of minority women who have experienced domestic violence and had negative experiences with the police. The non-responsiveness of the police may make the victims have the perception that it is time wasting to contact the police in case they are abused by their partners. For this case, the domestic violence victims will not engage with the criminal justice system if they believe the system cannot offer adequate protection.

Living in a domestic violence relationship is difficult when women from minority groups cannot report the cases due to the repercussions they will face from the society and the law enforcement. For this case, it is essential for the police to be responsive and assess the situation without making assumptions or leaving out crucial evidence advocates in the courts can also provide support system by collaborating with their affected to ensure justice is served.

References

Anais-Bar, A. (2013). The experiences of underserved minority battered women. 2013 - 25th National Symposium on Doctoral Research in Social Work.

Anderson, T. R., & Aviles, A. M. (2006). Diverse faces of domestic violence. ABNF journal, 17(4), 129-132.

Diaz, Y. (2012). Stepping out of the shadows: undocumented immigrant women come forward to share their experiences living in a domestic violence relationship in the United States (Doctoral dissertation, Arts and Letters).

Weisz, A. N. (2005). Reaching African American battered women: Increasing the effectiveness of advocacy. Journal of Family Violence, 20(2), 91-99.