According to Psychology Today, as many as 38 million American women may have suffered from domestic violence during some point in their lifetime. While threats of physical harm are well-known, technology has brought about new ways for abusers to inflict harm on the people that they batter. Domestic violence creates a lasting impression on victims.
Children who have parents that are batterers or domestic violence victims often face a similar plight as they grow older. They continue playing the same roles once they get into relationships.
Domestic violence can take on many forms. It can be psychological or physical. It may include one partner or family member trying to tell the other when they can come and go. Threats of and actual instances of physical harm both count as domestic violence as well.
Certain insults and cases of coercion would also qualify as domestic violence. In some cases, abusers use family members, children and pets as leverage to help them control the emotions of their victim. They do this because it often results in them doing what’s been requested of them.
Victims who endure long-term abuse often lack self-confidence, are depressed and anxious. They may need to undergo extensive therapy to begin to heal their emotional wounds.
Domestic violence sometimes takes the form of sexual coercion and force. According to Psychology Today, at least 10 percent of all American women will have to endure a rape performed by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Their data also shows that one-third of batterers take their female victims’ lives each year.
If you’ve been subjected to domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner or family member here in Riverside, then you may be scared to leave. You may not know where to turn for help. A domestic violence and neglect attorney can help you protect your family through orders of restriction. In filing one for one of these, your batterer will have to keep a distance from you or otherwise risk criminal prosecution within the California court system.