People who are close to one another need to trust each other. We should trust our parents not to hurt us, and to give us what we need to grow. Boys and girls should trust each other, as well as men and women. When someone is abused, the trust is broken. Domestic violence is the use of physical force within a home in any form of abuse. Abuse can be a whole range of physical behaviour, slapping, hitting, beating, or using weapons to hurt someone. It includes verbal and emotional abuse, where someone is constantly insulted and made to feel sad and worthless. It can also include rape and sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is when someone forces another to have sexual intercourse or do other sexual things against their will. Another form of abuse is total control where one adult makes all the decisions for another person or for a whole family. Family violence may start with an argument or even a fight, but it goes way beyond fighting. Some abusers were beaten as children, and others saw their parents use violence. Some abusers are uncomfortable with feelings like sadness, embarrassment, hurt, or even love. When these people have these feelings, they get angry, and then they get violent. Some abusers get violent when they run out of words, and some are drunk. Some abusers are jealous, mentally ill, or feel overwhelmed by problems. Some are just mean. One thing all forms of family violence share is how they start. A desire to have control leads to the violence. Every year, at least one million women are physically, sexually, or psychologically abused by their husbands or common law partners. Two women are murdered by their male partners every week. Throughout much of the history of Western civilization, deep-seated cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives. These people considered women to be better suited for childbearing and homemaking rather than ...
