When you consider family violence it covers a broader prospective and includes children, maybe elders being subjected to abuse than just abuse between two partners. Also the abuse can be physical but may be subtler and includes intimidation, mental and emotional abuse and exploitation. It can be interpreted as any form of abusive behavior within a relationship or a family where an individual attempts to control the other or others. It can take many forms including violent behavior, sexual assault, emotional cruelty and social or financial control. Importantly abuse does not have to be physical or sexual. Domestic abuse can be considered as part of family violence though many prefer to take it as a separate area.

This has evolved from the historical aspects when family violence was viewed as a matter that should be dealt within the family home and ignored by the community. It stemmed largely from the belief that the man was the master of his own home and in those days on most occasions the physical violence came from the man about the house. Today you can still get help from medical professionals, without getting the law involved.

However normally dealing with family violence is a multi-fronted effort. The response is coordinated between law, medical or psychological and social care services. This is built on the understanding that both victims and the perpetrator will need the support of people from all these fields. There are crisis lines, social programs, support groups that help both the victims and the aggressors to cope with and to rebuild their lives. A victim should contact one of these and state their problem. Also if you are perpetrator recognize that there is an issue here and deal with it before something serious happens. There is a good chance you will cause someone an injury, and even if you don’t, your loved ones will always be in fear of you if you do not change your ways.

The first step in dealing with the problem is acceptance. Both the aggressor and the victims have to come to accept the situation. One of the easiest signs to identify is an unnatural fear about a member of the family and other members tend to be very careful near that member, worried about the things they say and do. This should suggest that something is wrong and that probably some form of family violence has been experienced. Also people should avoid trying to justify the actions. “She was angry with you for reason”. It may be true but the reasons don’t allow for condoning the actions. Also minor forms of abuse tend escalate over time and serious injury and even death has resulted from family violence.

In some instances the family member may be apologetic after an incident and things appear to be normal. However after a while, another explosion will occur. This cycle tends to continue in many cases. Of course in some instances there is only continuous abuse – no ‘honeymoon period’

Your family is the most important thing in your life. Keep it safe. And help keep other families safe too. Say no to family violence.

Author Bio: Christine Crotts enjoys a good night’s sleep in a bed with freshly cleaned bedding. Christine has written a site containing reviews on blue duvet cover, as well as black and white duvet covers.

Category: Family Concerns
Keywords: family violence,domestic abuse,emotional abuse