Read SE 12 - Reading 1 This is an important lecture for this class and for careers in law enforcement, law, criminal justice and physical therapy. Please be sure to read all of this lecture at least
Social Inequality – Week 12 – Reading 1
Family Violence: Spouse/Partner Abuse & Child Abuse/Neglect
Last week’s 2nd Reading (pp. 167-200 in Chambers) & this Week 12 Reading 1 conclude gender inequality. As I said last week, and want you to recognize: the Chambers book is focusing on women & inequality, and also on class inequality. Similarly, Kotlowitz emphasizes racial inequality and also class. In fact, the way I view inequality and teach this class is to make you aware of the intersections of class with all other inequalities discussed.
Example: If you are old and upper middle class, you will certainly experience ageism. But, ageism you experience will be different than ageism an older working poor person experiences. Your education, wealth, and former professional status will give you some "padding" and protection.
So, the lecture for Week 12 is about spouse/partner abuse & family violence. The focus is still on gender as family violence is a symptom of our definition of gender and occurs across classes. In the Chambers Reading last week, we were immersed in the results of spouse or partner violence, complicated by poverty and drugs, especially the opioid crisis. Many of you in this class will be dealing with the results of the opioid crisis in your work either directly in criminal justice, through counseling, or through the law. Both books demonstrate the devastation of human beings’ health and lives from drugs.
Federal law enforcement in the Border Patrol, Customs, DEA & ATF have in the last few years, reduced the amount of fentanyl coming from China and through Mexico, the main pathways. The beginning of getting control of the situation!
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Introduction: This lecture will include first a definition of spousal abuse from https://domestic-violence.laws.com/spousal-abuse. This includes abuse between unmarried intimate partners. Then, there will be profiles of abusers and victims and a definition of child abuse and neglect.
Spousal abuse Victimization Defined:
Spousal abuse victimization is defined as both the nature and classification with regard to the individual victims of Spousal abuse offenses. Studies undertaking the investigation of the identification of Spousal abuse victims cite women as accounting for almost 85% of Spousal abuse victims; furthermore, within that percentage, women between the ages of 20 and 24 are considered to account for the majority of Spousal abuse victims.
Physical Spousal Abuse Defined:
Physical spousal abuse is defined as damage, harm, or injury enacted upon a husband or a wife by the other individual involved in the marriage.
Aggravated physical abuse, which is the more severe form of physical spousal abuse, is defined as the use of a deadly weapon to cause harm, damage, or injury with regard to another individual or entity
Emotional and Psychological Spousal Abuse Defined:
Non-violent forms of spousal abuse include the delivery of threats, intimidation, name-calling, perpetual belittlement or any verbal or emotional attacks that aim to take control or instill fear in the victimized partner.
Threats are defined as the unlawful, conditional expressions of criminal or negative recourse contingent on the behavior of the recipient of the threat itself; threats are typically extortive in nature – aggravated threats include threats posed resulting in murder, rape, or maiming
Verbal and psychological abuse is defined as both speech and expressions set forth, typically demeaning, insulting, damaging, or threatening in nature
Sexually-charged Spousal Abuse defined:
Spousal abuse, in a sexual nature refers to the administration of any unwanted or forced sexual acts. Spousal rape, for instance, is the act of forced, non-consensual intercourse enacted by either the husband or wife onto the other partner; regardless of the participation within a romantic relationship, the severity of a spousal rape offense is considered to be analogous to a standard rape charge
What to do if you are a Victim of Spousal Abuse?
Spousal abuse assistance refers to any helpful and preventative resource made available for victims of Spousal abuse. Although these resources are available to the public, half of these Spousal abuse acts go unreported; in the event that an individual has been made aware of ongoing Spousal abuse, or has been involved within Spousal abuse cases that have occurred in the past, they are encouraged to contact their local authorities or law enforcement department in order to report the details of the offense:
A multitude of resources and assistance exist; please contact the appropriate government department, such as the National Spousal abuse Hotline through their 24-hour telephone number: (800) 799-7233
https://domestic-violence.laws.com/spousal-abuse
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The following information comes from Dr. Robert Denton, retired head of Victim Assistance for Summit County, and also a person who helped write victim assistance law in Ohio. Dr. Denton is unusual in that he is a Ph.D. sociologist, a licensed social worker, and an ordained minister.
Why are all families vulnerable to abuse?
Power is unevenly distributed – parents have more power than children; men often have more power than women.
The family is a primary group – they spend more of their lives together. Work together, share money, play together, make decisions together.
The nuclear family has no mediator – Extended families have three adults many times; thus, there is a mediator in a dispute between two adults.
Why are some families at higher risk?
Poverty
Teen-agers at marriage
Abuse in families of orientation
Social/geographic isolation
What is the typical abuser like?
Abusers are more likely to be males
Why, Because…..Men have more social power, Traditional gender roles support giving males more social power, Men are more likely to have had abusive role models
So, that profile…
The typical abuser
Is charming….a Jekyll-Hyde personality, sometimes even fools a professional counselor.
Has low self-esteem. What, not high? No!! A mature adult doesn’t have to yell or hit or worse to have a discussion.
Is very jealous. Often doesn’t want wife/girlfriend even to work with other men.
Believes in traditional gender roles
Blames the victim. This is very important.
Uses sex in aggressive ways. This does not mean in weird ways. It means sex when and how he wants it.
The typical victim’s profile…
She/he is likely to
Have low self-esteem
Accept the blame (see below)
Believe in traditional gender roles
Shape her behavior to fit his wishes, sometimes with a 40-year list of things she must do so he won’t be angry. Then, one day she realizes it isn’t her. He will be angry no matter how many things she ticks off his list correctly. She can remember not to wear the blue dress, not to let the kids’ bikes be in the driveway, not to talk to her mom when he’s home, not to make pork shops the way he doesn’t like, not to watch a program he doesn’t like. It won’t matter!!
Endure aggressive sex
Why don’t women leave?
Fear him; many abusers threaten to take the kids, kill someone, clean out the bank accounts.
Love him. “Sometimes, it’s great!”
Religious reasons; divorce against religion.
“Children need their fathers” Not realizing her daughters are learning to be submissive and her sons are learning to be abusive.
Dependency (economic, emotional)
Humiliation if friends and family find out.
Blame themselves
Does abuse have to be physical?
There is a continuum of abuse from verbal to homicide. Therapists, counselors, psychologists see all as the same…a cycle of building anger, an explosion, an apology. Some therapists call it the “cycle of abuse.”
Good therapy, often court-ordered, involves helping the abusive person get in touch with his/her feelings, helping him/her learn how not to blame the partner for things, helping him/her learn that others are not to blame for his/her bad behavior no matter how irritating they may be. Adults are responsible for their own behavior, no matter what.
Please read this carefully & consider all it has to say. Sometimes, we make excuses for angry people when we shouldn’t. An adult (the victim) deserves to discuss differences of opinion civilly. Sometimes someone else doesn’t like a dress we wear or a car we buy, but it is still our right to wear the blue dress and buy the red car.
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Child Neglect and Abuse:
A person who abuses his/her spouse/partner is probably capable of abusing children because there is an anger management problem and children can make a parent angry, you’ve probably noticed.
Abuse is the same as for an adult. It means hurting the child in some way: yelling, physically hurting, psychological abuse (trying to frighten a child, taking away hope or fun). Abuse is an act of purposely hurting a child.
Neglect, on the other hand, means not providing the basic necessities of life and keeping a child safe.
Teachers may notice a child not having a coat, not having clean clothing, not being bathed, not having lunch or lunch money.
Children may be allowed out to play without proper clothing. Children’s Services Social Workers find filthy homes without safe food or running water, without a place to sleep or play safely. These things can be extreme, but are not abuse. They are neglect.
In Ohio, any professional (teacher, nurse, doctor, social worker, attorney, counselor, pastor) who notices signs of abuse or neglect must report it to Children’s Services. If he/she does not, he/she can lose their license.
It’s important for all adults to know that shaking or hitting a baby or young child can kill them. An adult has enough strength in his/her hands to crush a baby’s or small child’s internal organs or break their bones.
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