Domestic violence, unfortunately, is a problem that is common for many families all around the world. It brings physical and emotional pain to vulnerable segments of society, including children, elders, and women of any age. With the appearance of the Internet, the issue of cyber abuse only continues to grow every day, threatening and intimidating people in every country. It can happen on different messengers, social media, and other digital platforms and is usually connected to bullying, sexual harassment, and stalking.
Elder abuse is a concern that, in a way, affects every older adult during their retirement or even earlier. The cases are usually multidimensional and include various combinations of types of abuse like neglect, financial exploitation, and physical and sexual abuse. Most of the time, these actions are made by their family members, but it is not a problem only connected to the family. In the video called “An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America,” it is stated that “almost ninety percent of elder abuse cases involve a family member or a trusted individual” (Witness, 2010). There is no national or official data on this topic. Still, studies show that “almost eleven percent of people older than sixty who can answer a phone and pass a basic dementia screen are victims of abuse, neglect, or exploitation” (NCALL, 2019). However, these studies cannot include every situation elders face daily, including those with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.
Dementia is a widespread disease within the territory of the United States. According to Alzheimer’s Association (2019) statistics, over five million people in the USA aged sixty-five and older have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias (p. 17). It is predicted that by 2060 the number will rise to almost fourteen million people (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019, p. 22). People with Alzheimer’s tend to forget basic things, making them vulnerable to financial exploitation. It is a serious issue that costs “America’s seniors more than 2.6 billion dollars a year” (Witness, 2010). All those problems are severe and hard to track, but there are things that need to be done to keep elders from being abused.
Unfortunately, older adults cannot be fenced entirely from all kinds of abuse. However, one of the things that can prevent them from violence is keeping them active and engaged in communities. Physical activity helps them stay self-sufficient longer, as well as friendships and communities. Another option is to be particular about elders’ caregivers and protect them from workers with cases of violence in the past, as well as they need to be informed about their phones, credit cards, etc.
Domestic violence between intimate partners remains a vital problem of humanity. Most of the time, these acts are done by men, but there are common couple cases resulting from the conflict. As long as elder abuse, there are several types of abuse that happen between intimate partners, such as psychological, financial, physical, and sexual. To understand why violence happens, scientists found out that there is a part of the brain that causes people to get angry, and it is called the amygdala. They found that “the prefrontal cortex does not function properly in murderers, because their prefrontal cortex is used much less than in healthy people” (Thomas, 2007). That means that their actions are mainly based on emotions and not deliberated.
Because of technological development, the risk of being sexually victimized or cyberstalked has become more common. The percentage of women victims is higher, but men are also victims of such actions. Cyber rape or nonconsensual pornography is mainly used by abusers to manipulate their partners or ex-partners or as an act of revenge. That applies to every type of cyber abuse, like online dating, sextortion, catfishing, etc. Usually, predators do that in order to control their victims. The lifestyle theory provides the best explanation for online victimization. Choosing where to live, when to come home, and with whom to communicate are the critical factors of abuse attraction. It is proven that “domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined” (Cook, 1991). Unfortunately, many women who left abusive relationships return to them with time.
However, cyberstalking is an even more dangerous type of manipulation. With the evolution of technology, abusers found ways to stalk their partners using different gadgets or apps. The main goal of cyber stalkers is to get complete control over a person. It can be understood that cyberstalking is more benign than physical. Because the Internet has become a massive part of people’s lives, it is just as dangerous. In the online world, stalkers have access to an enormous amount of personal information.
Unlike stalking, most of the time, abuse is the way to take revenge. The predators use it to manipulate their victims using different personal photos or videos to blackmail them. Another example is creating deepfakes, usually pornographic, to make victims do things they never did. The number of virtual predators rises because technology is becoming more developed every day and accessible. It is easier and safer for them to stalk or harass from home rather than in real life.
There are many risk factors associated with family violence and abuse. Starting from physical consequences, like injuries, diseases, or even deadly danger on different occasions. It can hurt one of the partners or other family members if abusive behavior is not stopped. Psychological factors can cause many troubles as well, and many sicknesses start on a mental basis. That means that any abuse can bring destruction and damage to the family.
Many women do not end their relationships with abusers because they do not understand they have this problem. Unfortunately, the world blurs the lines and makes issues non-visible for women even in comparison to others because they see that it is common. They can be afraid of their partner or fear isolation. Another reason is that they believe their partner could change and they can save the relationship. Children are as well common reasons to stay in an abusive environment. Many women “do not want their children to grow up in broken families” (Pai, 2022). That makes them humiliate their feelings and future to provide all the best for the child.
To conclude, domestic violence and cyber abuse are the issues that only grow with time. The world needs to stop this tendency that hurts people psychologically and physically. The abusers tend to find even more sophisticated ways to spread violation and anger. The Internet only forced its development, creating a convenient and anonymous space for threats, harassment, and sexual abuse. It can affect any person of different age, status, or gender. Domestic and cyber violence are problems that need more attention from society.
References
Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. (2019). Alzheimer’s Association.
Cook, P. W. (1991). Abused men: the hidden side of domestic violence. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
National clearinghouse on abuse in later life. (2019). NCALL.
Pai, R. (2022). 12 Reasons Why Women Stay In Abusive Relationships. Mom Junction.
Thomas, M. (2007). Seeing red [Film]. UNESCO Kingston.
Witness. (2010). An age for justice: confronting elder abuse in America [Video]. Youtube.