Based on research by Hudnall, Lewis, and Parton, which offers statistics on domestic violence in Alabama from 1995 to the present, the following conclusions have been drawn. The crime statistics of 2019 for the City of Birmingham indicate 3,117 domestic violence crimes were occurring for every 50,000 (Hudnall et al., 2021). Out of those cases, seven (7) resulted in homicide, twenty-nine (29) resulted in rape, and twenty-one (21) in robbery. The database is made up of submitted crime information that was reported by local and county municipalities and summarized statewide. The accuracy of the information collected may depend on the reporting authorities and may not contain all the crimes committed. Therefore, both hard and soft data from different sources were used for the paper.
Domestic violence also affects the victim’s family, children, relatives, the community, and others. Children who suffer from domestic violence or witness abuse of other family members carry this experience into their own lives. Traumatizing the psyche, the problem deeply affects the child’s personality development (DVS, 2021). Close people worrying about their daughter, sister, and girlfriend, also falls under the influence of this issue; people may experience stress and several psychological problems because of the event. Investigating the causes of domestic violence, it turned out that alcohol and drug abuse is a stimulus to action.
Behavior patterns include a tendency to abuse children, young and indigenous women, or ones with disabilities. The main reasons are usually associated with the tyrant’s low self-esteem, lack of attention or respect, witnesses to violence in the family, society, and much more. The scope within which it can be possible to intelligently influence change includes social media, publicity, research, and outreach to more people.
The following organizations are also working on the problem:
- The Center on Domestic Violence.
- Community United Against Violence.
- Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, 2021).
The long-term consequences of the problem can be associated with deterioration in the population’s quality of life, psychological problems of individuals, or, in the worst case, the victim’s death. Communities and the population will have to realize that violence is not everyone’s business. It is necessary to communicate with acquaintances, neighbors, relatives, and friends, not lose sight of them, provide support, and report suspicious situations.
References
National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health. (2021). National Domestic Violence Organizations. Web.
Hudnall, M., Lewis, D., & Parton, J. (2021). Crime in Alabama. Web.
DVS. (2021). DV Survivors project. Web.