Intimate partner violence is historically known as domestic violence, describing physical, mental, and sexual assault. Domestic violence is a consequence of long-term societal, health, or economic challenges passed on to victims of assault. All individuals are at risk of assault from their partner, although women are more likely to suffer from it than men. The government has enacted penalties and laws to help minimize acts of violence in relationships.
Domestic violence is acknowledged as a social challenge affecting intimate partners worldwide, including in the United States. Several organizations and laws have been formed to abolish and protect companions suffering from violence, for instance, the Violence Against Women Act (Edwards et al., 2017). Intimate partner violence is culturally accepted in the United States as individuals suffer silently in fear of seeking justice against their violent partners due to manipulation from them. Victims of domestic abuse justify the acts of assault by defending their partners when acts of violence should never be justifiable (“Overview of Intimate Partner Violence,” 2007).
Society has taken steps to prevent and eradicate cases of assault among spouses by developing consequences for individuals displaying acts of violence (Miller-Perrin et al., 2020). Strict laws enacted by the government, for example, the one that implies serving a jail sentence for up to 4 years for the felony of domestic violence, indicate that violence is unacceptable in the United States.
In conclusion, domestic violence in the United States is culturally unacceptable as the consequences of assault are immense due to the government’s penalties. Laws and institutions set up include the Violence Against Women Act and jail terms. However, domestic violence victims justify acts of assault, and most partners still suffer silently. Thus, reporting cases are low, preventing appropriate actions against such violent acts.
References
Edwards, K. M., Neal, A. M., & Rodenhizer-Stämpfli, K. A. (2017). Domestic violence prevention. In B. Teasdale & M. Bradley (Eds.), Preventing crime and violence: Advances in prevention science (pp. 215-227). Springer.
Miller-Perrin, C. L., Perrin, R. D., & Renzetti, C. M. (2020). Violence and maltreatment in intimate relationships. Sage Publications.
Overview of intimate partner violence. (2007). National Institute of Justice. Web.