Behind Closed Doors. CIAC UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvbXGyNk6LY
Text 1 Reflection:
Before watching this film, I used to think that domestic violence involves only physical abuse such as beatings. However, it occurred to me that emotional abuse in marriages is the most common leading to great psychological pain. I also thought that domestic misunderstandings resulted from serious issues but the film showed that some of the acts of violence arise due to childhood experiences of the wife and the husband. For instance, in the film, the man was brought up n an abusive marriage in which his mother received terrible beatings. The psychological pain led to his brutal behavior towards his innocent wife. Such mistreatment cause victims to live unproductive lives, which affects their optimal productive ability since their lives are characterized by psychological torture, physical pain, and economic distress. I learned that there exist bodies that protect people that are in abusive relationships by offering advice on the action to take. Without such interventions some individuals especially women and children would be in great danger.
Text 2: Survivors' Art: Verahouse Incorporated. It is the mission of Vera House, Inc. http://www.verahouse.org/domestic-violence-sexual-assault/survivors/survivors-art-poetry
Text 2 Reflection
Art has been used for a long time to depict various issues in the society and communicate to the relevant audience. When I saw “Survivors’ Art” for the first time, I realized that many people suffer violence in the modern society. Only the courageous individuals decide to share their experiences via various media while the rest remain silent and suffer emotional turmoil. Creativity therapy offers a chance to people that have experienced domestic and sexual violence an opportunity to educate he world about the vice. By displaying the compelling mages to through art, the survivors encourage people to share their experiences through media to quicken their healing process. The images reveal the pain people have to endure n abusive relationships and marriages due to violence inflicted buy partners. Even though women constitute the majority of domestic violence victims, men, as well as children, may also be victims. Therefore, the definition of domestic violence has a wide scope.
Text 3: Mother of pregnant woman killed by boyfriend advocates for domestic violence victims in court
Mother of pregnant woman killed by boyfriend advocates for domestic violence victims in court. Fox 2 News: Nov 05 2018. http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/mother-of-pregnant-woman-killed-by-boyfriend-advocates-for-domestic-violence-victims-in-court
Text 3 Reflection
The case of a boyfriend killing a pregnant woman startled me and I was left thinking about the level of cruelty in some human beings. The other astonishing thing was that the boyfriend stabbed her 56 times raising question about the cause of such kind of violence. I sympathized with the mother of the abused who lost her daughter and grandchild through brutal murder. It seems that the present-day homes have had widespread domestic violence in all forms of intimate relationships. The cases involve persons who are courting, couples that reside together, wedded couples, persons with children in common, teen dating relations, and same-sex associates. Many cases of homicide are caused by domestic abuse, especially in cases where victims use deadly weapons such as rifles. I support the initiative taken by the victim’s mother to fight against domestic violence and rescue many people. Victims often feel scared, worthless, or responsible for the abuse but with support of social workers and other activists, they can share experiences.
Text 4: Counselors turn to crayons and paper for kids dealing with domestic violence trauma
Keith Eldridge. Counselors turn to crayons and paper for kids dealing with domestic violence trauma. Komo News, Nov 6, 2018. https://komonews.com/news/local/counselors-turn-to-crayons-and-paper-for-kids-dealing-with-domestic-violence-trauma
Text 4 Reflection
The video in this news article captured my attention due to expression of children feelings. Domestic violence may involve parents but kids are negatively affected which is clearly depicted in the crayon work in this presentation. Children experience both emotional and physical abuse in their homes. Emotional abuse may include insults, blaming a victim for any domestic problems, making demeaning jokes about the victim, withholding affection, questioning/criticizing the competence of the victim, humiliation in front of others, yelling at a victim and threatening with physical violence. I selected this article due to its creative way of helping children overcome trauma and express their feelings. This helps them to heal and accept the situation or get help from humanitarian groups dealing with domestic violence. Children that grow up in families that are characterized by domestic violence tend to repeat the cycle by either becoming abusive or finding themselves in relationships that are abusive.
Final Reflection
Analyzing the texts on domestic violence has enlightened me on several things including being aware of an abusive partner as it can lead to death. Before, carrying out this research, I assumed that domestic violence involved physical fights but I have realized that many people may be suffering from emotional violence. However, the research has proved that acts of violence at home can take several forms and may result to different effects such as death, injuries, stress, and depression. I have also discovered that making a decision to solve this issue is difficult, as some do not want to share their experiences publicly. However, through encouragement from friends or relatives, it is possible to get help from human rights bodies and live a better life. This unit has been a great inspiration to me as it has exposed me to issues affecting families in various parts of the world. The activity was engaging and I could share the pain of the victims especially by watching the videos and artwork. Over the semester, my thinking about life has changed since I have learned so much on the happenings in the real world. So far, I am satisfied with my research and reflection skills gained through class work, discussions, and research. However, I would like to improve on group participation to make it more interesting. Some aspects of essay and research writing such as referencing seemed difficult and tasking at first but with more practice, I was able to enjoy every activity. The group work has heightened my desire to research more on domestic violence and later carryout campaigns against the vice. I discovered that as a student I have a duty to play n the society to help in promoting peaceful coexistence through research and article writing. Studying social issues is of great interest to me as through the entire exercise I have come to love my discipline as well as attitude towards life. In the future, I would like to use my communication skills to advocate for a stop in domestic violence through campaigns. My future studies will involve writing and reporting in cases of abuse on children and women as well as writing articles on ways of its prevention. There should be greater emphasis on creating an awareness concerning the dangers of domestic violence in recent years. Identifying signs of physical and psychological violence enables faster intervention, even when the victims are unwilling to reveal their suffering. Better channels of communication should be established where neighbors and friends can report suspected cases of domestic violence. Knowing the categories of domestic violence will be of great help thus in the future, I will concentrate on researching the extent of domestic violence and its impact on the family unit, children, and marriage survival. I will do interviews on the issue with people that are willing share their experiences and encourage others to open up to prevent the risks associated with physical and emotional abuse. The skills acquired in this course will be of great help to me in the future.
References
Behind Closed Doors (2018). CIAC UK. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvbXGyNk6LY
Eldridge, K. (2018). Counselors turn to crayons and paper for kids dealing with domestic violence trauma. Komo News, Nov 6, 2018. From https://komonews.com/news/local/counselors-turn-to-crayons-and-paper-for-kids-dealing-with-domestic-violence-trauma
Fox 2 News. Mother of pregnant woman killed by boyfriend advocates for domestic violence victims in court. Fox 2 News: Nov 05 2018. http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/mother-of-pregnant-woman-killed-by-boyfriend-advocates-for-domestic-violence-victims-in-court
Survivors' Art (2010). Verahouse Incorporated. It is the mission of Vera House, Inc. From http://www.verahouse.org/domestic-violence-sexual-assault/survivors/survivors-art-poetry
