Domestic Violence (DV)

[LesYpersound]

...yeah imma go there because October is DV Awareness Month!




Black women are disproportionately affected...
"Nationally, intimate partner violence is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 15-45...the seventh cause for women in general."
Citation: Office of Justice Programs, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, Bureau of Justice Statistics Factbook, Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice, March 1998 (NCJ 167237)

[FYI: Black men are also subjected to more intimate partner violence than men of other races, but intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women and when women are on the receiving end of violence they're more likely to get seriously hurt than men]


All domestic abuse cases have the potential for fatal violence. Research has not been able to tell us for certain which cases will end in a fatality. However, certain factors do emerge as indicating the greatest risk to victims:

Top Five Risk Factors
United States Department of Justice Data
1. Has the abuser ever used, or threatened to use, a gun, knife, or other weapon against victim? (20.2x)*
2. Ever threatened to kill or injure the victim? (14.9x)
3. Ever tried to strangle (choke) the victim? (9.9x)
4. Is the abuser violently or constantly jealous? (9.2x)
5. Has the abuser ever forced the victim to have sex? (7.6x)
*The numbers in parenthesis indicate the factor by which a domestic violence victim’s risk of homicide is increased relative to other domestic violence victims.

What can be done...?

When women have access to services the likelihood of them dying is reduced.
As a friend, neighbor, or family member -- be a resource by just knowing of a phone number

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1−800−799−SAFE

Some links...
Institute of Domestic Violence in the African American Community - http://idvaac.org/
INCITE! Women of color against violence - http://www.incite-national.org/
Men Stopping Violence - http://www.menstoppingviolence.org
DV in queer relationships - http://www.lambda.org/DV_background.htm
Survivor Project for intersex/trans folks - http://www.survivorproject.org/

[LesYpersound]

anyways, the real reason why i felt like posting anything is for people in Chicago! AquaMoon has produced another play in commemoration of DV Awareness Month... Love Doesn't Hurt ( http://spokenexistence.com/BuyTickets_lovedoesnothurt.html ).

Dates:
Friday, October 30, 6pm reception, 7pm showtime
Saturday, October 31, 7pm
Sunday, November 1, 4pm

Location:
Links Hall
3435 N. Sheffiled, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60657

I swear this stuff isn't all serious, way too intense or will ruin your night. Their productions are about uplifting and revealing truth/reality. So I def recommend it if you've got a 20 to spare.

[sceneless]

My dad was a woman beater. I had already heard stories about what he did, but it was still a shock to the system the first time I saw him hit his g/f. I think it's a cycle, because my dad saw his mom get beat by his stepdad, but I gurandamntee that shit ends with me. I just can't understand what would make a person haul off and hit someone they love like that. Anyhow, thanks for posting this, Lesy. I hope this event helps alot of people out.

[LesYpersound]

i def agree that it's a cycle... and this whole hitting of loved ones to try and control them as opposed to solving the real problems contributes to all sorts of expressions of "loving" violence in the kids that witness or experience it (be it a mother to their own kids, or a boyfriend on his girlfriend, etc). :(

[LesYpersound]

Aye and that'll definitely be a struggle when you have to buck up against not only society's status quo but the historical violence and cycles that exist in our own communities. Ugh... but really, all the work shouldn't be thrust upon women and people who are on the receiving end of existing violence... just saying. Men have as much at stake and input in an alternative society to patriarchy (which isn't and doesn't need to be a matriarchy) the same way many women are as complicit to the upholding and poisonous nature of status quo patriarchy.

[kifaru]

Everybody is agreement that it is wrong to beat your spouse but why are so many people still comfortable with beating their children? That's domestic violence too as far as I'm concerned.

[jahluv]

^^^
That's a damn good question - since it doesn't seem to work all that well.

[Compound Egret]

I was wondering about this recently. I saw a pretty good comedy DVD which was pretty good, but 3 out of the 5 comedians had something about beating their kids or how they were beaten as a kid.