Domestic Abuse Is a Large Problem

To help prevent domestic abuse in the future, society should provide various forms of support for victims and abusers.

Victims and abusers alike need psychological support. The first step, educate in school through teaching kids about domestic abuse and how to respond to similar situations. Through teaching children how to control their emotions and grow wholesome characteristics at a young age, future cases of domestic abuse can be prevented. The purpose of starting at a young age is to solve current cases of domestic abuse and prevent ensuing cases of abuse. The nation can help in educating teens on the actual act of domestic abuse. By explaining what domestic abuse is and how to avoid these behaviors, it systematically prevents future cases while also exterminating existing cases. If children are taught the evils of abuse at a young age and how to look after each other, cases like this could be dispelled because people would be more open about the topic. On the other side of the spectrum, the abusers frequently need help themselves. Batterers programs are support systems for past abusers to leave their abusive past and work to improve on their future behavior. Batterers programs still show inconsistent results, as some show amazing results while others have lacking results. Funders should improve these programs and actively work to find ways to “fix” these abusers so they can return to a stable life. The last psychological support necessary is to change society’s views on gender. In this global climate, men have to constantly appear as strong and full of will power, while women should stay quiet. This idea results in the global misconception that men are tough and as a result don’t suffer from abuse. As a result of this misconception, men receive fewer resources even if they need help.  Men that are turned down from these shelters when they try to find remedy continue their suffering. Shelters should simply allow men to access the current facilities or create new shelters.

Support from the government is the key pawn in the plan to eliminate domestic abuse. The first step, guarantee custody to the victim in the separation, as well as later on down the line where victims will struggle to recoup. Separation of the child and victim is something that should never happen. In thousands of cases, it is harmful to both victims. Not only does guaranteeing custody to the victim help them after they leave, but it also pushes victims still suffering to abandon the situation. Automatically giving custody to the victim when the abuser is found guilty it reassures the victim because they know that their child will be in good hands, their own. Majority of domestic homicides involve firearms. The advice here is to implement psychological examinations along with stricter background checks when purchasing a gun. Though the ownership of firearms is barred from domestic abusers they somehow still slip by through legal loopholes, such as dishonorable discharge from the army. By implementing stronger background checks and including psychological examinations nations can greatly reduce the number of deaths by domestic abuse. By preventing the abusers from even receiving the gun, deaths are reduced by a majority. Civilians are not the only people abusing their spouses. As reported by (The Atlantic) families of police officers are two to four times more likely to experience domestic abuse than the general public. This information reveals troubling news that those who were supposed to help and guide the victims also openly go home and abuse their families. With that in mind, cracking down on police and training them on how to handle these types of situations will not only decrease the number of victims but also improve the efficiency of these departments and how they handle these cases. If the police show improvement and begin handling cases correctly, more victims would be willing to come out, specifically male victims. Male victims hesitate to come out because of the stigmatism that men cannot possibly be abused. One of the biggest reasons that men don't come out is because of mistrust in the authorities. They believe that just because they are men, the police won’t believe them. When the police department improves, it creates an environment that allows people to publicly step up and get help.