There have been several times, since I have begun working at Safe Space, where women will tell me they lived through domestic violence for a number of years. Often these women are older and their abuse is twenty or more years behind them. When they tell me their stories, they tell of having nowhere to go, that it was just something that came with marriage. They tell me of those they turned to simply encouraging them to be better wives and not do anything to incur their husband’s wrath. As a result, I started thinking about how the domestic violence movement was started and how it has grown throughout the years.
The problem of domestic violence has always been deeply entrenched in social norms and social acceptance. For a long period of our history, physical force was seen as an appropriate way to discipline a wife. Of course, there were limits to how much force was appropriate. Consider the ‘rule of thumb’ law – giving a husband the right to beat his wife, so long as it was with a rod no thicker than his thumb.
The 1800’s saw some changes in laws regarding marital abuse – some of these were good, some were not. In 1874, the “finger switch” rule was disavowed by the North Carolina Supreme Court. However, the court held that as long as the injury isn’t too great, it is best to keep it behind closed doors. Maryland, in 1882 became the first state to pass a law that made wife beating a crime. However, in 1857 a Massachusetts court recognized marriage as an exemption from being charged with rape.
The early 1900’s saw the formation of family courts to deal specifically violence in the family. This, unfortunately, was more of a diversionary tactic – further pushing the problem of domestic violence from the court system. Domestic violence was seen as a private problem, not something to be talked about or dealt with publicly. At this time, theories in psychoanalysis hold that women actually derive pleasure from being beaten.
The ‘60s set the stage for a dramatic change in attitudes regarding women. The feminist movement grew out of the civil rights movement. Women who were abused began talking, coming out from behind the closed doors and bringing their situations out into the open. They found they were far from alone and groups began to form. By the early ‘70s women were breaking the silence. This early stage of the domestic violence movement was marked by conscious raising and group forming efforts.
The next stage, beginning in the mid ‘70s, saw the need for services and safe places for women and children to escape the abuse. Women’s shelters began springing up across the country. The women behind the movement began framing the problem of domestic violence as a crime, not a private, family matter. In addition to creating shelters and providing services, they started advocating for social change. Also, at this time, states began drafting legislation to provide funding for domestic violence services.
During the mid ‘80s the focus shifted to a demand for accountability on the part of social systems, such as the legal system. Advocacy became central to the movement. State coalitions were forming to pressure justice systems to be more responsive to the problem of domestic violence and to hold abusers accountable. Among their demands were stronger sentencing for convicted offenders, mandatory pro-arrest statutes in responses to domestic violence assaults, and better training for police and court personnel.
The late ‘80s and ‘90s brought public awareness campaigns on local, state and federal levels. Education played a large role and foundations and government agencies provided funding to research models of intervention. The pressure for systemic change that began in the ’80s spread to healthcare systems, welfare systems, mental health systems, housing systems and many others. In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act was passed, providing $1 billion in funding for shelters, the training of law enforcement personnel and judges and support for crime-prevention efforts regarding violence against women. When O.J. Simpson was tried for the murder of his wife in 1994, nationwide coverage once again brought focus to the issue of domestic violence.
Currently, there are 1,900 domestic violence programs and state domestic violence coalitions in this country. We’ve come a long way from seeing domestic abuse as something that is either justified or a private matter. We still have a long way to go. There is a need to reach out to rural areas, Native American populations, minority women, women with disabilities, incarcerated women and other women left out of the mainstream domestic violence movement. The movement at this time remains dedicated to educating the public, pressuring social systems to respond appropriately, improving services, and advocating. In addition the domestic violence movement must continue to attack prevailing attitudes that hold that violence against women is acceptable.
Efforts are being made to reach other sectors of society as well. Religious communities, health care providers, employers and co-workers as well as friends and family members are encouraged to reach out to abused women. In many cases, women are more comfortable talking to these people than to trained domestic violence advocates. It is clear we all have an essential role to play.
Domestic Violence continues to be a widespread problem. It must continue to be addressed and brought into public awareness. However, it is important to realize the strides that have been made regarding this serious problem.
The problem of domestic violence has always been deeply entrenched in social norms and social acceptance. For a long period of our history, physical force was seen as an appropriate way to discipline a wife. Of course, there were limits to how much force was appropriate. Consider the ‘rule of thumb’ law – giving a husband the right to beat his wife, so long as it was with a rod no thicker than his thumb.
The 1800’s saw some changes in laws regarding marital abuse – some of these were good, some were not. In 1874, the “finger switch” rule was disavowed by the North Carolina Supreme Court. However, the court held that as long as the injury isn’t too great, it is best to keep it behind closed doors. Maryland, in 1882 became the first state to pass a law that made wife beating a crime. However, in 1857 a Massachusetts court recognized marriage as an exemption from being charged with rape.
The early 1900’s saw the formation of family courts to deal specifically violence in the family. This, unfortunately, was more of a diversionary tactic – further pushing the problem of domestic violence from the court system. Domestic violence was seen as a private problem, not something to be talked about or dealt with publicly. At this time, theories in psychoanalysis hold that women actually derive pleasure from being beaten.
The ‘60s set the stage for a dramatic change in attitudes regarding women. The feminist movement grew out of the civil rights movement. Women who were abused began talking, coming out from behind the closed doors and bringing their situations out into the open. They found they were far from alone and groups began to form. By the early ‘70s women were breaking the silence. This early stage of the domestic violence movement was marked by conscious raising and group forming efforts.
The next stage, beginning in the mid ‘70s, saw the need for services and safe places for women and children to escape the abuse. Women’s shelters began springing up across the country. The women behind the movement began framing the problem of domestic violence as a crime, not a private, family matter. In addition to creating shelters and providing services, they started advocating for social change. Also, at this time, states began drafting legislation to provide funding for domestic violence services.
During the mid ‘80s the focus shifted to a demand for accountability on the part of social systems, such as the legal system. Advocacy became central to the movement. State coalitions were forming to pressure justice systems to be more responsive to the problem of domestic violence and to hold abusers accountable. Among their demands were stronger sentencing for convicted offenders, mandatory pro-arrest statutes in responses to domestic violence assaults, and better training for police and court personnel.
The late ‘80s and ‘90s brought public awareness campaigns on local, state and federal levels. Education played a large role and foundations and government agencies provided funding to research models of intervention. The pressure for systemic change that began in the ’80s spread to healthcare systems, welfare systems, mental health systems, housing systems and many others. In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act was passed, providing $1 billion in funding for shelters, the training of law enforcement personnel and judges and support for crime-prevention efforts regarding violence against women. When O.J. Simpson was tried for the murder of his wife in 1994, nationwide coverage once again brought focus to the issue of domestic violence.
Currently, there are 1,900 domestic violence programs and state domestic violence coalitions in this country. We’ve come a long way from seeing domestic abuse as something that is either justified or a private matter. We still have a long way to go. There is a need to reach out to rural areas, Native American populations, minority women, women with disabilities, incarcerated women and other women left out of the mainstream domestic violence movement. The movement at this time remains dedicated to educating the public, pressuring social systems to respond appropriately, improving services, and advocating. In addition the domestic violence movement must continue to attack prevailing attitudes that hold that violence against women is acceptable.
Efforts are being made to reach other sectors of society as well. Religious communities, health care providers, employers and co-workers as well as friends and family members are encouraged to reach out to abused women. In many cases, women are more comfortable talking to these people than to trained domestic violence advocates. It is clear we all have an essential role to play.
Domestic Violence continues to be a widespread problem. It must continue to be addressed and brought into public awareness. However, it is important to realize the strides that have been made regarding this serious problem.
References
Important Stages of the Battered Women’s Movement in the United States
http://www.dvmillennium.org/Story.htm
Herstory of Domestic Violence: A Timeline of the Battered Women’s Movement
Minnesota Center Against Domestic Violence
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/docutments/herstory/herstory.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-vioilence
No comments:
Post a Comment