Domestic Violence is an Epidemic
Most of us think, “That could never happen to me. That only happens to people who don’t have money or aren’t educated.” That is not the case. Domestic violence is not prejudice. It sees no color, it sees no class, and it could happen to the smartest person in the world.
The other common thought is “it’s not abuse cause I don’t get hit.” That is also not the case. Domestic Violence also comes in many forms, physical, verbal or emotional, financial, and sexual. It doesn’t have to be a fist to be abuse.
It’s a Chain, Chain, Chain
One of the things that people don’t get is that domestic violence is a chain. It passes down from generation to generation. When a child grows up seeing a parent hurt, talked down to, humiliated or manipulated they will copy our behaviors. Domestic violence is not genetic. It is learned and it can manifest in many different ways.
A child might become submissive or obedient towards the opposite sex because that’s what they saw a parent do. Or on the flip side they might become the perpetrator and copy the abusive side of what they saw.
Not in the Mood Tonight…
Sexual abuse in marriage or live in relationship can be very difficult to live with. It is also a generational thing. Back when my grandma was alive it was “expected” of her to satisfy her husband. If there was a divorce, it must have been the woman’s fault because she didn’t satisfy her husband.
I was in at a seminar a while back for domestic violence and after talking about rape and generational “responsibility to the man”. One of the women pulled me aside and said, “I just realized that my ex-husband used to rape me. I didn’t know.” She said that after she had had her kids, she went through a time where she didn’t want to have sex. He apparently was a very abusive alcoholic and she would tell him that she didn’t want to have sex and he would beg till she did. She said it was easier to just do it so he would shut up and pass out.
This is a very typical story for many women even today.
