(no subject)
Passed on with the permission of mepss_abuse (the original author)
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"Do Not Ignore Abuse"
Americans can become more aware of the many forms of abuse and keep their eyes opened for the many signs.There are various forms of abuse: physical, mental, psychological,emotional, spiritual, and sexual. Many Americans are affected by it. In turn, our entire society is affected by it whether we recognize it or not.
In 2003, about 2.9 million children were reportedly victims of some sort of child abuse or neglect. This is way too many.That numbers sickens me. Almost 80% of the time, the abuse was caused by a parent; Even sicker number.
Children are not the only victims though. The numbers for adults are just as startling.Nationally: "Every 9 seconds in the United States a woman is assaulted and beaten. 4,000,000 women a year are assaulted by their partners. Up to 64% of hospitalized female psychiatric patients have histories of being physically abused as adults. Family violence kills as many women every 5 years as the total number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War." (1)
Although they may seem like the majority, woman and children are not the only ones. More and more men are subjected to domestic abuse and violence as well. The stats reported a very, very low. Why such a huge difference? Men are least likely to report being abused. Often when they do go to report it, they are not believed, or they are belittled.
Another form of abuse growing in number is elder abuse. At least 5% of all elderly persons will experience some form of abuse. Many people try to take advantage and neglect elderly persons because it is not always easy for then to defend themselves' or understand what's going on.
So, what can our community DO to help prevent such tragedies from occurring all around us, day to day?
Action-Plan Outline:
1. Know the warning signs. Most signs are subtle and abuse victims are pros at hiding the abuse because of feelings of shame or guilt usually.
2. Get to know our neighbors, co-workers, and peers. Many abuse victims are ashamed as it is. It is not easy for them to open up to other or get help. Many times the abuser isolates them from their family and friends. If someone feels like they might be able to trust you, they might open up to you.
3. Let someone know. If you suspect someone might be abused, let someone who can provide the proper help know. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, encourage the victim to call an abuse hotline to get information, help and guidance.
This link describes each type of abuse and has a check-list of signs to identify each of them. As you scroll down it will give you a checklist help you recognize signs in others. It goes on to describe how it starts and how society inadvertently encourages abuse. At the bottom are links to other helpful resources.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm
Sources:
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm03/summary.htm
http://safestate.org/index.cfm?navID=11
Quote:
(1) http://www.letswrap.com/dvinfo/stats.htm (this link has many straight-forward facts about woman and abuse.)
--------------------------------
"Do Not Ignore Abuse"
Americans can become more aware of the many forms of abuse and keep their eyes opened for the many signs.There are various forms of abuse: physical, mental, psychological,emotional, spiritual, and sexual. Many Americans are affected by it. In turn, our entire society is affected by it whether we recognize it or not.
In 2003, about 2.9 million children were reportedly victims of some sort of child abuse or neglect. This is way too many.That numbers sickens me. Almost 80% of the time, the abuse was caused by a parent; Even sicker number.
Children are not the only victims though. The numbers for adults are just as startling.Nationally: "Every 9 seconds in the United States a woman is assaulted and beaten. 4,000,000 women a year are assaulted by their partners. Up to 64% of hospitalized female psychiatric patients have histories of being physically abused as adults. Family violence kills as many women every 5 years as the total number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War." (1)
Although they may seem like the majority, woman and children are not the only ones. More and more men are subjected to domestic abuse and violence as well. The stats reported a very, very low. Why such a huge difference? Men are least likely to report being abused. Often when they do go to report it, they are not believed, or they are belittled.
Another form of abuse growing in number is elder abuse. At least 5% of all elderly persons will experience some form of abuse. Many people try to take advantage and neglect elderly persons because it is not always easy for then to defend themselves' or understand what's going on.
So, what can our community DO to help prevent such tragedies from occurring all around us, day to day?
Action-Plan Outline:
1. Know the warning signs. Most signs are subtle and abuse victims are pros at hiding the abuse because of feelings of shame or guilt usually.
2. Get to know our neighbors, co-workers, and peers. Many abuse victims are ashamed as it is. It is not easy for them to open up to other or get help. Many times the abuser isolates them from their family and friends. If someone feels like they might be able to trust you, they might open up to you.
3. Let someone know. If you suspect someone might be abused, let someone who can provide the proper help know. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, encourage the victim to call an abuse hotline to get information, help and guidance.
This link describes each type of abuse and has a check-list of signs to identify each of them. As you scroll down it will give you a checklist help you recognize signs in others. It goes on to describe how it starts and how society inadvertently encourages abuse. At the bottom are links to other helpful resources.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm
Sources:
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm03/summary.htm
http://safestate.org/index.cfm?navID=11
Quote:
(1) http://www.letswrap.com/dvinfo/stats.htm (this link has many straight-forward facts about woman and abuse.)