The Evolution of the Battered Women’s Movement and New Laws Enacted since 1970
...dent. Most are the result of deliberate acts of violence. Husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends kill Thirty-four percent of the women homicide victims over age 15 (Schlesinger, 1990). Approximately two-thirds of reported domestic violence incidents are classified as "simple assaults," which are a misdemeanor rather than a felony. But up to 50 percent of these "simple assaults" result in physical injuries that are as, or more, serious than 90 percent of all rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults (Mills, 2003) Several factors contribute to make violence prevention very difficult: inadaquate reporting of family crime, access to services, and efficiency of police intervention. Inadaquate reporting of crime comes from many areas associated with battered women. Police may give her the impression that her pleas are trivial, or somehow due to her own actions, then she may avoid calling for help. This reinforces isolation and low self esteem. “Blaming the victim is a form of social control. If the commission of a crime is responded to by blaming the victim, then we know that that particular behavior is not a crime, really; it’s a form of social control. It’s a way of letting the members of a certain category of people know they have stepped out of line.”( Low reporting of abuse may also be due to fear of letting her community know about private family problems. Many women in upper economic social levels may feel that they have more to lose by admitting abuse such as committee appointments, relationships with other women in her social circle, or embarrassment for her children. Financial difficulties keep some women silent in abusive marriages. It is a long way from help For Rural Residents who face violence in their home. Women who live in areas of small population numbers generally do not have access to shelters or prevention programs. Those who work with battered women in rural Minnesota say it's difficult for many women in rural settings to escape the abuse simply because of the isolation. With no one watching, it's easier for a spouse to establish control and keep it. “Stories of men ripping out telephones, checking phone records, pulling batteries from cars or intimidating a spouse by threatening to harm relatives or livestock are common. One man in southern Alabama locked the doors and windows of his farmhouse from the outside to keep his wife from leaving.” ( Websdale, 98) Efficiency of Police Intervention: In Rural Areas, even if a woman can make a call for help, sheriff's deputies are often many miles away. UCR Data is limited in small police departments generally, but according to statistics from the 1995-2004 UCR Data From Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Rural Policing of domestic violence has shown a continual rise of disturbances reported, but few arrests were made. Advances in UCR Data gathering will someday help keep track of crime in all areas of the United States, and serve as a check and balance system for law enforcement annually. All calls to sheriff, police, and private security requesting help to stop the abuse should be responded to, no matter how trivial it seems. Nichole Simpson called repeatedly reporting abuse, but her calls were not always followed up on. Imposing stricter penalties on domestic abusers is a start in the fight against domestic abuse. When calls are taken and men or women are arrested, if the charge is a form of domestic abuse, many believe the penalties should be more severe. Prevention of this problem has become a major public health priority, and a problem for the whole United States, and it’s creating a diminishing effect upon our country, it demands solutions. According to research by advocates throughout the history of the womens movement, there are key areas to help women become more empowered to leave abusive relationships: Helping to achieve universal health care coverage, at least for children, so that she isn’t forced to stay with her abuser because they will all lose their health insurance. Advocating for housing, so that her only choices aren’t staying with her abuser or disappearing into the homeless population. (A New York study estimates that 20% to 40% of the homeless there are battered women and their children.) Reaching economic parity in the workplace, so she is not so economically dependent on her abuser that she dare not leave. This would include such fields as nursing and medical technology. (Sattler, 2000) Solutions: LEGISLATION . In 1994, the National Organization for Women, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, and other organizations finally secured passage of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides a recordbreaking $1.8 billion to address issues of violence against women. (CVSR, 1994) Throughout the South there has been many changes in the legal/prevention system since this Act. In Oklahoma there are statutes providing for protective orders for: “Any victim of domestic abuse, a victim of stalking, a victim of harassment, a victim of rape, any adult or emancipated minor household member on behalf of any other family or household member who is a minor or incompetent, or any minor age sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years may seek relief under the provisions of the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act.” Throughout the South there has been many changes in the legal/prevention system since this Act. I chose Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky The South Carolina Attorney General's S.T.O.P Violence Against Women Program was established in 1996; some project highlights include: · 300 summary court judges have been trained on domestic violence; prior to VAWA there was no judicial training. · 79 cases have been opened for prosecution since June of 1998; prior to VAWA domestic violence prosecutions were rare. · The first domestic violence and stalking protocols were implemented by judges, law enforcement and prosecutors. · There was a 174% increase in victims served (321 victims in 1999). Kentucky Justice Cabinet Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program · The Kentucky Domestic Violence Association has crafted an informational pamphlet Full Faith and Credit of a Protective Order. · During the past year 1,000 law enforcement officers, attorneys, advocates, judges and private attorneys have received training on full faith and credit. · Each month 30 foreign orders are presented to officers in northern Kentucky for enforcement. · Project staff have assisted over 150 victims in dealing with special problems of enforcing their orders of protection and provided technical assistance to over 100 law enforcement officers and court officials to enf...