What is Domestic Abuse?
Domestic Abuse refers to the victimization of an individual or individuals resulting from abuse, attacks, or assault undertaken by their respective partners within the realm of a romantic relationship or courtship.
Domestic abuse is somewhat of a broad definition, for it can include multiple acts, delivered in a variety of fashions; domestic abuse can be inflicted on the victimized party in a sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, psychological or economic nature. Regardless of the form; however, all acts of domestic abuse are debilitating and harmful to the sanctity of the relationship and to the health of the aggrieved party.
Although the typical notion attached to domestic abuse places the male in the aggressive role and the woman in the victimized role, acts of domestic abuse, in all fashions, can be administered between both genders.
Reporting Abuse:
The act of reporting abuse is crucial to limit the damages and side effects imposed by domestic violence situations. Reporting abuse simply means that the victim—or a loved one of the aggrieved party—notifies an organization aligned with Domestic Violence prevention to the ongoing turmoil present in a relationship.
Reporting abuse can also refer to the victimized parties reporting the acts of domestic violence to their local authorities or police department. This form of reporting abuse will formally include the police or law enforcement agencies into your particular domestic violence situation; by reporting abuse to the authorities, you will effectively initiate a prosecution of the aggressive party. This may result in the arrest or prosecution of the individual or the filing of a restraining order against the individual.
Regardless of the end result, reporting abuse is a fundamental necessity to mitigate the damages imposed by acts of domestic violence. Reporting abuse will allow the aggrieved party to seek aid, professional advice, and access to educational resources regarding domestic abuse. Additionally, reporting abuse will enable the individual to seek a legal remedy to their unfortunate situation.
Unfortunately acts of domestic violence are somewhat common throughout the world. That being said, the majority of domestic violence cases go unreported; the unwillingness to report a domestic violence case exists for a multitude of reasons, none of which are healthy or rational.
Reporting Abuse to the Domestic Violence Hotline:
The Domestic Violence Hotline is a national resource used to prevent acts of domestic violence. Furthermore, the Domestic Violence Hotline is one of the many places an individual can contact to report abuse; the hotline acts as the intermediary between the aggrieved party and coordinating law enforcement officers.
The Domestic Violence hotline can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.thehotline.org/ or via telephone at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233). The Domestic Violence Hotline offers an anonymous report feature, which enables a victim or a friend of victim to report an incident without giving their legal name.
Reporting Abuse Example:
In the event that you or a loved one has been made aware of an ongoing case of domestic abuse, or has been party to domestic abuse that has occurred in the past, you are encouraged to contact your local authorities or law enforcement department in order to report the details of the offense.
If you wish to report the actions in an anonymous fashion, you may contact the appropriate government department, such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline through their 24-hour telephone number: (800) 799-7233. Remember, no one deserves to be victimized by Domestic Violence; a multitude of resources and assistance exist to prevent these unfortunate acts.