Domestic Violence

     Domestic Violence is prevalent in a majority of people, whether they recognize it or not, which can be quite dangerous. Domestic violence or Intimate Partner violence is not just physical, which I didn't really realize, it could be verbal, or even financial. Obviously, some men experience domestic violence; however, consistently, 1 out of 4 women experience some level of domestic violence in their lives that ranges from mental abuse to serious physical abuse. As women try to break out of their old societal roles of being a caregiver and staying home, it can intimidate men. Is it insecurity? Does that make men uncomfortable? Whatever factor it may be doesn't ever make it a justifiable argument and something that should be done, especially with someone that you care about. 

    IPV, as mentioned before, is most likely occurring to a woman, and whether that leads to prosecution or not varies for a few reasons. One reason may be that someone doesn't want to see their partner get prosecuted and put in jail, and there aren't many other alternatives to this solution. It's a hard thing to swallow, but if you are in significant danger and need to reach law enforcement, things have gotten out of hand; whoever is doing this should face the law. Another reason that prosecution may occur is because of the classic "he said she said" debate. When the court doesn't have the ability to determine who is telling the truth and who is fabricating stories, it can become tough to come to a verdict without wrongful prosecution. Only about 2% of reported DV or IPV cases lead to a verdict and someone being prosecuted, which is a pretty low number, somewhat eye-opening. 

    On average, roughly 60% of all couples experience some sort of abuse in the relationship, which is huge. How do you fix that, or help others? The one challenge in this process is that people do not want to come across as nosy and get into other people's business, which is reasonable. It is hard to recognize when people are experiencing abuse because it's not just when someone becomes distant or closes out potentially. Some people just experience the "honeymoon phase," where they distance themselves without even knowing, because they just get wrapped up in a new relationship. The best way to help your friends is to be available and approachable as a friend. Do not close yourself off because if a friend in a relationship becomes distant, it may not be their choice.