Self Defense for Women NOW! » domestic violence

4 NJ Assemblywomen Propose 5 Bills to Curb Domestic Violence

Liza Cooper — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:28:51 +0000

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that 1.3 million women experience physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

This statistic disturbed four New Jersey assemblywomen who banded together to create a package of bills designed to lower that number according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Among their proposals are provisions to impose greater penalties on perpetrators, a pilot program to increase monitoring of convicted offenders, and creating a self-defense justification for domestic violence victims. One effect would be to make evidence surrounding a restraining order admissible in court to help determine whether the use of force for self protection was justified.

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Philadelphia Police Address Sharp Rise in Domestic Violence

Liza Cooper — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:58:20 +0000

Domestic violence murder is up in Philadelphia, just as it is in the rest of the nation. The rise is counter to the overall drop in Philly homicides. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Police Department is formulating a new directive and it will include steps such as requiring each police district to keep a database on domestic calls. The information will be provided to the responding officers.

Up until now, officers would respond to a domestic violence call and not know if it was a first time occurrence or if the household had an ongoing history of domestic violence or a restraining order was in force.

The hope is that by arming responding officers with this background they will calibrate their responses accordingly.

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Consider Giving a Helping Hand to Your Local Shelter This Holiday Season

Liza Cooper — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:37:27 +0000

Monica Yant Kinney asks us to remember domestic violence survivors when considering our holiday giving.

To escape domestic violence can mean leaving your life behind. Often women flee to a shelter with little more than the clothes on their backs. According to Stephanie Price of Women Against Abuse, a shelter in the metro Philadelphia area, women have called her after being beaten and injured–even after locking themselves in a bathroom as the batterer tries to break down the door.

That means, after having shed their possessions to save their lives, they don’t have money to buy basics we take for granted. At holiday time, the women are unable to buy their children gifts for Christmas something that is very difficult for many.

The recession has only increased the pressure on shelters–the numbers of women seeking help has increased while funding has fallen. In Philadelphia, homicides related to domestic violence for the months of January through November number 36 compared to 21 for the same period last year.

Shelters look for monetary donations, gift-cards, especially for groceries and big-box retailers, and some look for in-kind donations.

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Violence against Women – Fighting as a Way to End the Cycle of Abuse

Liza Cooper — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:51:59 +0000

Fighting back can actually stop the cycle of abuse that often propagates itself. Maybe if more girls and women learned to defend themselves physically by harming their attackers instead of walking away or crying then maybe they could begin to turn the tide of abuse from themselves and women in general. Maybe if boys and men knew that they could be seriously hurt if they lifted their hands or opened their pants against the opposite sex, their abuse could be stopped.

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Domestic Violence – Strong Forces Keep People in Abusive Relationships

Liza Cooper — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:48:58 +0000

Strong emotional and social forces can keep even a very abusive relationship going for a long, long time. It can also be emotionally more difficult to decide that you need to take strong action to protect yourself, but knowing your attacker does not change your right to protect yourself.

If you see yourself trapped in an abusive relationship and you want to get out, help is available. Two online sources for advice that I highly recommend can be had at womenslaw.org the National Council Against Domestic Violence.

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Domestic Violence – How to Tell If You are in an Abusive Relationship

Liza Cooper — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:01:17 +0000

Sometimes, when you are being abused by someone you love, it is hard to see it for what it is. If you suspect there may be abuse in your relationship, look for these tell-tale signs:

Track all of your time?
Constantly accuse you of being unfaithful?
Discourage your relationships with family and friends?
Prevent you from working or attending school?
Criticize you for little things?
Anger easily when drinking or on drugs?
Control all finances and force you to account for what you spend?
Humiliate you in front of others?
Destroy your personal property or sentimental items?
Hit punch, slap, kick, or bite you or your children?
Threaten to hurt you or your children?
Use or threaten to use a weapon against you?
Force you to have sex against your will?

If you find yourself saying yes to several of these questions, you are in an abusive relationship.

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So Why Do Women Stay in Abusive Relationships – It’s Because They’re Afraid, Stupid.

Liza Cooper — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:52:00 +0000

The signs of domestic violence are easy to see, but for many women, they are easier to ignore. The main reason women stay in relationships where they are being abused can be attributed to low self-esteem and economics, but also, the fear of leaving makes them stay. They are afraid that if they leave the relationship, they will be hurt worse than if they stay.

If you are in this boat, it is important to realize that you don’t have to endure this abuse. In fact, staying in the relationship can be morally and mentally devastating to not only you, but your children and family members as well. WomenLaw.org has excellent tips to help you leave safely.

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Domestic Abuse Statistics

Liza Cooper — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:52:31 +0000

The statistics on domestic violence are staggering and disturbing. Estimates range from 960,000 to as many as three million women who are abused by a current or former spouse or boyfriend in the course of a year. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.

On average, every day in this country, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner.

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Domestic Violence

Liza Cooper — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:38:08 +0000

Domestic violence is probably the most prevalent crime against women. Being in an abusive relationship is not only tragic for you and your children, but it could also be deadly. Domestic violence is the number one crime against women and resisting your attacker, even if you have loving feelings for him, can mean the difference between life and death.

If you think you may be in an abusive situation or an abusive relationship there are resources to help. An excellent one is The National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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Gun-Control Fanatic was a Victim of Domestic Violence

Liza Cooper — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:28:45 +0000

Domestic violence is usually kept in secrecy–the batterer wants to maintain control over his victim and his victim is either threatened, intimidated, or made to feel guilt or shame. But from time-to-time, a case hits the headlines. And when it does you can learn how domestic violence works and get suggestions about action to take.

In this case, Meleanie Hain, a Lebanon, PA woman was shot to death by her husband, who later took his own life. She had made the national news a year ago when she insisted on her right to carry her Glock handgun with her to her daughter’s soccer game.

Many people took her to be a pro-gun fanatic, but in retrospect it is easier to see that her swagger was a disguised call for help.

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