As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, these weeks are an opportunity to mourn with those who have suffered tremendously, celebrate the lives of survivors, and reaffirm our goal of eradicating violence against the vulnerable in our society. Domestic violence is a weed in the beautiful garden made by the almighty. It does not fit in this world where humans were meant to co-exist peacefully. Moreover, those who choose to opt for violence, instead of resolving matters calmly, need to understand the consequences of this crime. Not only can this scar the victim for a lifetime, but it can also negatively affect the reputation of the accused, which may require him to appear in court, hire a criminal defense lawyer (who can be found by looking up keywords like phoenix criminal attorney on the Web), etc. All of this can make daily life difficult for both the victim and the accused, which is why it is a prudent idea for people who might be heading toward mental breakdown and may soon become perpetrators of domestic violence to seek therapy and resolve their problems in order to regain mental peace and sanity.
Honestly, domestic violence survivors have gone through, and still go through some tough and terrible times with the memories of what happened to them, so when they are able to get out and speak to the best domestic violence lawyer in Harrisburg or a lawyer in whichever location they are based in, they want to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Unfortunately, some abusers will try and make out like they are the victim so they can inflict more suffering, but these survivors are strong and want justice, so it is important to keep fighting for that. While LifeWay Network focuses on the survivors of human trafficking, these two issues intersect frequently and it’s important to understand these connections.
Power and Control
Human trafficking and domestic violence rely on a totally skewed power dynamic: the trafficker or the abuser will use tactics that are designed to keep the other (usually female) person submissive. Traffickers will sometimes have the same intimate relationships with their victims that abusers do and both will use methods ranging from emotional manipulation to physical violence in order to keep them in line. Because traffickers and abusers will use the language of love in conjunction with these threats, manipulation, and violence, survivors can have difficulty leaving these relationships even if they are physically able to do so. The Power and Control Wheel developed by Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs demonstrates the different ways a trafficker or abuser maintains his or her power (click to enlarge). It’s not so simple as just walking out the door: these tactics can keep a survivor in a violent and/or exploitive relationship that she has been taught to perceive as intimate.
Vulnerability
Survivors of both domestic violence and human trafficking do not fit one particular demographic, but they are often in vulnerable circumstances. Leaving an abuser or a trafficker is an enormous challenge because the survivor has been manipulated into thinking she or he is isolated with no one to turn to and no resources to fall back on. Most of these victims are also in the dark, unaware that they can speak to the police, or that they can seek protection from the family court by contacting a lawyer at Eatons or elsewhere. Moreover, resources can be difficult to find and the fears associated with leaving (stigma, shame, etc.) can feel insurmountable. Human trafficking and domestic violence are double tragedies in that they involve both harmful physical circumstances and deeply damaging emotional consequences. The victims aren’t aware of the help they can seek in many instances. One can approach an injury attorney las vegas (or elsewhere) when cases of road accidents or workplace negligence occur. However, domestic violence is a complicated situation, and many avoid taking the legal route, even though it is the right thing to do.
Public Ignorance
The insidiousness of human trafficking and domestic violence is such that, to the untrained eye, they can often escape detection. Unless you have been taught to recognize the signs, it can be easy to not give a second thought to the tattoo that says “Daddy’s Little Girl” (sometimes a marker of someone who is being trafficked) or to someone’s inexplicable bruises and injuries. A critical component of our mission at LifeWay Network is educating the public and people in specific sectors (hospitals, hotels, etc.) to recognize those very signs and connect survivors with the resources they need.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is crucial because it sheds light on an issue that is often buried. As we continue our fight against human trafficking, this is something we at LifeWay Network can get behind.
To learn more about Domestic Violence Awareness Month, click here.
To schedule an educational session for a group that cares about ending this kind of violence, click here.