In a perfect world, family members uplift each other as much as possible, encourage children to chase after their dreams, and all the while create a space for everyone to find comfort and solidarity in one another. And while a few slip-ups and trips are expected to happen, this model family isn’t held back by the select few situations when they’re at their lowest but are defined by the love and care felt for each other no matter the challenge.
Sadly, no family is as perfect as the one mentioned above. Even though we want to assume that most conclude with love and compassion regardless of the circumstances, domestic violence and abuse cases are not uncommon. To raise awareness and promote informed actions in combating this issue, we will be going over what causes domestic violence and how parents and responsible caregivers can prevent any further development.
What Circumstances Probe and Cause Domestic Abuse?
To put things into context and support a better understanding of how domestic abuse first starts, we must identify what circumstances tend to probe and cause these negative thought processes and ideas to take place. And although perpetrators come from various backgrounds, walks of life, and experiences, most cases often boil down to deep-rooted emotional problems left ignored and relationship difficulties and issues without due resolution.
- Deep-rooted Emotional Problems: Stress is dangerous, but when it’s left untreated and forced to fester, it not only does cause disastrous heart problems but leads to emotional and psychological baggage. When these issues are carried with them all the way to adulthood, they take the form of anger management problems, inability to handle conflict, and resorting to substance abuse. As a result, all it takes is for one inconvenience to escalate a situation into physical harm.
- Relationship Difficulties and Issues: Besides deep-rooted emotional problems, even issues in a relationship can cause volatile partnerships to descend into physicality and violence. Often, poor communication skills and the lack of acceptance for each other’s shortcomings create tension and resentment borne from misunderstanding, thus causing a domino effect of an increasingly dangerous conflict. And while perpetrators will backpedal and regret their actions, the fault still primarily belongs to the abuser.
Actionable Steps in Protecting You and Your Children
When physical harm and abuse occur, only so much can be done to protect you and your children from the threat directly in front of you. However, a proactive approach to dealing with the risk of domestic abuse is more than possible, and there are actionable steps you can take right now to ensure your family’s safety. Specifically, it is imperative to build a support system of family and friends, mark safe spaces inside your home, create a hotline for contacting police authority, and seek immediate legal protection after the fact.
- Building a System of Support: Unconditional love and understanding for your partner and significant other can often cloud your judgment, so when they show obvious red flags, it might go undetected. Therefore, building a support system with close friends and family is essential because you shouldn’t only confide in your spouse but also with others you can equally trust.
- Marking Safe Spaces in Your Home: Whether your home is jampacked with furniture or features extra rooms, you should always mark safe spaces whenever possible. And that’s because all it takes to stop a forceful physical attack is the installation of a deadbolt lock which is pretty affordable. Plus, the protection offered by that same lock can save your children from post-traumatic stress symptoms.
- Getting in Touch With Police Authority: When violence is happening as we speak, the body’s natural response includes freezing or being too flustered to get anything done correctly. And while that’s not your fault, it could be the one thing compromising you and your children’s safety. Thus, take this opportunity to create an immediate hotline on your mobile device for police calls because the sooner they arrive, the sooner you’ll be safe.
- Seeking Immediate Legal Protection: Even after surviving domestic violence and abuse, there’s still life after such a scary experience. And since shaking off that fear and dread isn’t as simple as taking a day off, you should seek immediate legal protection. Just like how professional lawyers can inform you about how bank levies work, they can also create the necessary legal response to assure your future safety.
Preventing Patterns of Abusive Behavior
Abusive behavior doesn’t just pop out of nowhere, and if you’re quick to notice the patterns and signs, you can immediately avoid any serious confrontation and rely on professional help. However, since prevention is more advisable than cure, making due preparations if the risk exists is always preferred.
