Domestic Violence Act Papers

Domestic Violence Act
The start of America was a roller coaster of victories and oppression, but because of these adversities, the people have been able to be lifted that much higher. One of the Acts passed in early America was the Domestic Violence Act. This Act alone contributed to the prioritization of women and helped introduce many ideas to the public. Not only did the Domestic Violence Act stop the legal battery of wives and young women, but also it jump-started many other acts focusing on aiding abused women. The great effects of this act on America continue to be looked at today. Although the job is not fully done in stopping the abuse of women, many laws continue to be passed in their favor. The Domestic Violence Act has positively

Historical/Background Information on the Domestic Violence Act
Domestic Violence was not an issue that formed overnight, it lurked in the background in people’s daily lives. Abuse and mistreatment started coming into the spotlight of America in the 60s. It was seen as normal for a husband to batter their housewives and take out any aggression in abusive ways. Domestic Violence is defined as the action of a partner in a relationship abusing the other to gain power. (2021: Domestic Violence, para. 1). From another article analyzing this fact, “Family violence became an issue with the influence of the Women's Liberation Movement in the 1960s and 1970s. As the years progressed, domestic violence in American society began to be seen as a violent criminal act” (April, 2002: “Changing Attitudes

Many things were not given to women in certain time periods, and even today small injustices are overlooked. Part of these things include the expectations of childbaring. As stated in a journal entry, “Women were encouraged to marry as a way of ensuring economic security. Childbearing was considered a duty of the marriage contract” (August 25, 2013: Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating the 19th Amendment’s Impact on Reproductive Health and Rights, para. 4). Not only had the husbands been permitted to abuse women in the dark 1960s, they could have rights to the children. This usually kept the wives from running away or leaving these bad situations. Young women had mainly been wanted and/or married for the fact of continuing a family line. The fact of this drastically takes away some humanity from the womans’ image. Women should be free to love and start a family in their own time, rather than being looked at as a means to continue a generational line. After years of advocacy, high court officials started to look into these reports of domestic violence. An instance was shown in an article as follows, “[from the collective effort of the battered women's movement] law enforcement agencies, sexual assault advocates, the courts, and attorneys who urged Congress to create legislation that protects women from intimate partner violence” (March 1, 2014: The Role of Violence Against Women Act