Ending Domestic Violence
Domestic violence has existed in our country since the beginning of time. It is only in recent history that we have started to acknowledge that it is a widespread problem and start to get victims the help they need. In fact, 1 in 4 women experience intimate partner violence. Our culture has started to realize that we need to break the cycle of domestic violence. In a relationship where there is domestic violence, it is better to break the societal expectation to stay in a marriage/partnership and end the relationship.
An obvious reason a woman would stay in an abusive relationship is because of the mental and physical outcome. In a recent national bestseller, It Ends With Us, the author Colleen Hoover addresses some of the mental and physical issues of domestic violence. The main character, Lily, who has dealt with domestic violence says, “no physical pain could ever compare to what my heart is feeling in this moment”. This captures the impact abuse can not only have on one physically but also mentally. There are many social repercussions that can occur due to abuse, but one of the most impactful issues is suicide and mental illness.
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According to Project Opal, a domestic violence advocacy group, “Up to 99% of domestic violence victims experience economic abuse during an abusive relationship, and finances are often cited as the biggest barrier to leaving an abusive relationship.” This is another level of worry that many victims have to deal with. Many people are trying to get the help they need, as evidenced by the 20,000 phone calls placed a day to domestic violence hotlines. Although many people have the strength to reach out for help, leaving is a much different story. Colleen Hoover also addresses this problem by depicting the financial struggle her mother would have dealt with had she