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“One in three women may suffer from abuse and violence in her lifetime. This is an appalling human rights violation, yet it remains one of the invisible and under-recognized pandemics of our time.”  Violence against women is an appalling human rights violation. But it is not inevitable. We can put a stop to this.”
– Nicole Kidman

Hi,

My name is Jenn and I am a college student studying Sociology and Nursing. This semester I am taking a  special topics sociology course "Family, Violence and Society." In this course we have been exploring the issue of domestic violence and how it affects not only the victim but everyone around the victim.

As part of our learning we were assigned to read Lundy Bancroft's book, "Why Does He Do That," which is where many of the ideas on this blog originated. Bancroft is a leading expert in the field of domestic violence and as such his book is based on numerous accounts of real cases. For the class we had to review three chapters: Chapter 4; The Types of Abusive Men, Chapter 5; How Abuse Begins, Chapter  8; Abusive Men and Addiction, and Chapter 9; The Abusive Man and Breaking Up.

Why I chose each chapter:

Chapter 4: The Types of Abusive Men; I chose chapter four because I believe that in order for a victim to escape his or her relationship, they must first understand just what they are dealing with.

Chapter 5: How Abuse Begins; This chapter is chock full of warning signs to recognize an abuser before he has the chance to begin abusing.

Chapter 8: The Abusive Man and Addiction; I picked this chapter because I grew up in an addicted household. While I am not sure that my father was ever physically abusive, I can say that the effects that his addiction had on my life were definitely emotionally damaging.

Chapter 9: The Abusive Man and Breaking Up; I picked this chapter for the advice it gives in leaving a partner and doing so safely.

As you can see, I chose four chapters. This is because I wanted this blog to feel comprehensive and also because I have a special interest in addiction. There will also be a section on emerging issues in domestic violence, a crossword search of various terms used in this blog and their definitions, and a list of resources I hope that you can find helpful.