Am I Being Physically Abused?
Another question that seems like it should be obvious, but sometimes it's not. My definition of physical abuse is simply any touch to your body that is not wanted. Now there are of course times when an unwanted touch might be necessary like when someone grabs your arm and pulls you out of the way of an oncoming train, but in normal everyday life any touch that you have not given permission to someone to give you is abuse.
Physical abuse includes but is not limited to:
Sadly the number of cases rises yearly. Hospitals are reporting more and more suspected abuse to the authorities. Arrests and convictions are being made. Awareness and education has helped but not nearly enough.
Oftentimes a woman is hit and the abuser immediately apologizes. She can see and feel how sorry he is and accepts the apology, hoping that their relationship can get back to what it was before the abuse. Sometimes it does, until the next time.
The sad fact is that once a woman is hit, she must believe that it will happen again. It doesn't stop. There is no magic that will happen to make it stop. Once he knows that he has the power to hit her, he uses it to control her, threatening her whenever things are not going his way, until finally it happens again, usually worse than the first time.
We are seeing more and more reports of women being killed by their intimate partners. This must stop. We need to control this before it gets anymore out of control and more women and children die at the hands of someone they love.
Love shouldn't hurt.
© 2007 Connie Roush All Rights Reserved.
Physical abuse includes but is not limited to:
- Pushing
- Slapping
- Kicking
- Punching
- Throwing objects
- Threatening or injuring with a weapon
- Restraining
- Physically preventing someone from leaving
- Choking
- Pulling hair
- Biting
- Scratching
- Locking in a room or out of the house
- Abandoning in a dangerous place
- Refusing to get necessary medical assistance
- Refusing to buy food or other necessary items
- Kicks or hits walls
- Destroying her property
- Abusing the children
- Abusing the pets
- Exposing her to reckless driving
Sadly the number of cases rises yearly. Hospitals are reporting more and more suspected abuse to the authorities. Arrests and convictions are being made. Awareness and education has helped but not nearly enough.
Oftentimes a woman is hit and the abuser immediately apologizes. She can see and feel how sorry he is and accepts the apology, hoping that their relationship can get back to what it was before the abuse. Sometimes it does, until the next time.
The sad fact is that once a woman is hit, she must believe that it will happen again. It doesn't stop. There is no magic that will happen to make it stop. Once he knows that he has the power to hit her, he uses it to control her, threatening her whenever things are not going his way, until finally it happens again, usually worse than the first time.
We are seeing more and more reports of women being killed by their intimate partners. This must stop. We need to control this before it gets anymore out of control and more women and children die at the hands of someone they love.
Love shouldn't hurt.
© 2007 Connie Roush All Rights Reserved.
Comments