Domestic Violence, with a special focus on Human Trafficking

Characteristicsof domesticviolenceE vi dence of Dome st ic<strong>Violence</strong> in F lori da’sMedical PracticesA woman who is abused suffersemotionally, psychologically, physically andfinancially, which can result in physicaland mental illness and injury. However,most women who are victims of domesticviolence continue to go unrecognized bythe medical profession.Up to 90 percent of battered women do not inform theirphysician of their problem and until recently, few physiciansroutinely asked patients direct questions about abuse in arelationship. This is inconsistent <strong>with</strong> the physician’sresponsibility to provide comprehensive care.Many physicians feel they do not have to be concerned becausethey believe that they do not see victims of domestic violence intheir practices. However, the prevalence of domestic violenceseen in a practice is determined by how many patients are seenand how often the physician asks about the problem. In fact,“the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ) estimates that 2 percent to 4 percent of all womenseen in hospital emergency departments have acute traumaassociated <strong>with</strong> domestic violence and another 10 percent to 12percent of women have a recent history of domestic violence.” [22]The AHRQ further notes that even though most domesticviolence injuries are classified as “superficial,” they estimatethat 73,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths among womenare attributed to domestic violence each year [22] In other words,the percentages of women who are there because of acute orimmediate trauma on account of domestic violence is relativelysmall; however, a much larger percentage of women seekingemergency care have recent histories of domestic violence butare not there because of an immediate domestic violence relatedinjury. For example, a domestic violence victim seekingemergency care due to a stroke is there for treatment of thatcondition, even though she is also a victim of domestic violencewhose health and ability to access care were directly related toabuse. This study also raises the question about whetherdomestic violence is being evaluated correctly as domesticviolence-related injuries are classified as “superficial” eventhough serious injury, and sometimes death, result.Characteristics of <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> VictimsVictims of domestic violence are found in every socioeconomiclevel of society and in all educational, racial, ethnic and agegroups. Every survivor is different and the patient you areseeing may not always exhibit these characteristics, althoughthese are the most common.Victims:• Are often fearful of their partners• Are often not allowed access to family, friends, or othersupport networks• Often experience reduced autonomy and/or when theyexercise autonomy, there are negative or abusiveconsequences• Often feel guilty or wonder if they are to blame for theirpartner’s violence• May experience problems sleeping, chronic pain, GIdisorders, nervousness, depression, or signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)10 <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> in Florida: <strong>special</strong> <strong>focus</strong> on human trafficking www.fmaonline.org