Domestic Violence, with a special focus on Human Trafficking

3. Fear. These women are often concerned for their ownsafety and the safety of their children, particularly if theyleave the relationship. When a batterer tells the victim thathe is going to kill her, she and others helping her must takethis threat seriously. A woman is at greatest risk of violenceat the time that she decides to leave her batterer. She is fivetimes more likely to be killed after separation or afterdivorce than when she was still in the relationship. Thechance of being murdered increases significantly if jealousyis a problem <strong>with</strong> the abuser.In terms of human trafficking, similar reasons: fear, economicfactors and acceptance of the situation, may keep a traffickingvictim enslaved. In addition, she may be so poor that she mayfeel compelled to stay and work to feed her family in her homecountry, or a woman forced into sex trafficking may feeltremendous shame and be unable to return to her family whobelieved she had legitimate work in the United States. Thesesevere economic and work-related factors are prevalent inhuman trafficking cases, as opposed to domestic violencesituations. Battered immigrant women and human traffickingvictims also share a host of reasons why they might stay in anabusive relationship, including isolation, inability to speakEnglish, lack of community or family support, distrust ofgovernment and law enforcement, and a lack of awareness oftheir rights and the resources available to help them.Abusive BehaviorsAbusers have different ways of expressing their abuse.However, to those who care for victims of domestic abuse,there appears to be a repetitive pattern. Abusive behaviors arenoted in Appendix E.Non-Violent AlternativesThere are methods for dealing <strong>with</strong> problems in a relationshipthat do not involve abuse. For the most part, this involvesconfronting the specific problems that are present in a givenrelationship. It is important to note that “couples counseling”or other joint interventions rarely work to stop violence, and inmany instances can increase the danger to the victim and herchildren. This is because a perpetrator may retaliate against avictim for her honesty in sessions or may continue tointimidate her so she cannot speak openly in session. Theequality wheel depicts qualities of non-violent relationships.(See Appendix F: Equality Wheel.)<strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> and Its Potential Effecton ChildrenThe effects of domestic violence on children can bedevastating. The physician should be alerted to look fordomestic violence when certain problems occur <strong>with</strong> youngchildren and children through their teens.The Use of <strong>Violence</strong> in the FamilyPower and ControlAn abuser primarily uses domestic violence or the threat ofviolence as a means of maintaining power, control anddomination over his partner. It is also true that domesticviolence usually becomes more severe over time. Abuse will notspontaneously go away. It often begins <strong>with</strong> verbal abuseincluding remarks intended to belittle the victim or make herlose confidence in her actions. It then progresses from badlanguage and shouting to physical and sexual violence. Aperpetrator may be physically abusive only once, but thememory of that violence and the threat to use violence againmay be all that is necessary to keep the victim compliant andfearful. Perpetrators are often obsessively or morbidly jealousand will limit the ability of the woman to contact friends, familyor others in the public, where she might seek help. (SeeAppendix C) Power and Control Wheel. This abuse can alsoinclude financial abuse before and after a divorce when theabuser <strong>with</strong>holds funds from the victim. Even after a divorcewhen the court requires the abuser to make certain payments tothe victim on a timely basis, the abuser can still attempt tocontrol a woman by not making payments on time. This canhave serious consequences when her rent or other bills are dueand she does not have funds to make her payments.www.fmaonline.orgChild abuse and domestic violence frequently existsimultaneously. The most obvious and potentially dangerousrisk for children who live in a home in which there is domesticviolence is that they become direct victims of abuse. In 30 to60 percent of families affected by intimate partner violence,children are also physically abused. [33]<strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> : In Dating Relationshipsand after DivorceAbuse and tendencies to control often become evident in adating relationship. They are frequently overlooked becausethe victim “loves” her abuser and unrealistically believes orhopes that he will change once they are married and havechildren. A perpetrator’s controlling behavior continuesthroughout the relationship. Even after divorce, many mencontinue to control the lives of their ex-spouses throughlitigation, child custody/visitation manipulation, or throughthird parties. A perpetrator also can continue to exert controlover his ex-spouse by delaying court-ordered payments (childsupport and/or alimony). This will often result in latepayments and large fees and penalties being assessed againsther, ultimately damaging her credit rating. A woman willrespond differently to direct questions about violence in herrelationship depending upon her present stage of response tothe abuse. Therefore, even after divorce, it is still important tocontinue to ask about her safety and about the safety of herchildren during follow up visits.<strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> in Florida: <strong>special</strong> <strong>focus</strong> on human trafficking15