The family is an institution that is considered the safest and most secure recluse for people. However, when it comes to any kind of violence or crimes related to family, the cases are not worked upon with precision, and they aren’t broken down as other criminal cases because of the term ‘family.’ The family becomes a more private, yet complex institution that has its right to privacy and decision making with regards to rules and regulations that need to be followed. For instance, some parents might beat their children or treat them harshly because it is their understanding of disciplining their children. Whereas on one hand this might be referred to as an unsafe, criminal act by one set of people, another might not wish to interfere because it is the family’s personal matter. Apart from serious cases of homicide, child abuse and domestic and family violence, there are rare cases in which any other kind of violence or crime committed in a family can be reported and worked on. (Unicef, 2016). Just as children can be beaten up for disciplining, a husband has right to access his wife sexually, and children and women can be beaten if they are troublesome and disrupting the family’s peace. These are allowances made by the jurisdiction and this hamper a complete understanding of family under criminal law. (Bartol and Bartol, 2014).
The cycle of violence in relationships is the pattern that is observed in violence in a domestic environment. There are three main phases which repeat time and again and they take the shape of the cycle of violence. These include tension building, explosion, and honeymoon phase. The tension building includes the small acts of violence, physical and emotional abuse. The victim, in this case, tries their best to avoid the situation and evade from it, but they cannot do so for long. Also, this phase appears to be the longest phase. Following this is the explosion that is full-blown violence-physical, emotional, sexual, verbal and even financial. (Unicef, 2016).
After this phase, the abuser will go into the honeymoon phase which includes the apologies, promises and gifts and flowers that they would give to the abused in order to make it up to them. This phase is short lived, and it resumes to the initial phase, which was tension building. The violence cycle is being fueled by denial, where the abuser and the abused deny the act or consider it as something normal or passive in the relationship. Moreover, it is also denial on the part of the society that thinks that the relationship between a family is personal, and it does not need to be publicized. (Micah Projects, 2016).
The psychological impacts of domestic violence on children are well-known and inevitable after they are subjected to domestic violence of any kind. Be it physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and assault, child missing or child neglect- all of them leave psychological effects on children. Domestic violence at times leaves irreparable scars that damage the child at a very fragile age. Many children who are beaten or molested by close family and relatives tend to become withdrawn and seclude themselves from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. At other times, when the child is neglected and left alone to cater for his own needs he might become excessively aggressive and tense and might resort to breaking things, throwing tantrums, disobeying commands by family and doing everything reckless in order to gain their attention. Children who are poly-victimized are liable to suffering more from mental disorders and problems like anxiety, depression, nervousness and lack of concentration on anything in life. (Bartol and Bartol, 2014). These can trigger other problems such as drug addiction, alcoholism and even eating disorders. Other psychological problems include problems in speech, learning at school, and they can also have an inferiority complex. (Unicef, 2016).
References
Bartol, R. Curt, Bartol, M. Anne. (2014). “Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach.”
Pearson. 246-288. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781269551373/cfi/0!/4/2/2@0:50.0
Micah Projects. (2016). “The cycle of violence.” Retrieved from
http://www.bdvs.org.au/resource_files/bdvas/IR_5_Cycle-of-violence-factsheet.pdf
Unicef. (2016). “Behind closed doors: The impact of domestic violence on children.” Retrieved
