Women across the United States are being tortured mentally and physically, with no escape route. Why is this happening? Abusive relationships.
All over the country, women are being targeted by the partners they believe they love and are being loved by, causing the problem of abusive relationships to become more and more common. In order for abused women throughout the United States to feel safe enough to escape their abusive situations, government officials must provide more funding to small shelter owners, so they can advertise their hospitality to a wider variety of people.
Many government officials would argue that women seeking help to escape abusive situations are seeking attention, and relationships are personal problems that can easily be fixed without the law getting involved. However, if they believe the effects of abuse are not real, they will never be able to provide care to the women running from their toxic relationships. Denial from these high authority government officials can not only make the opportunities for seeking help harder to reach, but may also cause more women to believe what they are going through is their fault, and they are deserving of the pain they are receiving. People must be aware of the fact domestic abuse has victimized 38 million women across America, reports Psychology Today.
Thankfully, some women who managed to escape their relationships are now openly fighting against domestic abuse. According to Katherine, a woman who wasted years of her life too afraid to run from her abusive partner, leaving is the hardest part, as she was trapped in a world of pain making her feel unable to leave until the abuse was directed to her children. Victims of abuse are essentially brainwashed to believe the person hurting them is not in the wrong. Instead of seeing what is happening to them, something as simple as saying “sorry” can make the victim feel in love again and again. Victims of abuse don’t see that no matter how much they love “him” they can’t make “him” better no matter how hard they try. But they stay because to them, leaving seems so much scarier.
To make matters worse, in some cases leaving isn’t the end to the pain. Many victims will live with depression and never truly feel safe for years after the abuse stops. “Victims experience diminished self-worth, anxiety, depression, and a general sense of helplessness that can take time and often professional help to overcome.” Abuse is a far deeper problem then what can be seen at the surface. Not only does it cause horrible pain physically, but also mentally. Victims of abuse are living in fear from the dangers of being beaten, but also they feel they are not good enough, helpless, and even that they are deserving of the treatment they receive.
Additionally, women in abusive situations are lost and typically go through a stage where they think they are deserving of the treatment they receive. “Please know: It is real. You are not crazy. You are not alone. I believe you,” says Jennifer Willoughby, a women who also experienced abuse, and is looking to help other women get through it.
Abusers completely destroy any confidence women might have in order to gain control. That in itself is disgusting. Victims feel ashamed and trapped with no way out, so they stay. If only more women knew this is a common issue and there are shelters to help them, then they might gain enough courage to leave.
Research shows every minute, about 20 people are the victims of physical abuse by an intimate partner in the United States.
Abusive relationships are difficult to understand because of the complications that come with it. Most people don’t understand how powerful fear can be, and that leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time for a victim of abuse. With nowhere safe to go, victims are forced to continue suffering in their abusive relationships. With more funding, comes more accessible shelters. Our country must help to make the fear of leaving an abusive relationship become more bearable.
If government officials don’t establish domestic abuse as a priority as soon as possible, women in abusive relationships may never be able to overcome the fear of leaving, and could live in pain until they die. In order to help these women see they can escape, shelter owners must openly advertise their ability to help so they can reach a larger population of women. Without the effort to reach more women, there may never be an end to abusive relationships, and your children, siblings, or friends could be a victim to it.
Clarkston Junior High 8th grade Honors ELA students wrote columns focused on increasing activism. The top six were submitted to The Clarkston News.