As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we are seeking to bring much needed awareness to abuse and partner violence in the home, we must also bring attention to the smallest victims of domestic violence. It is estimated that more than 3.3 million children are exposed to physical and verbal spousal abuse each year. Exposure to domestic violence is widespread internationally and it is associated with other forms of child maltreatment, according to UNICEF’s World Report on Violence Against Children. Unborn and infant children are also impacted by domestic violence when violence occurs during pregnancy, as noted in a 2005 multi-country study on domestic violence against women by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study found that 11% to 44% of women who had ever been abused and pregnant reported being assaulted during pregnancy.
Domestic violence creates an environment of constant fear for children at home. Children who witness domestic violence are affected in ways similar to that of children who are directly abused. Children who witness abuse often show the secondary signs of abuse by exhibiting self-destructive behavior, such as cutting skin with razors and other self-injurious acts, social isolation, development of interpersonal problems, physical aggression, and delinquency at a higher rate when compared to others. Often when there is physical and/or verbal abuse in the home children themselves are victimized by this abuse. The harmful effects of verbal abuse cannot be ignored- words once spoken cannot be erased. The main effect of verbal abuse on children is delayed development. You may see a slowdown in their physical, social, emotional, and academic development. Your children may face problems making friends, may fall behind in school, career, etc. Verbal abuse causes long-term harm to children. It may make the children become self destructive and depressed later in life, abuse to themselves, develop anxiety, etc. Additionally, children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent, and thus are at greater risk for abuse and neglect if they live in a violent home.
Domestic violence often leads to displacement, according to a study of domestic violence shelters and services in the United States. Nhe National Network to End Domestic Violence found that in a single day in 2008, 16,458 children were living in a domestic violence shelter or transitional housing facility, while an additional 6,430 children sought services at a non-residential program (Domestic Violence Counts 2008: A 24-hour Census of Domestic Violence Shelters and Services).
Due to the correlation between domestic violence and child maltreatment, neglect and abuse, as well as the potential impact that exposure to violence in general can have on children, it is crucial that not only awareness and prevention be increased, but that the laws regarding child abuse and child custody do not blame or victimize the abused parent or further traumatize the children.
