Domestic Violence

Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or harm the other. Other terms have included "wife beating", "wife battering", "man beating", "husband battering", "relationship violence", "domestic abuse", "spousal abuse", and "family violence" with some legal jurisdictions having specific definitions.

Recent attention to domestic violence began in the women's movement as concern about wives being beaten by their husbands, and has remained a major focus of modern feminism, particularly in terms of "violence against women".

Popular emphasis has tended to be on women as the victims of domestic violence although with the rise of the men's movement, and particularly men's rights, there is now some advocacy for men as victims, although the statistics concerning the number of male victims given by them are strongly contested by many groups active in research on or working in the field of domestic violence and "violence against men".

Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, and classes can be perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is perpetrated by, and on, both men and women, and occurs in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

...More at Wikipedia

Related Links:

• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline

Recent Hope Cube Blog Entries For Domestic Violence

• Unreasonable People Sat, September 27, 2008 - [view]
  I asked my mother to make me a promise today. It ended with my step-father threatening me. Before I eleborate, you have to know, I have some things at someone's house that I used to stay with (because of the abuse at home, no less). It's been a year since I lived there and my things are still there. I ask my mother repeatedly to give me a ride there so I can get my things. Today I find out she's going to be in the area that I need to go and ask her to take me along so I can get my things. She says no and says that she'll do it tomorrow. I don't trust her to keep her word, she is a dishonest person. So I ask her to promise on God's name that she'll keep her promise. Normally I would just ask her to make a normal promise, but she's broken all of t...
• Guns Sat, June 21, 2008 - [view]
  I'd write a more elaborate post but I'm afraid I lack the motivation.  I'm really not feeling safe in my own home. I'm threatened for voicing my opinions, for things I say in private conversations and for trying to feed myself. My mother and step-father have actually begun to steal food from me. Mind you, I eat one meal a day, if that and am losing weight against my will.I want to get this information out there. Even if nobody reads what I have to say, I still want it out there. There are guns in this house. Several, in fact. While the rifles don't bother me, the pistols make me feel nervous. They belong to my step-father. He's a really scary person. We don't talk to each other but he's a violent person. I can just tell. He acts just like my fat...