Domestic violence isn t what we thought we would be carrying as a societal problem into the new Millennium. In fact, its an ancient problem that mere mention of it today as an ongoing crisis should really make our society embarrassed and oppressive. Only with the past decade is our society beginning to realize that we ve overlooked the stringency of domestic violence. All along we ve been viewing domestic violence as merely a moral and ethical dilemma, not an obligation. We ve convinced ourselves that it was a private family matter and not a criminal act. We have told ourselves that some women deserve it, or that they provoked it to happen. We excuse ourselves from the problem, into an uncomfortable but yet acceptable, part of our culture and convinced ourselves it was okay to look the other way.

So while we were looking the other way, here s what has developed. Domestic violence is now one of the leading causes of death among women. Not heart disease, not breast cancer, nor accidental injury but the beating, scarring, terrorizing and often murder. Women in this country are more likely to be victimized by assault, battery, rape, or homicide. Occurring more than likely by an ex or current male partner than all other assailants combined (Campbell, JC). Ten women will die of this crime every day, and every 15 seconds; the men in their lives will beat another women (Campbell JC). The reality is that women are six times more likely than men to be battered (J Am Med Women s Assoc.). In 90 percent of domestic assaults the man in the relationship is the perpetrator (Campbell JC). We use to see this problem as only belonging to families on the lowest of the socioeconomic ladder. But as examples such as Nicole Brown Simpson demonstrated, domestic abuse occurs across all economic, religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

One of the highest misconceptions and frustration we hold about victims is why do women stay? Why don t they just walk out? There are many critical reasons for this. Battered women live in pure fear. They spend their days consumed in a life where they are not allowed to make decisions for themselves, earn their own money or turn the doorknob to leave the house when they desire. They live a life without rights or choices. Most battered women, as worn down as their spirits and mental capacities become, know to leave their environment invites even greater risk. In fact, women who do leave are 75 percent more likely of being killed by their batterer than the victims that stay (Kub J.). Nicole Simpson couldn t overcome these odds. Nicole left Simpson and then came back. She had finally left him again when she was murdered.

Whether the battered women stays or leaves, we know the potential for harm extends beyond the victim. Each year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence and are at a higher risk of being abused themselves (Burgess). Children of these environments suffer not only dysfunctional childhoods but also an increased risk of delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse in the teenage years (Waller). Whether abused themselves or not, children who witness this kind of violence can, and many times do, grow up to continue the cycle of abuse in their own homes. The most tragic element of these children s lives as well as the lives of the battered women is the silence that suffocates them. We seem to view and judge domestic abuse as a family s dirty little secret.

It s almost unconscionable how passive and ignorant we ve been about crimes of domestic abuse. But on the other hand we are also aggressively taking steps to right this wrong. The implications of domestic violence are forcing the medical community to address a whole new set of issues, from how to increase accurate diagnoses of abuse, how to counsel victims, and how to report injuries for criminal records. How we handle physical evidence and patient records may substantiate and support these women who chose to report or confront their batterer. The ability to identify and counsel these victims early on may help save the lives of many innocent women and children. Each year, more than one million women seek out medical assistance for injuries caused by domestic violence (Ager). But physicians correctly identify only small portions, four percent, of these injuries. It is difficult to imagine what happens to the other 96 percent that are incorrectly looked over.

Women with a history of domestic abuse are three times more likely to be injured during pregnancy than non-battered women (J Am Med Women s Assoc.). What s more alarming, is that women are more likely to deliver low birth weight babies. They present with varying complications, such as fetal fracture, premature labor, rupture of the uterus and placenta. They re more likely to be undernourished and suffer from drug and alcohol induced complications. It s estimated that as much as 25 percent of women seeking prenatal care may be victims of battering. In pregnancy, battered women are twice as likely as non-battered women to delay the start of prenatal care until the third trimester, when certain consequences of the abuse can no longer be reversed (Burgess).

It wasn t until the late 1980 s that increased public awareness focused on the facts that domestic violence in the home are a criminal matter, not a family secret. This fueled changes in local and state laws and successful prosecution of the offenders. Under these revised laws, officers no longer are restricted to mediating a violent situation. With the burden of pressing charges being lifted for the victim, who is often reluctant to proceed against a violent mate, the numbers of arrests and prosecutions has significantly increased. Nevertheless, police officers still met victim resistance to arresting their abusive partners. However, even though the statistics reflect that the number of arrests for domestic violence has increased, the number of repeated offenses has yet to (statistically) decrease.

When we think of domestic abuse. Let the image of CNN panning in on crime scene photos of Nicole Simpson come to mind. Let us think that these women aren t just mere strangers. These women could be your mother, daughter, or sister. Domestic violence is not just a physical act. It is an act that falls into several categories, intimidation, threats, and economic depravation, sexual and emotional abuse. A bruise may last a few days, but the emotional scars are forever etched into the minds of the innocent women and children. Let us think of them when we think to keep a family s dirty little secret .