Understanding Domestic Violence in Your Home
Posted on Jan 24, 2013 4:21pm PST
Perhaps you and your spouse were married years ago, and at the time you deemed them to be kind and loving individuals. Years of life have now been spent together, and a whole new side has been revealed that you never knew existed; violence. Sadly, domestic violence in the home is not an unheard of occurrence these days, with many woman and children, and even men being abused by their spouses in a way that is harmful both emotionally and physically. In most circumstances, domestic violence is violence directed from one spouse to another, though in some cases it does include the children as well.
Domestic violence means that a family member feels as though in some way their life is at risk from a form of abuse. While many may feel as though domestic abuse is only physical, it can also include emotional, verbal and sexual abuse as well. If you feel in any way that your spouse may be committing acts of domestic violence, you may want to consider filing for a divorce in order to protect yourself and perhaps your family also. As stated, domestic violence comes in a variety of packages. This includes physical abuse and battering, neglect, forceful sexual encounters, and sadly even murder. Even in the event that a spouse is choosing to abuse their partner, it often involves taking advantage of them, and often times instilling a sense of fear so that they will not move forward and report their actions or run away. This betrayal of trust often leads to broken victims with severe injuries, and in some cases if they are unable to leave; death.
Unfortunately when it comes to proving domestic violence, things can become tricky which is why hiring a family attorney with experience in this specific area is absolutely essential to protect your rights. There are two concerns that can often arise during the process of charging a person of domestic violence. One of these difficulties that prosecutors often come across is that there are many wives especially who are very worried about losing their consistent income from their husbands. In some cases, there will be multiple times of abuse and the wife will not report the abuse, in some cases until it is too late. Because of this, there are numerous cases that go unreported for a long time.
Another common concern that authorities and prosecutors come across with domestic violence cases is when a spouse reports the abuse and then they do not want to testify against them in court about the abuse. This can be a barrier for proving the spouses abuse if the victim does not wish to speak up. When it comes to domestic violence, if you are a victim of smaller abuse or you fear for your life, you want to consider stepping forward and getting away. Apart of this process with involve both your family, such as filing for a divorce, and potentially criminal charges as well for their actions.
If you are feeling as though your safety is in jeopardy, consider contacting a skilled and experience family and divorce attorney in your area. They can walk you through the process of filing necessary restraining orders against your abusive spouse as well as the divorce process to legally end your union to them. If your life is at stake, every moment is precious. Contact a local attorney immediately to begin the process, and seek to protect yourself and your family. If there is ever a moment where you fear your life is in danger, contact the local authorities immediately, and do not wait until it is too late.