Living The Nightmare... Again
Posted: Tuesday, February 01, 2011
by Linda LaVoire
This is a work of fiction.
She’s lying on the kitchen floor. The tears have mingled with the blood. Her mind is swirling in a dozen directions. He’s right, she’s so stupid! SO STUPID! It would have been so simple to ask him what he wanted for supper. She just wanted to surprise him with a nice roast….
Oh no! The blood is everywhere! She needs to clean it up. If he sees it, he’ll just be angry again. She tries to rise to get a cloth but realizes her right foot is broken… again. She needs to wrap it. She limps and hops to the bathroom. She sees her reflection in the mirror. It’s really bad this time. Her eye is swollen and the bruising has already begun. She has a large cut above her eye. Her lip is busted and swollen. There are bruises all over her body. She has a large blister on her abdomen where the juices from the hot roast hit her when he threw it at her.
He’ll be home soon. She needs to be ready. She needs to apologize. She feels dizzy as she hears his car pull into the garage. She stands at the kitchen door and waits. He comes in, sees her pitiful condition and begins to cry. They look like real tears. He says he’s sorry… he won’t do it again! He promises! She knows he means it… again. He’s meant it every time… for 20 years.
Suddenly, her mind and vision clears. She’s standing at the window of her new home, watching the children across the street play on their lawn. She’s so grateful for her new life! She’s so grateful for her new husband… the love of her life. He’s so kind and gentle. He knows about her past… about her ex-husband. He’s lived with the nightmares, the cold sweats, the tears for seemingly no reason. He sees her standing at the window and comes to her. He puts his strong, gentle arms around her… again.
As stated at the very beginning, the above was a work of fiction. Domestic abuse is a horrifying epidemic in our country. It is estimated that some 5 million people will suffer some sort of domestic violence this year alone. Although women are the largest victim category for domestic abuse it is not exclusively women. Below are some statistics about domestic abuse.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. ("Violence Against Women, A Majority Staff Report," Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 102nd Congress, October 1992, p.3.)
There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. There are 3,800 animal shelters. (Schneider, 1990).
Three to four million women in the United States are beaten in their homes each year by their husbands, ex-husbands, or male lovers. ("Women and Violence," Hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, August 29 and December 11, 1990, Senate Hearing 101-939, pt. 1, p. 12.)
One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States. (Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991).
One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. (Tjaden, Patricia & Thoennes, Nancy. National Institute of Justice and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Extent, Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey,” 2000; Sara Glazer, "Violence, Against Women" CO Researcher, Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Volume 3, Number 8, February, 1993, p. 171; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence, July 2000; The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman’s Lifespan: 1998 Survey of Women’s Health, 1999).
In 1992, the American Medical Association reported that as many as 1 in 3 women will be assaulted by a domestic partner in her lifetime -- 4 million in any given year. ("When Violence Hits Home." Time. June 4, 1994).
An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. (Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centers for Injury Prevention and Control. Atlanta, GA.)
85% of domestic violence victims are women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003)
Police report that between 40% and 60% of the calls they receive, especially on the night shift, are domestic violence disputes. (Carrillo, Roxann "Violence Against Women: An Obstacle to Development," Human Development Report, 1990)
Police are more likely to respond within 5 minutes if an offender is a stranger than if an offender is known to a female victim. (Ronet Bachman, Ph.D. "Violence Against Women: A National Crime Victimization Survey Report." U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice and Statistics. January 1994, p. 9.)
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)That is some kind of statistics here. I can tell at least in my country at that at least every 15 to 20 minutes, that may be more, actually at least every 5 to 10 minutes a woman is getting sexually harassed during the daytime in some corner of my country.Hi DM. Yes the statistics are frightening. Thank you for reading and commenting. Linda
I didn't know there was so much abuse in this country, thanks for sharing this information LindaThank you for commenting David. Yes and the thing that really bothers me is that all the information is from the 1990's. You know that the numbers have risen since then. :-(
Dynamite - I suspect you got your writing talents from your Dad! Keep them coming.Thank you Marijo! I'd like to think I got some of my daddy's writing talent. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this and thanks for commenting. LindaYou are SO welcome - I can't believe how prolific and relevant your Dad is - and brave....GRIN
This brought tears to my eyes. I can't begin to imagine, but your words painted a very clear picture. All I can say is get involved in a way that is safe for everyone, extend a hand to those in need. Try to be aware of the signs. Sometimes the people you would least expect are suffering in silence. Well done Linda!Thank you Brianna! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it and if everyone will take heed to your words here, then maybe we can begin to make a difference. Linda
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