Domestic Violence: Health Consequences, Determinants, and Policy

This report provides a detailed analysis of domestic violence as a significant public health issue. It begins by defining domestic violence, differentiating between physical and mental abuse, and identifying the populations most affected, particularly women in countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The report explores the severe health consequences, including physical injuries, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and impacts on sexual and reproductive health. It also delves into the social determinants of domestic violence, such as societal norms, education levels, and economic factors, arguing that these factors contribute to the prevalence of abuse. The report then proposes a policy to address the issue, emphasizing the importance of early disclosure and a supportive environment. Finally, it identifies potential stakeholders and suggests ways to mitigate the negative health impacts, concluding with the importance of comprehensive interventions to combat domestic violence effectively.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Description of the health issue:..................................................................................................3
Identifying a particular population that is affected by this health issue:....................................3
Effect of health problem on the identified population:..............................................................4
Identify and discuss the social determinants of the health problem for the population
identified:...................................................................................................................................6
Describe a policy that addresses the health issue:......................................................................7
Identify potential stakeholders:..................................................................................................7
The way to address social determinants:....................................................................................8
Ways to reduce the risk of this negative health impacts:...........................................................8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................11

Introduction:
The aim of the study is to identify various kinds of health issues caused by conjugal violence
in the different communities around the world's different countries. Domestic violence is one
of the major troubles of society in the different parts of the world. These kinds of problems
give rise to various unsocial and criminal activities. Overall, it hampers the basic peace and
prosperity of the communities that are facing a particular problem. The study has a
description of the problem that is caused by the lower mentality of the communities and the
people living within that. In addition to this, identification and discussion about the
population that is affected by domestic violence. The severe effect of domestic violence and
the social determinants of the health problem for the populace are also discussed in the study.
A description of a policy that addresses the health issue and ways to reduce the risk of
negative impact on the chosen population is also discussed in the study.
Description of the health issue:
Domestic violence is a problem that does not include not only physical violence but also
mental violence. Domestic violence can be defined as the behaviour that is done to gain
power, attention, and control over a spouse, daughter-in-law, partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, or
any other close family member. This can be termed as abuse, which is a learned behaviour,
which is exaggerated with the due course of time, or sometimes it may be enhanced by the
consumption of various kinds of drugs as well as alcohol. The violence can be of two types
that are mental as well as physical that is done to the victims, which may result in serious
health issues due to the acts of beatings, threatening's, etc. sometimes the incidents become
that much serious that it leads to the death of the victims.
The person who performs the acts of domestic violence never bothers about the feelings and
sufferings of the victims, and this gives birth to criminal acts. Abuses can be of different
types like sexual, emotional, isolation, verbal abuse, and economic abuse that lead to the
harm for the life expectancy and individual health. Among the above-mentioned types of
abuse, physical and emotional violence leads to serious issues to the health of the people who
are victimized (Are et al. 2019).

Identifying a particular population that is affected by this health problem:
The victims of the marital violence are seen maximum in the women population of the
different countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, etc. Women population of the
countries face these types of abuses after they migrate to their in-law's house. Women
population are considered as the inferior community in the society in these countries where
they are forced to live and lead theirs according to the wish of their family, society or the
community (Mills, Hill& Johnson, 2018).
The women population are entirely dominated by the male population of the society in these.
It is evident from different types of sources that women suffer the consequence of men’s
violence that is the reason of male empowerment that makes the incidents of domestic
violence happens in the lives of the women population. Domestic violence also has a
different dimension, which causes restriction to the activities and freedom of the women in
the society of these countries (Iratzoqui & McCutcheon, 2018). There are different type
evidences of physical abuses in the case of women in society. As a result, the women
population of these countries are crippled to some extent in this society as they cannot enjoy
their freedom and their miserable conditions are caused by their own family members or
nearer and dearer ones. In some of the cases female of relatively lower age, face various
kinds of violent acts caused by their nearer and dearer ones.
In addition to this, there are some evidences where male are also becoming victims of
physical abuse that is a part of domestic violence. These acts are done by the spouses,
brothers, etc. that may be the reason their poor physical and mental health (Alves, Manita,
Caldas, Fernández-Martinez, Gomes da Silva& Magalhães, 2019).
On the contrary, the acts of domestic violence’s are not only confined to the women
population but also the old individuals of the family. Their children do this when they grow
old, and they treat their parents as an unwanted thing in the family and compel them to leave
their house in their old age.
Effect of a health problem on the identified population:
Effects of domestic violence may be long lasting, profound, and varied. Survivors may need
assistances after many years of the acts of domestic violence. It has a wide range of negative
consequences that leads to the death of the victims. As per the representation of the various
sources about the victims of familial violence, it is evident that the rates are showing the

women population as the predominant victim. As per the data gave by the Australian Institute
of Criminology (AIC), it is clear that in between 2008 to 2010, 89 women were killed due to
the arrogance of their former and present partners. In percentage, it was represented that 73%
of total close collaborate homicide death toll, which represents that there is nearly one
woman died in each week (Dvpc.org.au. 2019).
In addition to this, domestic and family violence also has serious effects on the physical and
mental health and the financial system of the victims, which is a powerful factor that
contributes to the occurrences of the serious issues like homelessness. The women victims of
the domestic violence have a greater risk of building a wide range of health issues like
depression, stress, anxiety, phobias and somatic, pain syndromes and other medical
symptoms like infertility, etc. As per the research of Vic health, it is evident that domestic
violence has been the leading cause of the death, illness, and disability in the Victorian
women in a certain age group that is 15-44years. This accounts for more diseases like high-
blood pressure, obesity, etc. Along with this, the survivors of the acts of domestic violence’s
with physical injuries have faced a lot of chronic pain, brain injury, and traumatic brain injury
(Dvpc.org.au. 2019).
On the other hand, domestic and family violence can have the negative impact of the
woman's sexual and reproductive health as the acts of sexual violence may result in
infections, fertility problems, unwanted problems caused by pregnancy and even miscarriage
(Flood, 2019).
In connection to this, the impacts of family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities are very intensive and may continue after many years of the violence caused.
The survivors of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face many problems, as
they do not have access to the culturally appropriate services and supports as they had already
experienced a significant amount of socio-economic disadvantage because of their indigenous
status (Child Mind Institute. 2019).
Another significant impact of domestic violence is homelessness. Women and children have
a strong tendency to escape homes due to irresistible torture due to the acts of familial
violence. As a result, they may face significant disruptions from their society that leads to
psychological and emotional trauma. In the case of the children, they may face disruption in
their schooling and friendships. Finally, this condition will lead them to the isolation that is
also a significant pressure in the minds of the victims. In some of the cases, it may lead to

attempting of suicides by the women victims of suicides as the situations become from worse
to worst. Over all, it can be said the effects of domestic violence, can be severe to the victims
(Ellsberg, Arango, Morton, Gennari, Kiplesund, Contreras& Watts, 2015).
Identify and argue the social determinants of the health trouble for the population
recognized:
Domestic violence is the global phenomenon that cuts across all social and economic classes,
and it is evident that mortality and morbidity can be prevented as per the medical field. The
domestic violence against women in different countries is well-recognized and precise risk
factors that can be affected by policies and programs that are not properly understood. As per
the survey that was conducted in Bangladesh villages among the married women of the
country, it is evident that the social and financial situation may influence vulnerabilities to
violence in marriage. In other words, it can be said that the married women are the most
ordinary victims of the conjugal violence as their spouses, mother in laws, fathers-in-law as
well as sisters-in-law or any other members of her marital house torture the women. This may
result in the severe exploitation of the woman population by their nearest relatives (Brassiolo,
2016).
The most predominant cases of domestic violence are among the women that influence the
social and economic condition of the country widely. The women of the rural or lower
education level of the communities of the countries mostly become the victims of the
domestic violence. Due to the inability of understanding of the people of society regarding
the equal rights as well as the need of freedom of the women population, gives birth to the
incidents of domestic violence (Sullivan, Goodman, Virden, Strom& Ramirez, 2018).
In addition to this, it can be said that the incidents of domestic violence are mostly
experienced in the women of rural areas rather than the urban areas. Low education level
gives birth to low mentality among the people of the society that results in treating the
women badly. In addition to this, different kinds of addictions are also one of the reasons for
the occurrence of the incidents of domestic violence. In other words, the husbands who
regularly drink alcohol tend to treat their wives badly (Carmody, 2018).
Whereas the level of education higher than secondary has been proved as the protective
buffer against the domestic violence, but still the lower mentality of a fewer segment of the
communities in the society has made the issue of domestic violence prevalent in the society.

The social condition of the countries across the world has caused the domestic violence
prevalent in society. In addition to this, it can be said that in some of the countries it is
prevalent that girls are frequently married at a relatively lower age that leads to the
occurrences of the incidents of the domestic violence as their husband's think of the
establishment of the control over their wives. Early marriages of the girls lead traumatic
situations as they are made to work in the households and on the failure of that, it leads to
physical and mental abuse among the wives. Therefore, it can be concluded that thinking’s of
the communities in society leads to the prevalence of the acts of domestic violence in the
different countries of the world. Moreover, the responsible government of the countries has
taken many initiatives to suppress acts of domestic violence (Triantafyllou, Wang, & North,
2019).
Describe a policy that addresses the health issue:
In order to address to the domestic violence, the early disclosure about the abuse should be
encouraged by the listener and the governmental authorities. In order to create a receptive and
creative environment, the government as well as the responsible citizens of the country
should undertake proper actions to combat the situation that will save the women of the
society from being victimized. This will be an effective step towards to improvement of the
condition of the women in the society and make them safe from the acts of domestic violence
(Corvo, 2019).
Identify potential stakeholders:
The potential stakeholders of the domestic violence are the perpetrators, the survivors and the
other community-based services. The perpetrators of the domestic violence do not care about
the well-beings of the victims, and they commit the act of assaults that leads to the physical
as well as the mental trauma. The perpetrators may be the persons who are very closely
related with the victim in the relation, and sometimes it happens that they do not understand
the feelings of the victim and interfere in the ways of freedom of the victims (Kalokhe, Del
Rio, Dunkle, Stephenson, Metheny, Paranjape& Sahay, 2017).
In addition to this, the type of assault or violence changes with the different types of
demographics. In other words, it can be said the essence of the level of tortures vary from
place to place. As the stakeholders of the domestic violence commit the crime as per their
mentality, thus in case of the educated perpetrators, the variety of the tortures comes down,

and they are afraid of the laws and regulations against the acts of domestic violence. On the
other hands, the perpetrators who belong to the rural areas have lack of education, and they
are not properly aware of the laws and regulations of the country against domestic violence
(Anderberg, Rainer, Wadsworth& Wilson, 2015).
The way to address social determinants:
The main determinant of domestic violence is gender inequality. Elaborately, the rise of the
acts of domestic violence is prevalent towards the women population of the society as the
women are considered as the weaker section of the society, who are easily, tortured. The
women population of the society face many unfavourable incidents, due to the lack of proper
mentality of the people in the society as well as in their homes that sometimes leads to their
deaths (Guttmacher Institute. 2019).
Ways to decrease the risk of these unconstructive health impacts:
The acts of domestic violence are not at all acceptable to the society as these causes a lot of
harm to the victims as well as the family members of the victims. In some of the cases, the
victims, as well as the perpetrators, face many issues related to the mental dissatisfaction. On
the other hand, acts of domestic violence are an unethical act that leads to inhuman activities.
The situation becomes worse for the survivors of domestic violence as it takes a lot of time
for them to recover. To combat the risks and consequences caused by the acts of domestic
violence some ways can be undertaken by the government as well as the different
communities that may result in providing a better lifestyle to the victims and by following
this, no one can become the victim (Showalter, 2016).
Knowing the signs:
It is for sure that domestic violence can take place any time and to anyone, and it does not
have any classification, and it can happen anytime. For example, if somebody is intentionally
damaging someone's personal property, this can be an act of domestic violence, which can be
resultant in the growth of unfair activities. The stakeholder of the violence may show the act
as the normal way, but the thing is very much worse. The determination of the sign of the
violence will be helpful in undertaking prior action to prevent the act of violence.
Not to ignore:

To reduce the acts of domestic violence, proper care must be taken on the first accountability
of the signs of the violence. In the wider case, if the acts of domestic violence are noted, then
the people who suspect the prevalence of the domestic violence and they have to inform the
police to save the life of the targeted person (Jewkes, Flood& Lang, 2015).
Being patient to listen:
If a person, who has practised the acts of domestic violence, approaches a person and shares
all her experiences, then the listener has to be patient, listen to the whole matter, and
afterward assist the victim to approach the law of court for seeking justice. This will be
resultant in the lifesaving situation of the victim and help her to get proper justice
(DomesticShelters.org. 2019).
Being available:
In order to reduce the acts of the domestic violence proper care must be taken on the first
accountability of the signs of the violence. In the wider case, if the acts of domestic violence
are noted, then the people who suspect the prevalence of the domestic violence and they have
to inform the police to save the life of the targeted person (Allard, Norman, Thorp, S. Browne
& Stein, 2018).
Giving out of own money by the protestors:
In order to help and reduce the acts of domestic violence, the protestors need to give out their
own money to take proper actions against the acts to domestic violence. This will be an
effective step, and in addition to this, the protestors may ask for monetary assistance from the
governmental authorities to take proper actions to resolve the issues at the societal level
(Heise, 2018).
Conclusion:
It is evident from the study that domestic violence is one of the major issues that is prevalent
in the world. The victims of domestic violence face a lot of problems and life-threatening
situations. Sometimes, it leads to the death of the victims or makes them so much traumatized
that it becomes harder for them to survive normally. To reduce the acts of the domestic
violence, proper actions must be taken on the first accountability of the signs of the violence.
In the wider case, if the acts of domestic violence are noted, then the people who suspect the

prevalence of the domestic violence and they have to inform the police to save the life of the
targeted person.

References:
Allard, C. B., Norman, S. B., Thorp, S. R., Browne, K. C., & Stein, M. B. (2018). Mid-
treatment reduction in trauma-related guilt predicts PTSD and functioning following
cognitive trauma therapy for survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of
interpersonal violence, 33(23), 3610-3629.
Alves, M. J. V., Manita, C., Caldas, I. M., Fernández-Martinez, E., Gomes da Silva, A., &
Magalhães, T. (2019). Evolution and analysis of cultural and cognitive factors related
with domestic violence against women. Journal of interpersonal violence, 34(3), 621-
641.
Anderberg, D., Rainer, H., Wadsworth, J., & Wilson, T. (2015). Unemployment and
domestic violence: Theory and evidence. The Economic Journal, 126(597), 1947-
1979.
Are, W., Do, W., Principles, G., Directors, B., Plans, A., Partners, P., Violence?, W.,
Now!, G., Violence, A., Statistics, F., Survivors, I., Misconceptions, S., Abused, H.,
Relationship, T., Violence?, W., Now!, G., Violence, A., Violence, T., Survivors, I.,
Misconceptions, D., Children, E., Planning, S., Relationship, H., Relationship, T., Do,
W., Training, E., Assistance, T., Standards, A., Helpline, S., Advocacy, P., Action, T.,
Member, B., Event, A., Involved, G., Engagement, C., Up, S., Southwest, Y.,
Training, E., Action, E., Calendar, T., Training, R., Overview, T., Now, G., Form, N.,
Sponsorship, T., Gallery, T., Training, E., Materials, T., Gallery, V., Resources, P.,
Brochures, I., Resources, L., English, I., Español, E., Reports, S., Justice, E., Project,
B., Reports, F., Library, S., Opportunities, C. and Map, S. (2019). What is domestic
violence? |. [online] Acesdv.org. Available at: https://www.acesdv.org/domestic-
violence-graphics/ [Accessed 9 May 2019].
Brassiolo, P. (2016). Domestic violence and divorce law: When divorce threats become
credible. Journal of Labor Economics, 34(2), 443-477.
Carmody, D. C. (2018). Mixed messages: Images of domestic violence on" reality"
television. In Entertaining crime (pp. 159-174). Routledge.
Child Mind Institute. (2019). Autism Spectrum Disorder Basics. [online] Available at:
https://childmind.org/guide/guide-to-austism-spectrum-disorder/ [Accessed 4 May
2019].
Corvo, K. (2019). Early‐life risk for domestic violence perpetration: Implications for
practice and policy. Infant mental health journal, 40(1), 152-164.
DomesticShelters.org. (2019). 10 Ways You Can Help Prevent Domestic Violence Locally.
[online] Available at: https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/ending-domestic-

violence/10-ways-you-can-help-prevent-domestic-violence-where-you-live [Accessed
9 May 2019].
Dvpc.org.au. (2019). What are the Impacts? – Domestic Violence Prevention Council.
[online] Available at: http://www.dvpc.org.au/information-about-domestic-violence-
in-the-act/what-are-the-impacts/ [Accessed 9 May 2019].
Ellsberg, M., Arango, D. J., Morton, M., Gennari, F., Kiplesund, S., Contreras, M., &
Watts, C. (2015). Prevention of violence against women and girls: what does the
evidence say?. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1555-1566.
Flood, M. (2019). The Problem: Men’s Violence Against Women. In Engaging Men and
Boys in Violence Prevention(pp. 11-38). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Guttmacher Institute. (2019). Socioeconomic Factors and Processes Associated With
Domestic Violence in Rural Bangladesh. [online] Available at:
https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/2004/socioeconomic-factors-and-
processes-associated-domestic-violence-rural [Accessed 9 May 2019].
Heise, L. (2018). Violence against women: the missing agenda. In The health of
women (pp. 171-196). Routledge.
Iratzoqui, A., & McCutcheon, J. (2018). The influence of domestic violence in homicide
cases. Homicide Studies, 22(2), 145-160.
Jewkes, R., Flood, M., & Lang, J. (2015). From work with men and boys to changes of
social norms and reduction of inequities in gender relations: a conceptual shift in
prevention of violence against women and girls. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1580-1589.
Kalokhe, A., del Rio, C., Dunkle, K., Stephenson, R., Metheny, N., Paranjape, A., &
Sahay, S. (2017). Domestic violence against women in India: A systematic review of
a decade of quantitative studies. Global public health, 12(4), 498-513.
Mills, C. P., Hill, H. M., & Johnson, J. A. (2018). Mediated effects of coping on mental
health outcomes of African American women exposed to physical and psychological
abuse. Violence against women, 24(2), 186-206.
Nccp.org. (2019). [online] Available at:
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_604.pdf [Accessed 9 May 2019].
Showalter, K. (2016). Women's employment and domestic violence: A review of the
literature. Aggression and violent behavior, 31, 37-47.