6 Reasons Domestic Violence Affects Everyone

My Darling Angel, Kay, at the Prom.

~Domestic violence not only affects the survivor, but the survivor’s children, the person who is abusive, the health care system, the criminal justice system, businesses, families and friends of the survivor and the abuser, and society–CBA

1. Abuse Changes Who We Are: When a woman is punched, kicked, belittled, devalued, demeaned, disregarded, chained, bound, and unnoticed—it changes who she is, who she might become. It makes her abundantly small even when she is amazingly capable and accomplished.

When a battered woman doesn’t reach her full potential,  it affects all of us.

2. Domestic Violence Does Not Discriminate: Domestic Violence doesn’t care if you’re rich, poor, white, brown, yellow, or black. It doesn’t give a shit about Christians, or Muslims, or your socio-economic status. It doesn’t give a damn if you’re a teacher, or stay-at-home-mom, or prominent in the community. It just doesn’t care.

Don’t kid yourselves. When domestic violence happens to somebody else, it also happens to you.

3. The Brainwashing Begins Early: I heard a horrendous story this week about a 6 year old girl who had gone to the school nurse with a black eye. “He hurt me.” She cried. The nurse responded, “Well, he must like you then.”    true story…( I hope she was fired )

Boys will be boys.   That’s how he shows he really likes you.    He’s punching you because he can’t express himself.     Stop crying like a girl.

If you are giggling at these sentences, you are part of the problem—not the solution. Attitudes about control, power, and violence begins early.

This affects all of us later on.

4. The Health Care System Suffers:   FORBES Healthcare notes that Domestic violence costs $8.3 billion in expenses annually: a combination of higher medical costs ($5.8 billion) and lost productivity ($2.5 billion)

Domestic violence leads to an increased incidence of chronic disease: Abused women are 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, 80 percent more likely to experience a stroke and 60 percent more likely to develop asthma.

None of us are untouched by fists and punches and razor sharp words.

5. We Cannot Change Anyone:    Shame.      Silence.      Secrets.

Shhhh, don’t tell. Telling makes us weak and stupid for staying. Telling makes it real. She keeps trying to convince herself he will change. She keeps hoping things will get better. It doesn’t. In fact, it gets worse. Now, the children are drawn in. Now, the children are interwoven into the abuse.

Nobody. Absolutely Nobody will change unless he/she desires to.   But you can.

Staying in an abusive relationship affects all of us. Staying in an abusive relationship shapes our children and the children of their children.

6. We Are Human Beings: Which means, we are God’s greatest achievement. We are meant to thrive, live our lives to the fullest, and EMPOWER others. We are designed to rise up from the depths of darkness into immeasurable light.

We were not created to be exploited, beaten, crushed, and placed inside a cage.

We were not created to have our souls die before we do.

Because when the soul stops breathing…

     The universe stops breathing, too.

——What you can do TODAY:

TELL somebody: A neighbor, family member, your pastor, a stranger, your co-worker.

Never.  EVER.  stay silent about domestic violence.

Click Here For HERE for help NOW.

Call the domestic Abuse hotline to make a safety plan now: 1-800-799-7233

((((( Break The Chains TODAY!!! )))))   I play this every single day before work.  It EMPOWERS ME.  It is my prayer.  What is your prayer?  What makes you strong,  darling?