Hello everyone,
Evelyn here,
Below is another letter to Dear Abby on the subject of domestic violence. The letter points out that domestic violence is horrendous and demeaning act forced upon another person, and that thousands lose loved ones to this detestable act each year. The letter also subjects that domestic violence can be stopped by teens, but as it stand now, many teens are victims of physically, sexually or verbally abused and many know their abusers who sometimes gain the confidences of troubled teens by appears as a friend.
To learn more about this horrendous act and how to end this ugly circle read the article below.
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Breaking Cycle of Abuse Must Start with Our Youth
By Abigail Van Buren
Sun Feb 26, 8:17 PM ET
DEAR ABBY: Your recent letters regarding domestic violence bring important attention to the dangers of this problem. Unfortunately, every year thousands of Americans lose loved ones to this terrible epidemic, and most are left wondering what they could have done to prevent it.
Too often we assume that violence happens only to other people -- people of a different race or culture, people who live in a different community, or people in a different type of relationship. But domestic violence does not discriminate. It can touch everyone -- through friends, co-workers and family members who are suffering silently without our even knowing it. Many of us also know abusers -- people who may seem charming and likable on the surface but cause fear, self-doubt, pain, even death, to those they claim to love.
Recent studies show that as many as one-third of teens experience abuse in a dating relationship. And, more than half of teens say they know friends who have been physically,sexually or verbally abused. The need for early intervention to change these shocking statistics is clear.
We must reach out to youth and talk openly and often about these issues so we can help them to avoid the terrible sorrow felt by families and others who are victims of abuse. Each of us has the right to a safe and healthy relationship free from violence, coercion and fear. -- JESSICA ARONOFF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BREAK THE CYCLE
DEAR JESSICA: Thank you for an important letter. I hope it grabs the attention it deserves from teens and their parents. Your statement that as many as one-third of teenagers experience abuse in a dating relationship, and more than half of them have friends who have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused, will shock many people, I am sure.
Readers, Break the Cycle provides domestic violence education, information and help to students ages 12 to 24 throughout the country. It teaches what healthy relationships are and helps them to recognize the warning signs of abuse. Break the Cycle lets them know that help is available if they are suffering or in danger, and shows them that they deserve safe, supportive, non-violent relationships.
There are opportunities for interested people to help in this endeavor. To find out more about this worthwhile program, log onto www.breakthecycle.org, or call toll-free at 1-888-988-8336 (TEEN). I have supported Break the Cycle in the past, and continue to do so, because the earlier young people learn to differentiate between healthy relationships and obsessive, destructive ones, the healthier our society will be.
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The link to this article can be found on today's Yahoo.com's Entertainment page. Why place it on the entertainment page, I have no idea. However, domestic violence is in no way entertaining.
What is the meaning of abuse?
Abuse means to inflict upon another an injury by the use of unreasonable confinement, intimidation, and/or cruel punishment, which often times result in physical harm and mental anguish.
Furthermore, keep in mind that domestic violence is not limited to one adult upon another or an adult upon a child. Because there is also a real life abuse called, Elderly Abuse, which is not always committed by a child upon his/her parent but by a care-giver, a family friend, a neighbor or a neighbor child. This type of abuse often goes unnoticed and the victims' stories are usually discredited as being unbelievable because of the victims advance age to that of the abusers, and/or because of the victim supposed mental state, such as saying he/she is "senile". However, many abused elderly suffer from the same feeling of shame and helplessness as the younger victims from the same degrading act of physically, sexually and/or verbally abused.
Abuse of the elderly when reported must be taken as seriously as reports of child abuse.
Evelyn out.
