A Serious Hour,
The topic of this page is abuse perpetrated by persons other than family members or other love ones.
As women, how do we break the cycle of abuse and/or violence caused by strangers?
These types of abusers can be neighborhood kids, male stalkers, and/or a violently obsessed man or woman. These abusers exist and can not only harm the victim repeatedly, but also can harm and manipulate many other people if they (the abusers) are not caught and brought to justice to answer to their crime(s).
There is so much thrown at us about domestic violence in the home that the above abuses hardly seem has its own category, and to me this is a very, very negligent area within the area of our laws and our law enforcement community.
Harassers and abusers if not caught and stopped become very crafty and the danger to the victim and the victim family increases. Because some abusers are not caught soon enough they become risk takers and in turn more dangerous. Their regard for the victim lessens or ceases to exist altogether.
To me there are two main reasons why such abusers are not caught. The first the victim is not always viewed as serious or his/her compliant does not meet some mystical guidelines that will protect them, which leaves the victim open for further abuses, and second, apparently in order to file a report of abuse there must be tangible proof, something the can to seen and/or touched. In other words, some physical harm to the victim that is visible.
Today’s laws seem to suggest that mental or verbal abuse can be brushed away as harmless or that it will lead to nothing serious (especially if the perpetrator are minors). This is far from the truth and because of the way such complaints are viewed, the abuser walks away and the victim no doubt is suggested to more abuse.
Mind you now, I am neither writing about domestic violence nor am I writing of date violence. I am strictly on the subject of abuses caused directly and/or indirectly by strangers. This includes neighbors who are not friends and have no close ties with the victim.
Am I just ranting? No. This is a strong and valid topic that warrant exploration as to why such situations exist, are allowed to continue, and what can be done the strength the laws to prevent such victimizations and to protect those who have been victimized by such abusers.
Goodnight,
Evelyn
