Domestic violence can make it hard to live your life, but it can also impact all the people around you as well. Many people are not truly aware of how much this kind of violence can impact the people who live with them. Children are often impacted in many negative ways, which they might not be able to accurately express to you, especially if they are still living with you in a situation that includes violence.
Get a domestic violence attorney to ensure that you are able to protect your safety and the safety and well-being of others in your life. Domestic violence doesn’t just affect you; it can affect everyone who lives with you, loves you, or cares about you.
What is Domestic Violence?
We should first define what domestic violence is. Many people do not understand how the law defines these acts, and they might also be unaware of their rights related to this kind of action taken against them. In the state of Missouri, domestic violence is defined as “abuse,” which can include and is not limited to:
- Assault: purposely or knowingly placing or attempting to place another in fear of their physical safety.
- Battery: purposely or knowingly causing physical harm to another person. This can be done with or without a deadly weapon.
- Coercion: which means compelling another by force or threat of force to take actions that they would rather abstain from.
- Harassment: which is defined as engaging in a purposeful or knowing course of conduct that will alarm or distress a person and which serves no legitimate purpose. This action can include following another in a public place, threatening or forcing activities on the other person, peering in windows, bothering the person while at work, and a host of other negative actions.
- Sexual Assault: which is done by causing or attempting to cause someone to have to engage in sex acts by force, threat of force, or without consent.
- Unlawful Imprisonment: which is defined as holding, confining, or detaining someone against their will.
Stalking and various other negative actions that cause emotional harm and distress are also considered part of the umbrella of domestic violence acts.
How Domestic Violence Impacts Your Entire Family
All of the acts listed above rarely have a single victim. If you are being abused by someone that you live with, your children, your family members, and everyone else who comes into contact with you are also exposed to the abuses and negative actions of your abuser.
Children who live in a home that is plagued by domestic violence are far more likely to suffer from health complaints, report emotional distress, and struggle to meet milestones in school. Even if you are clear with your children that you do not agree with the treatment that you are receiving at the hands of your abuser, being exposed to acts of violence and coercion can have a lasting impact on children as they grow up and become adults.
Beyond the people who are living within your direct family unit, parents, siblings, and others who care about you, like close friends, will also be negatively impacted by the acts of your abuser. The worry and stress of caring about someone who is being abused can be very hard on the other people in your life. This is especially true because those who are worried about your welfare typically cannot make reports of the actions taken against you on your behalf due to the nature of this kind of abuse.
One of the most insidious problems of domestic violence is that it is often done in secret, with limited witnesses, and with limited consequences. Abuse victims often feel shame about being abused and do not report to anyone that this is their daily experience. The acts that those who care about you might witness are typically just the tip of the iceberg of issues that have been going on.
This is why it is so important to know what the law defines as domestic abuse and to be aware of your rights with regard to your abuser. You do not have to suffer in silence, and you do not have to accept this kind of treatment silently. You can break the cycle of trauma by securing a skilled lawyer to help you hold your abuser accountable for their actions.
It is important to remember that even if you escape your abuser on your own, they will almost certainly go on to abuse someone else. Keeping abusers from harming innocent people like yourself means taking a stand and working within the confines of the law to prevent them from harming you or anyone else ever again. Your friends and family will also be better protected from this person if you take legal action against them.
Domestic Violence Causes Exponential and Compounding Damage to Families
While many abuse victims tend to think that the abuse that they are suffering is only harming them, this is rarely the case. There are so many other people who are harmed by witnessing the abuse that these victims suffer, and the worry and stress of caring for someone who is being abused can be debilitating for siblings, parents, and close friends. You do not have to suffer in silence if someone is abusing you. You have rights that you can exercise, which can help to hold this person accountable and potentially even put them in prison.
Take the first and most critical step toward protecting yourself from your abuser, and secure a skilled lawyer to help you file a restraining order against your abuser. Your lawyer will advise you about the actions that can be taken thereafter to display a clear pattern of abuse and take long-term legal action against the person who is causing you harm. You and your family do not have to suffer at the hands of an abuser if you have a skilled lawyer working hard on your side.
