Holidays and Abusive Relationship

Holiday season of December is here. It will be a joyful occasions for some, and abusive time for others. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Three Kings Day? Maybe you celebrate St. Lucia Day or Ramadan. As people enter into the holiday season with less money, there is an occasion for increase of domestic violence. Domestic violence advocacy groups say historically, spikes in domestic violence follow closely behind bad economic times. Theoretically, when the economy gets bad and people get laid off or they’re working part time, it does lead to increased incidents of domestic violence where people are already prone. Less money in the household produces more reason to be abusive. According to a National Domestic Violence Hotline survey, calls to the hotline increased more than 43 percent in March 2009, from 18,787 to 26,896.

There's a lot of anger out there, and, the way things look, it’s only going to get worse before better. Car owners killing repo men, angry homeowners pouring concrete down toilet drains and taking a sledge hammer to home walls, and families are homeless, not just single individuals. Families forced to live in motels are basically homeless with no permanent address. The crisis is so bad that school district added bus routes to these motels.

There is tons of information on abuse, websites, books, video and public announcements. Is anyone watching, listening or learning? Domestic violence, shoplifting, pilfering and murder are rising, as people fail to cope with job loss, repossession and vagueness. Around the world, law enforcement officials and sociologists are closely watching the current economy-driven rise in crime.

According to Preparis, Inc. a leader in workforce preparedness solutions, predicted that occurrences of workplace violence could strongly rise as cash-strapped U.S. workers brace for continued fourth quarter layoffs combined with the pressure of trying to care for their families during the country's heaviest retail season. Many people are seeing the costs of basic goods and services rise while income, benefits, and job security decline.

With stressful circumstances thrown on Americans, dread, apprehension, worry and extreme behavior can begin to take over - which often leads to tragic events, like the recent shooting in an office building in Orlando, FL. There have been numerous stories of domestic violence brought on by the adverse U.S. economic situation and this violence is spilling over into the workplace as well.

Kevin Powell appeared several radio and TV shows, according to international speakers.com. He recently published a short essay, "Men Can Stop Domestic Violence. Powell became an accomplished writer, activist, public speaker, and political figure. One of his causes is ending violence against women and girls. Mr. Powell is a reformed abuser, who authored many books about his journey. He collaborates with the United Nations and Amnesty International hosting workshops for men.

Medicinenet.com states that domestic violence has many names - intimate partner violence, domestic abuses and intimate partner abuse. According to the site useful solutions for preventing abuse include providing economic openings, counselor, role models, planned community programs for youth and families, a school surroundings that promotes prevention of abusiveness in any rapport, and adult family members who are fostering and who provide consistent, structured supervision. This is how the caring people of the world get involved.

How to help a person in an abusive relationship - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 4 women will experience physical violence from her partner. Validate her experience by acknowledging, “You deserve better. It’s not your fault.”

Call professionals for help. National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE). Domestic violence is usually physical as we witnessed from numerous news reports and newspaper pictures. Reconstructive Surgery/Domestic Abuse Line provides free reconstructive surgery for male and female victims of domestic violence. Reconstructive Surgery/Domestic Abuse Line Toll-free: 1-800-842-4546.

The Network La Red offers bilingual (English and Spanish) information and resources for lesbian and bisexual women in violent relationships http://www.thenetworklared.org.

The American Domestic Violence Crisis Line provides safety planning, support services and general information on domestic violence for American women living overseas who are victims of domestic violence Toll-free: 1-866-USWOMEN (International Crisis Line), http://www.866uswomen.org.

Stay supportive - Some women will return many times to their abuser. Remain supportive by being there if help needed.