October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Sadly, domestic abuse is a widespread epidemic that affects all communities in New York. Victims can be of any age, gender, religion, nationality or economic status. While every case is unique, most of them involve one party with a dominant personality who wants to control a spouse or partner in every possible way.
In many cases the abuse involves physical injuries, but, sometimes the patterns are psychological, and that can be even more traumatizing. This type of abuse often develops over time, and in subtle ways that a future victim may not recognize as emotional control until it is too late. Abusers will gradually cut a partner off from friends and family, withhold money, and start monitoring every move that person makes. They also typically manage to make their partners believe they do this out of love and wanting them all to themselves.
Unfortunately, many victims of abuse desperately want to save their relationships. The truth is that psychological abuse can escalate into extreme control and physical punishment that may even lead to death. Furthermore, even if children are spared the abuse, they often feel responsible for protecting the abused parent, causing trauma that can impact their lives for decades.
Domestic violence is not typically something that ends, regardless of how many apologies and promises are made. New York residents who are victims of domestic abuse, or those who suspect the development of controlling patterns by a partner or spouse may benefit from consulting with an experienced family law attorney. After assessing the circumstances, a lawyer can explain the possible steps that can be taken, and provide support and guidance in the legal proceedings required to get a protection order.
Source: ncadv.org, “What is Domestic Violence?”, Accessed on Oct. 21, 2016
