- •Verbal Abuse is no Crime. It is Harmless and Unavoidable
- •Verbal Abuse Statistics
- •1) Verbal abuse triggers the next stage of the vicious circle of violence – physical abuse.
- •2) The consequences of verbal abuse are as grave as those of physical violence, it can even cause a lethal outcome.
- •3) The consequences of verbal abuse are unpredictable.
- •4) The victims of verbal abuse suffer strained relationships with family members and friends.
- •5) Verbal abuse is as dangerous for you health as physical violence.
- •6) We will protect the abusers themselves by considering verbal violence a crime.
- •7) Verbal abuse of children is more harmful then any other kind of abuse.
- •8) Different people have different views on verbal abuse.
- •9) Considering verbal abuse a crime is the only way to combat it.
- •1) One can never prove the fact of being verbally abused.
- •2) Different people have different views on verbal abuse.
- •3) Bad language is an uncontrollable impulse.
- •4) Criticism is a sign of a healthy relationship.
Verbal Abuse Statistics
1) In 2005 the US Center for Disease Control conducted a survey on verbal abuse. 35 000 people took part in the survey. 89% of the women interviewed claimed to have been subject to verbal abuse and the most likely scenario for verbally abusive situations is the one between intimate partners.
2) In the US more than 1 in 4 teenage girls in a relationship (26%) report enduring repeated verbal abuse.
3) Verbal abuse, or putting a child down with diminutive statements, is 7 times more associated with lasting harm than sexual abuse.
4) According to the UN study of 2008, 80% of women experience emotional abuse in Belarus.
5) Belarusian Association of Young Christian Women interviewed 51 women who experienced spousal abuse. They were subdivided into 2 groups: “active” women who tried to deal with the situation themselves and built a new life and “passive” women who chose to put up with abuse.
“Active” women saw different reasons for home violence (including the characters of the victim and the abuser, social and economic circumstances, etc.) while “passive” women said that the only reason was the psychological characteristics of the victim (weakness, vulnerability, low self-esteem, victim syndrome). “Passive” women also believed that the woman herself triggered her husband’s aggression.
30% of “active” women hold men responsible for violence. Only 20% of “passive” women did the same, in general they tended to blame themselves.
“Active” women were aware of both physical and psychological damage caused by home violence. At the same time “passive” women indicated only physical traumas.
The crucial issue of the study was women’s ability to identify different forms of home violence. Both groups of women managed to identify physical, sexual and economic abuse. However, both groups failed to explain what emotional abuse is. The study showed that Belarusian women do not realize when they are psychologically abused.
The Debate over Verbal Abuse
Although domestic violence is regarded one of the major social problems, verbal abuse is not considered a grave problem. Unfortunately, in Belarus even the concept of verbal abuse is not defined properly. The studies show that most people do not realize what verbal abuse is. Such terms as “withholding”, “blocking and diverting”, “forgetting”, “trivializing”, “ordering” and “denial” were coined in the West (where the problem has already gained at least some attention) and are not known to them. Surprisingly, even battering, to say nothing of rough verbal stuff, is considered a sigh of a loving relationship in Belarus.
The recent studies show that the situation is changing: in the West people become aware of verbal abuse, they classify it as a form of psychological abuse and define its types, they offer psychological aid to victimizers and hot lines for victims, they change legislation for verbal abuse to be punishable.
Unfortunately, Belarus lags far behind. The major reason for that is the absence of a comprehensive legal system that would not only define verbal abuse and its legal status, but also protect people from it.
Arguments for Considering Verbal Abuse a Crime, Harmful Behavior That Can and Should be Avoided