History, Clients, Issues and Concerns, and Services in the Human Services Field of Domestic Violence Provide National Data as well as Delaware Data.

History, Clients, Issues and Concerns,

and Services in the Human Services Field of Domestic Violence

Research Report

April 2004

Table of Contents

A. INTRODUCTION

Causes For Domestic Violence

B. THE HISTORY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DURING THE LAST CENTURY

C. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Research Data

Domestic Violence In Delaware

Behavior Exhibited By Clients

D. MAJOR ISSUES AND AREAS OF CONCERN

Availability Of Services

Filling Positions Of Retiring Workers

Batterer Intervention Programs And Their Effectiveness

Reporting Of Domestic Violence

E. SERVICES IN THE FIELD

24-Hour Hotlines

Domestic Violence Shelters

Treatment And Counseling Services

Victims Services

Legal Services

Probation And Parole Services

Social Workers And Domestic Violence Services

REFERENCES

A. Introduction

The term Domestic Violence did not come into use until the 1970s. Having first been used to address the problem of wife battering, it now encompasses much more. Other terms commonly used are, for example, spousal abuse and intimate partner abuse. There are four major types of domestic violence. Firstly, there is physical violence, which includes pushing, slapping, beating, and assault with a weapon. Secondly, sexual abuse, which covers a wide range of assaults including forced sexual intercourse, penetration with a foreign object, grabbing and fondling, verbal sexual threats, and any other unwanted completed or attempted sexual contact. Thirdly, economic abuse, whereas the abuser denies the victim access to resources to which the victim is entitled such as education and employment. Lastly, psychological abuse, which includes acts such as isolating the victim from contact with others, humiliating the victim, degrading the victim, and threatening to harm the victim or those close to the victim (Encyclopedia of Social Work, 1998). Definitions of domestic violence in a legal context vary from state to state. Some states limit domestic violence to violence between a man and a woman living together, while others include ex-partners or family...