Alejandro Rincon - Genre Analysis- Alejandro Rincon



Domestic Violence Towards Women in CollegeAlejandro RinconUniversity of Texas at El PasoAbstractDomestic violence is occurring more frequently throughout the nation with statistics increasing. However, within universities rates are a roller coaster every year. Some, but not all, women are taking advantage of the resources available at universities for victims to domestic violence. In addition, college campuses are not the only ones trying to make a difference in the nation to put an end to domestic violence. Celebrities, professors, and even the president of the land of the free and home of the brave play a part in this fight against domestic violence whether it be to stop it or not. With unity and awareness to the reality behind domestic violence, especially towards women in college, the inextinguishable fire of domestic violence could become tamed and eventually put out in the near future.Domestic Violence Towards Women in CollegeIt is highly apparent that crimes rates within America continue to increase every year. The one unfortunate crime that has become arduous to diminish is domestic violence, especially towards women in college. Rape, physical and emotional abuse, and other factors are all factors that fall under the violent aggression that occurs within a relationship and the effect domestic violence has on a person can ultimately lead to death. Universities throughout America are still experiencing elevated levels of uncontrollable domestic violence. Furthermore, statistics involving women being the victim in the relationship vary amongst universities across the nation, however, what is true within all universities is the reality that many students have become less aware of domestic violence recurring every year. Although most universities highlight the importance of putting a stop to domestic violence, they lack the support to the fight against domestic violence. Domestic violence appears to be a never ending cycle that continues to grow annually, therefore, the resolution or plan of action to at least hinder the cycle of domestic violence will be discussed through the review of these four questions:How common are women subject to domestic violence?What services are provided to female victims of domestic violence?What have women done to put a stop to domestic violence in college?What can colleges do to prevent domestic violence?These questions will simplify the purpose of this literature review by providing insight into background knowledge on the reality of why women are subject to domestic violence, what services have been created for the cause of ending domestic violence, and what women (victims to domestic violence) and universities have done to diminish and prevent domestic violence from occurring and recurring within a relationship.How common are women subject to domestic violence?Unfortunately, domestic violence is an ongoing issue amongst relationships where the abuser can be the female in the relationship, but in most cases, women are usually the victim when it comes to this topic. Most cases involving abuse within a relationship occur because of the upbringing held by the abuser’s parents. In other words, the one who is abusive in the relationship is due to him/her having been abused in his/her childhood. A fitting example of why this way of thinking would emerge in a child’s head could be because of a divorce amongst that child’s parents. When a child experiences his/her parents’ divorce, he/she may experience a mixture of hate and resentment, causing that child to eventually become a problem child as he/she gets older. According to the Domestic Abuse Shelter of the Florida Keys, “Seventy-three percent of male abusers were abused as children.” Several cases involve the abuser with a past childhood experience in a broken home/family on a daily basis.In general, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, “1 in 4 women…aged 18 and older, including those in college, have been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.” With the number being so small, women are mostly subject to being the victim of domestic violence due to most relationships containing the male as the dominant figure. With the male being the dominant figure, he has the capability of overpowering the female. Other factors that could be reasons for domestic violence occurring from a man towards a woman in a relationship include: PTSD, jealousy, short temper, to gain a sort of pleasure out of it. According to Ravneet Kaur and Suneela Garg from the Indian Journal of Community Medicine, “The World Health Organization reports that the proportion of women who had ever experienced physical or sexual violence or both by an intimate partner ranged from 15% to 71%, with the majority between 29% and 62%.” The doctors in this article believe domestic violence towards women to be an “old phenomenon”. In other words, it is practical to believe that women are seen to be as weak and vulnerable. Therefore, it has become normal for women to be the victims to abuse as there is a difference in size and strength that men tend to have over women. According to the Domestic Abuse Shelter of the Florida Keys, one of the many frequently asked questions that applies to this case is “Do women who stay in abusive relationships like the abuse?” Following that is the response that, “For many women, the reason they stay is because of fear. Statistics show that 75% of women who are murdered by their batterers are killed when they leave or after they leave the relationship.” As a variety of reasons are applicable to answering why women stay in abusive relationships, the primary one is because of fear. Women take the beating and succumb to being inferior because the woman may fear of how the children might turn out if the relationship does not work out between her and the husband, or because the woman may fear that she will not have anywhere else to go if she were to leave. There is and no and never will be an exact reason as to why women will, most of the time, be the subject to domestic violence. Sadly, it appears that women will remain the victim to domestic violence as putting a stop to domestic violence is a rollercoaster of hope. However, as services for women grow larger, a reduction in how common women are subject to domestic violence will change.What services are provided to female victims of domestic violence?Services for female victims to domestic violence are spread across the nation and provide distinctive features for anyone to receive help. These features include, multilingual services, confidentiality, and toll-free calling. 24- Hour crisis hotlines also exist not only for domestic violence but also for suicide prevention. With domestic violence being a determining factor that may influence suicide within female victims, the suicide hotline may also provide services to those female victims.Programs across the nation are flourishing with providing services to help those female victims suffering from domestic violence. For instance, in Traverse City, Michigan there is a clinic for women experiencing domestic violence and abuse called Women’s Resource Center. According to their website there are services such as: “Thrift Shop and Other Direct Assistance, Emergency Shelter, and Advocacy”. The WRC operates a full-blown clothing shop where “members and staff can get clothing, furniture, and household goods free of charge.” As for the Emergency Shelter and Advocacy, the WRC provides emergency housing for “women and children who are victims to domestic violence” followed by “advocating with other agencies on behalf of clients when needed to access medical, legal, housing or other resources”. All information on several other services provided to domestic violence victims can be accessed through the WRC website.Furthermore, in efforts to put a stop to domestic violence, “Allstate Foundation Purple Purse is bringing financial abuse out of the shadows and using financial empowerment to break the cycle of domestic violence.” (Allstate Foundation) As domestic violence is continuously increasing at an epidemic level, Allstate has created a foundation built with supporters to assist victims to domestic violence and financial abuse and educate them on ways to independently stabilize their finances and be able to “stand on their own” (Allstate Foundation). One of the heads of the Harbor House Chapter for Domestic Violence in Orlando is an Allstate Agency Owner named Lincoln Salmon. According to Carol Wick (CEO of Harbor House in Central Florida), she states, “Lincoln has helped us grow it into a much larger organization for the community. It really raises awareness about a very critical issue in domestic violence and the power and control that happens around money.” Lincoln firmly believes that when domestic violence occurs in a broken home, children are affected which then affects the school, ultimately affecting a community. Lincoln received a “Purple Flame award and a $10, 000 grant from the Allstate Agency” and donated his earnings to the Harbor House so that they may open the doors to their family shelter. With that being said, the philosophy that Lincoln has carried through his life’s work is, “it’s not about being recognized for it, it’s just the fact that you give something back and make this world a little bit better than you came into it.”Shockingly, the one person that appears to be causing friction in the journey to diminish domestic violence towards women is the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. According to Jerriann Sullivan from the Scary Mommy News website, “After a historically sexist campaign, we weren’t expecting Donald Trump to do anything good for women, but his plan to cut 25 grant programs aimed at helping victims of domestic violence is especially cruel and dangerous.” Trump has been known to being disrespectful toward women, and now to put the cherry on top, his team has been working on cutting 25 programs that help end domestic violence, dating abuse, and sexual assault. These grant programs also assist in many important projects as well such as “‘Safer Families, Safer Communities’ initiative, which would put into action the Supreme Court’s ruling that people who’ve been convicted of domestic violence can’t own firearms, and other projects like figuring out how to stop sexual assault on college campuses.” (Sullivan). With Trump stripping funding for these grant programs, he is closing several doors that female victims to domestic violence could use to put a stop to domestic violence for good.Although many obstacles lie ahead for female victims to overcome domestic violence, the most important action is that they do not give up. They continue searching for help and their main objective is not only to receive the help, but to provide help. That is why it is important to recognize and understand what women have done to put a stop to domestic violence, especially in colleges.What have women done to put a stop to domestic violence in college?One of the hardest things that someone can open up to in life is abuse. Many victims to domestic violence feel ashamed or embarrassed to confess about being a victim to domestic violence. In relationships especially, an abundant number of women can become very protective of their significant other that they choose to not speak of it rather than alert someone of the situation. On the other hand, there have been women that choose to speak up and be the voice for those that are broken and cannot speak up for themselves. Women that have either experienced domestic violence or are simply fighting for the cause to make a difference in the world and put a stop to domestic violence are women like Jessica Lenahan (victim to domestic violence), professor Kelsey Hegarty, and even Barbadian singer, songwriter, and actress Robyn Rhianna Fenty. Jessica Lenahan’s sorrowful story gave more fuel to the fire to putting a stop towards domestic violence towards women. The sad part of her story is that the government was not even on her side. In explanation, Lenahan was abused by her ex-husband (Simon Gonzales) while they were married, leading to her filing a restraining order towards Gonzales. Lenahan had obtained custody of her daughters and son, however, on June 22nd, 1999 her three daughters did not come home. Lenahan alerted Castle Rock Police Department in Colorado and they refused to assist her saying, “as their father, Gonzales had a right to spend time with his children, pointing to a clause in Lenahan’s order that allowed Gonzales to visit the girls at least once every week. (The order specified that the meeting had to be arranged in advance.)” (Lockhart, 2017). Gonzales had then showed up at the police department and shot at officers inside. After Gonzales was shot and killed, the deceased bodies of his and Lenahan’s three daughters (aged 7, 9, and 10) were found in Gonzales’s pick-up truck. Lenahan ended up suing the Castle Rock Police Department for violating her rights on her restraining order and the fight led up to Washington, D.C. to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Stated by Lockhart, “According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million people, the majority of them women, suffer from domestic abuse each year. Restraining orders began being issued in the 1970s to protect domestic violence victims. More than a million orders are given each year.” Lenahan ended up winning the ruling that the U.S. had violated her rights and a movie called Home Truth, which “is a long-term study of how families are affected by domestic violence”, stated by Katia Maguire (co-director to the documentary), was made to bring awareness to the increase of domestic violence through Lenahan’s story.On a different note, Professor Kelsey Hegarty is a General Practitioner and an associate professor for the primary care and research unit at the University of Melborne. She became highly interested in the battle to put an end to domestic violence. By doing so, she wanted to educate doctors on how to help abused women. Hegarty and her collaborators came up with project WEAVE with the aim being “to see if brief counseling by doctors for women who are fearful of their partner could make a difference to women’s lives.” (Hegarty, 2016) After few tests and several sessions, the results were that women and even their children became less depressed and more open to safety precautions. According to Hegarty, “Doctors can do this work. Doctors can help women.” With advances in this project and an increase in interventions for women and children, Hegarty has proved that there are other ways to help women in abusive relationships/ environments to ultimately benefit the community in the future. With hard work and consistency, Professor Hegarty won second prize in the 2014 Global Women’s Institute’s and Sexual Violence Research Initiative’s 5-Minute GBV Science Fair with a short video explaining the WEAVE project and how doctors can help abused women. Hegarty is the second women from left to right with glasses and is posed in this picture below with her team. Unfortunately, suicide has been a growing factor in this generation of people today, however, there are celebrities that play their part in making a difference. For instance, a fantastic way the suicide prevention hotline was advertised was by a rap artist named Logic, whose song named after the suicide hotline number, “1-800-273-8255 ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid”, drastically increased the number of calls the suicide hotline received with that song alone. In addition to that, another way a woman has made an impact on society to get one step closer to putting a stop to domestic violence was through advertising artistically and indirectly. Barbadian singer, songwriter, and actress Robyn Rhianna Fenty was in a featured with rap star Eminem narrated her experience of domestic violence from her past relationship in the song “Love the Way You Lie”. According to Rihanna, “the song was something that needed to be done and the way he [Eminem] did it was so clever. He pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence. But many disagree.” Her lyrics served as a description to what she felt and overall experienced as she is a victim to domestic violence. With her song she gave hope to victims out there to unite in the fight against domestic violence towards women and brought awareness to the world of the reality behind the terror domestic violence brings to an individual and the cost for not fighting back. According to Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, he believes that “Rihanna is unwittingly glorifying domestic violence. She's narrating the story, and she's not judging it.” With that being said, Rihanna used her power through her music to make a difference in the battle to end domestic violence towards women.What can colleges do to prevent domestic violence?Colleges across the nation have been flooded with cases regarding domestic violence, especially within relationships. With domestic violence being such a touchy subject and absolutely difficult to open up about (as a victim), women either feel that there are not many resources to go to for assistance or they simply cannot find the courage within themselves to go out and ask for help. Women may become unaware to the fact that there are services at their own university that help deal with domestic violence cases. A few of the many sources that assist women who are victims to domestic violence involve the United States Department of Justice, Dallas Cowboys NFL football star Jason Witten paired with the UT (University of Tennessee) College of Nursing, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (O.S.C.C.R.) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).The U.S. Department of Justice has worked on a resource called OVW, which is the Office on Violence Against Women to be put out throughout universities across the nation. This campus program offers grants towards survivors, advocacy and counseling services, and other activities to increase the effect on bystanders to put a stop to domestic violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Campus climate surveys are essential because they generate data on the nature and extent of sexual assault on campuses, as well as campus attitudes surrounding sexual assault”. It is believed that surveys offered by universities are an excellent way to prevent domestic violence from recurring because victims can be directed to proper resources if necessary.In addition to how college campuses are playing their part in making a difference to domestic violence, NFL football star named Jason Witten has paired up with the University of Tennessee College of Nursing and donated to the Winning SCORE program to put an end to domestic violence on university property. Jason Witten is number 82 and is a captain for the Dallas Cowboys as shown in the picture below.According to Ryan Altizer, Executive Director to SCORE Foundation, “Because of his experience, the fight against domestic violence has always been something close to his heart.” Witten experienced family domestic violence and with being a victim, he understands fully the importance to stop domestic violence for good. Furthermore, the Verizon Foundation had donated $40, 000 to UT during a pre-game ceremony to fund the SCORE program. According to Altizer, “It is a very unique program in that it really takes a look at the long-term effects that DV causes and is proactive in helping these students overcome those challenges to have healthy relationships and break that cycle of violence”. Therefore, UT hopes to bring much awareness to all organization within the campus so that they may all collaborate in putting a stop to childhood domestic violence and domestic violence towards women. The U.S. Department of Education has also put in their two cents at ending domestic violence on campus properties. One way this has been executed is through a program called “Title IX”. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Universities are working to educate students about Title IX through innovative new programs and reviving old ones, and students are increasing awareness and placing pressure for change on institutions.” The purpose of Title IX is to bring awareness to students of domestic violence occurring on campus and what steps to follow to prevent domestic violence from taking place and from recurring. In an interview with an assistant (Bianca Arciniega) to the Coordinator of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Arely Z. Hernandez, M. Ed. at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Arciniega was asked “What can colleges do to prevent domestic violence” and to express how she believes how O.S.C.C.R. specifically has participated in the movement to ending domestic violence. Therefore, Arciniega’s response was, “What colleges can do to prevent domestic violence is have students be aware of what signs are. It is not just bruises. Therefore, we put up events, especially during domestic violence month so students understand the emotional side of domestic violence.” In other words, events are held at UTEP to bring awareness to students of domestic violence and what they can do to prevent domestic violence from occurring. With the O.S.C.C.R. handling any case concerning student conflict and conduct, domestic violence is a common case that is reviewed by them. Therefore, Arciniega works under Hernandez to make a change in the lives of students that are victims to domestic violence and to prevent it from recurring on campus.In conclusion, domestic violence happens to be a recurring crime in the U.S., especially towards women in college. With colleges having an increase of awareness, programs, and resources the numbers of domestic violence cases have dropped greatly. Women have stood up to the plate in terms of making a difference in society to break to momentum of domestic violence rising. From professors to assistant coordinators and even celebrity stars, everyone is playing a part and building to the team to fight against domestic violence and end it for good.ReferencesCastle, L. (2017, October 13). Jason Witten partnering with UT College of Nursing for domestic violence program. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from . (n.d.). Domestic Abuse Shelter - A New Beginning. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from , K. (2010, August 09). Rihanna and Eminems New Video: Glorifying Domestic Violence? Retrieved October 15, 2017, from 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: (n.d.)Kaur, R., & Garg, S. (2008, April). Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women: An Unfinished Agenda. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from , P. (2017, June 23). Film depicts one domestic violence survivor’s international fight for justice. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from , T. U. (2017, October 08). Stepping up to the challenge of domestic violence. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from Students from Sexual Assault. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from . (n.d.). Retrieved October 05, 2017, from site produced and maintained by Byte Productions, byte-. (n.d.). Management. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from Plans Massive Cuts To Domestic Violence Programs. (2017, January 21). Retrieved October 12, 2017, from provide domestic violence survivors the financial skills and tools to break free and stay free from abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2017, from Arciniega- Assistant to Coordinator of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Arely Z. Hernandez, M. Ed. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download