Domestic violence is a fairly loaded term in today’s day and age. We hear that phrase and we think the worst, no thanks to the terrible job the National Football League has done to effectively address the domestic violence issues their league has. Given the NFL’s stature and popularity, if the league had not bungled the Ray Rice case (and many others like it), it could have conveyed a strong message to the public at large about domestic violence.
Instead, it was a missed opportunity (to put it lightly) and the phrase domestic violence maintains a strong grip on the national consciousness as a brutal crime.
Each state has its own statutory guidelines for domestic violence, but this crime can be perpetrated in a number of different ways. Physical abuse is the most common form of domestic violence, which involved a family member or loved one hitting, shoving, battering or otherwise physically harming a fellow family member or loved one. Sexual abuse can also occur under the domestic violence umbrella, where the abuser forces sexual contact or sexual behavior without the victim’s consent.
Emotional abuse and economic abuse are two other forms of domestic violence that are related. Both of these forms of abuse make the victim lose a sense of self-worth and become reliant on their abuser.
Domestic violence is a terrible crime — but like any crime, the alleged perpetrator is entitled to his or her presumption of innocence and a full review of the facts involved in his or her case.