Domestic Violence in the United States

1. Domestic Violence in the United States By Maya Nussenzweig, Lauren Elsner, Brianna DeGroat and Melissa Hatten

2. What is Domestic Violence and Rape? • Domestic violence: any kind of verbal, physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and/or financial abuse within an intimate relationship brought upon one partner by the other • Rape: An assault, either homosexual or heterosexual, that involves forced or unwanted sexual intercourse.

3. Statistics in the U.S. • “Over 22% of women and 7.4% of men have reported being physically assaulted in their lifetimes” • “In 8 out of 10 rape cases, the victim knows the perpetrator.” • “Most perpetrators of sexual violence are men.” • About 60% of the female population is stalked/physically abused while only 16% of males are victimized • “Approximately 37% of womenseeking injury-related treatment in hospital emergency rooms were there because of injuries inflicted by a current or former spouse/partner.” • On a positive note: • “There has been a 27% to 51% increase in reporting rates by women” • “The rate of non fatal intimate partner violence against women has decreased by 63%”

4. Timeline of Domestic Violence: Biblical Law (pages.279-281, NTB) Biblical law states that if the rapist is caught they would be stoned to death. However, “In the Bible, if no witness heard a married woman cry out [while being raped], she was stoned to death for presumed adultery” “Rape has often been understood as a crime against family property, not women.” “Rape tends to be viewed as a crime motivated by individual sexual desire”

5. Timeline of Domestic Violence in the U.S (1) • 1600: Up until this time a husband could not rape his own wife because he was in charge of her reproductive rights which protected women but did not allow for “self protection” or “self expression.”

1800: Wife beating became legalized

1870’s: Writer, Lucy Stone, published the article “crimes against women” that desperately tried to inform the public of ways to prevent this from happening.

 *Information from No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman

6. Timeline of Domestic Violence in the U.S Cont’d (2) • In the first wave of feminism domestic violence was not a concern of activists until the late 1950’s • Civil Rights Movement occurred • 1960’s: Feminists made violence against women a primary concern • 1970’s: Women’s movement encouraged women to fight back and learn how to defend themselves. This included mastery of the martial arts and learning how to empower themselves by being able to say “no.”

Women filed lawsuits that allowed them to say no to sex in marriage, which “overturned the traditional marriage contract, in which a wife owed sexual services to her husband.” • 1976: The Take Back the Night Marches. This tradition is now practiced on various campus’ and connotes that women should “no” longer be afraid of walking alone, they emphasized this by walking together through “city streets at night.”

7. Timeline of Domestic Violence in the U.S Cont’d (3) 1980’s: 23 U.S states instituted laws against marital rape

1986: Police began to arrest those involved in domestic violence

1989: The notorious New Jersey gang rape occurred. A gang of high school boys raped a disabled girl

1990’s: Women took to court uncontrolled sexual harassment demanding protection rights

Feminists established shelters for victims of domestic violence

1991: Physical abuse of women was declared a national health issue

1996: Only now was prosecution allowed for rape

1998: When seventeen countries considered marital rape a crime

8. The History of the Laws of Domestic Violence • Beginning in the 1500’s… Colonists based their legislation on old English law • Old English law permitted wife-beating for “correctional purposes” • A man was allowed to beat his wife with a switch no thicker than his thumb (“Rule of thumb”) • 1857- Massachusetts court recognized that marriage to the victim was a defense to rape. This was called ‘spousal rape exemption’ • This was best seen through the Commonwealth versus Fogerty case • 1871- Alabama and Massachusetts revoked the legal rights of men to beat their wives.

9. History of the Laws of Domestic Violence • 1874- Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled, “that the husband [had] no right to chastise his wife under any circumstance” • But, “If no permanent injury [had] been inflicted… by the husband, it [was] better to draw the curtain, and shut out the public gaze.” • 1882- Maryland: was the first state to make wife-beating a crime, punishable with 40 lashes or one year in jail • Almost 100 years later • In 1984- Congress passed the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to fund domestic violence programs

10. History of the Laws of Domestic Violence • 1993- marital rapebecame a crime in all 50 states • 1994-was a progressive year for women’srights: Violence AgainstWomenAct (VAWA) waspassed • It recognized «  violence againstwomen as a crime withfar-reaching, harmfulconsequences for families, children and society » • This actfunded services for the victims of rape/domestic violence • It providedspecial training for police officers • Fundedresearch on violence and how to preventit • Twenty- six states hadlawsthatmandated the arrest of batterers

11. Little Red Riding Hood • Taking on the feminist perspective, what subliminal messages stood out? • Themes: - Women’s submission - Women’s lack of education - Male dominance -Violent/heroic • Susan Brownmiller (1960/70s) believed aspects of the fairy tale alluded to rape

12. Brownmiller Overview • Susan Brownmiller (1960’s) - was responsible for the women’s liberation movement in New York City, and helped plan a conference to prevent sexual intimidation • She published Against Our Will. • This book “uncovered an extensive history of rape during wartime and argued that the threat of rape supports male dominance by keeping women in fear.” She states: •  “A world without rapists would be a world in which women moved freely without fear of men” • “Rape has something to do with our sex [females]”

13. More Brownmiller and Rape Prevention • Brownmiller states, “That rape is not a crime of irrational, impulsive, uncontrollable lust, but is a deliberate, hostile, violent act of degradation.” • She also made efforts to stop violence, by developing crisis centers. • There were telephone lines staffed twenty four hours a day, which provided counseling for rape victims. • She implemented anti-rape projects, in the emergency ward of hospitals, and had a close association with the policewomen who were investigating these crimes. • Not only did she encourage women who were involved in the anti-rape movement, but she encouraged men to participate. • Finally, she emphasized how “Rape can be eradicated not merely controlled or avoided on an individual basis. But…through the good will of many men as well as women.”

14. Domestic Violence in the Media • In the last tenyears, the Media has perpetuateddomestic violence by showingpartnersphysicallyabusingtheirspouses. • It oftende-emphasizes important aspects such as verbal, psychological,andfinancial abuse. • It doesthis for entertainment and shock value  • SVU clip

15. SVU Clip: Persona • Questions: • What classifies marital rape? Can you recall when it was legalized? Was this date the same across the country? • Explain the beginning of episode • Start clip at 3:30 min-11:05 • Women claims to be raped by a stranger in an ally— Olivia and Stabler (detectives) go to the scene and there is no evidence of a rape. • 11:10- 16:min • Short court hearing • Shows domestic violence shelter 15-16 min (into the show) and the wife returns to her husband • 18:25-20:00 • Escalation of violence What did you think of the clip?

16. Rape by Acquiescence • The Article defines rape: “ as any sexual contact (vaginal, anal, oral penetration) against consent through force.” • “ Rape by acquiescence is defined as any unwanted sexual contact that a woman gives in to with a husband or partner…it does not usually involve physical force or lack of consent and/or struggle on the part of the wife.” • Types of Acquiescence are: • Unwanted turns wanted • It’s my duty • Easier not to argue • Don’t know what might happen if I don’t • Know what will happen if I don’t

17. Rape By Acquiescence Cont’d Unwanted turns wanted: “The women did not really feel up to it initially, but were able to enjoy it after a few minutes.” Men guilt tripped their wives into sex by saying, “you never want to when I do” or “you’re always tired.” It’s my duty: “This notion is bolstered by religious beliefs that women’s roles [are] to service their husbands. This was the most prevalent form of acquiescence.” Easier not to argue: This type of acquiescence involves verbal abuse, with-holding attention, and a general level of unkindness “Sex was the easiest way out of the situation.”

18. Rape by Acquiescence Cont’d Don’t know what might happen if I don’t: “Husbands commonly threatened their wives, or acted in ways that were…fearful to the wife…usually no physical force just enough verbal threats.” This creates a fearful environment Know what will happen if I don’t: “In an effort to avoid any more of the prior experiences they had with physical force and abuse from their partners…women learned not to fight it” because they were controlled by them. The women in this subsection of acquiescence were effected by “(1)losing part of their identities as they “molded” themselves to react to the abuse, and (2) blaming themselves for the predicament in which they found themselves which served to perpetuate the abuse.” “Rape is a an act that men do in the name of their masculinity. It is in their interest to believe that women also want rape done, in the name of femininity” (Brownmiller).

19. Media vs. Interview • SVU • Police very empathetic/caring about the case • The abuser clearly and openly shows signs of some sort of abuse in the household • Interview • Few police are sensitive to domestic violence cases/victims… Even with instituted sensitivity training • The abuser is very clever about hiding the effects/signs of abuse • Isolation Even so, the episode demonstrated realistic qualities Financial dependency No escape Subjected to violence My mom was financially dependent at an early age, estranged from her family, and was subjected to violence

20. Recent organizations against rape include: • Gokova: A men’s organization that supports the anti-rape movement. • Gokova was organized in 2000 through the YMCA and the World Council of Churches. • However, this is not limited to organizations established within the past ten years. Many from the Civil Rights Movement are still active. • Another example is the National Organization for Women (NOW) and National Women's Health

21. Conclusion • Questions/ Take away • How does Tough Guise relate to Domestic Violence? • Based on our presentation what classifies rape (including within marriage) and to what degree in your opinion?

22. Works Cited Basile, Kathleen C. "Rape by Acquiescence The Ways in Which Women "Give In" to Unwanted Sex With Their Husbands." Sage Publications 5.9 (1999): 436-443 Freedman, Estelle B. No Turning Back. New York: Random House Group, 2002. Print.  Grimm Brothers. "Little Red Riding Hood." Virginia Commonwealth University, 1994. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/redridinghood.html>. ”Herstory of Domestic Violence: A Timeline of the Battered Women's Movement”. Mincava electronic clearinghouse.September 1999. Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse. April 4, 2010. http://www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/herstory/herstory.html Interview: Alison Hatten’s Domestic Violence experience http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/47301(Video Clip) Patricia Tjaden & Nancy Thoennes, U.S. Dep't of Just., NCJ 183781, Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, at iv (2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/183781.htm (Statistics)