Domestic Abuse Is A Serious Public Health Concern For Too Many People (VIDEO)

The horrifying photo below serves as a reminder of the seriousness of intimate partner abuse. It also gives insight into one of many reasons why victims don’t just leave abusive relationships.


Police in the United Kingdom entered a house and found a stairway with 21 kitchen knives embedded in each wooden step, including bullets. A 42-year-old man was arrested for common assault and the police fear that if they had not acted the situation would have been far worse.

Image from Twitter via Distractify

Intimate partner violence is defined as:

“A pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.” 

It is also important to know that intimate partner abuse can be:

“…Physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.”

The wheel below explains in better detail how an abuser uses a variety of tactics to gain and maintain power and control over an individual:

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence:

…1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of (some form) of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”

On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.

A 2013 report by the World Health Organization found that:

“…Physical or sexual violence is a serious public health problem that affects one third of all women globally.”

Violence especially against women is a serious problem around the world, but yet it is ignored by so many. In the case of intimate partner violence, people often ask “Why doesn’t she just leave?” The compelling photo of the knives is just one way of helping us understand the answer to that question.

According to the Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness:

“The reality is that the most dangerous time for a survivor/victim is when she leaves the abusive partner; 75% of domestic violence related homicides occur upon separation and there is a 75% increase of violence upon separation for at least two years.”

Image By National Domestic Abuse Hotline.

There are also many other barriers to leaving an abusive relationship. These include economic necessity, fear for children’s safety or custody concerns, hope that his/her partner will change, and isolation from community support, friends, and family. They may also have no safe place to go or shelters may be full. For anyone contemplating leaving an abusive relationship, the fear is real and safety planning is vital.

A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that includes ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave, or after you leave. Safety planning involves how to cope with emotions, tell friends and family about the abuse, take legal action and more.”

If you or someone you know needs help, you can start by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) and a counselor can help you process your situation. They can also help you locate the domestic violence program in your area so you can receive further support, counseling, or shelter.

Leslie Morgan Steiner, a domestic violence survivor, gives a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk on why victims don’t leave:

Featured Image By Alachua County Via Flickr/CC-By-2.0.