Taboo subjects hide in every facet of our society. Shame and stigma create a protective force around the topics, allowing them to thrive and reproduce unhindered by social conventions.
Unfortunately, domestic violence is one of these secret and shameful issues. The good news is that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The designation shines a light on the abuse that lurks in the dark recesses of our society, including right here in the Kansas City area. The attitude that all domestic issues should remain private is both dangerous and archaic. Domestic violence is sadly alive and flourishing in the 21st Century.
The effects of abuse are not just personal and short term. It affects family members, co-workers and our communities. The lasting effects of abuse are just now being investigated, and a new national survey conducted by More Magazine and the Verizon Foundation spotlights the long-term health effects that domestic violence has on chronic illness. The startling results of the survey include:
Forty-four percent of women report that they have personally experienced a form of domestic violence — physical, emotional, sexual, economic or psychological.
Ninety-one percent of women believe that health care professionals should screen for domestic violence during an exam. However, 75 percent of women report that no health care provider has ever inquired about domestic violence. That number increases to 85 percent in women older than 65.
In women suffering from chronic health issues — such as diabetes, digestive disease, asthma and high blood pressure — domestic violence increases the existence of chronic diseases by as much as 18 percent.
The attitude that domestic violence is nobody’s business is false. The repercussions of violence have long-term medical and economic impacts. Our health care system will be increasingly taxed caring for the chronic illnesses that are created or exacerbated by the violence. When an employee is chronically sick, business productivity is diminished, and the employee may be fired. This can lead to an increase in unemployable individuals, which can overwhelm the welfare system.
Remember that domestic violence issues affect everyone. The shame should not engulf the violence, but the silence. It is time we give a voice to this once forbidden issue. If domestic violence continues to thrive, our medical and economic systems may be headed for disaster. The first step is awareness that domestic violence exists far too often. As a society, it is time to educate everyone, especially our youth, that violent behaviors are not acceptable — ever.
L.J. Kaufman, a Jewish woman who lives in Overland Park, is an attorney, college professor and author of the domestic violence novel, “It’s Never a Secret.”
