In part 2 of the history of domestic violence in our nation written to shed light on this issue for Women’s History Month, we see that we’ve come a long way as a nation in our fight against domestic violence but we still have a long way to go. To read part 1, click HERE. From the beginnings of our nation when domestic violence was not only legal, but encouraged, we follow the footsteps of those that have pioneered policies, programs, and cultural change to bring freedom from abuse and stigma.
We began to see the first signs of real change in our nation in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Our first shelters exclusively for victims of domestic violence were opened in the 60’s. The wheels of justice started to slowly turn for the abused. States were beginning to make domestic violence an actual crime, although the punishment was usually much less than for an identical crime NOT perpetrated against a wife or girlfriend. Law enforcement were being required to arrest abusers. Domestic abuse was beginning to be recognized as a legitimate reason for divorce, but only if the woman could prove that a sufficient number of beatings had taken place.
In 1978, The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is formed during the Consultation on Battered Women sponsored by the United States Commission on Civil Rights. That same year, for the first time ever, a husband in the United States was tried for a rape he committed against his wife. He was acquitted, but later apologized publicly. Research in 1980 showed that marital rape was legal in 44 states, rape between a man and woman that live together was legal in 13 states, and rape between those that are dating was legal in 5 states.
By 1979, there were over 250 battered women shelters in the U.S. – that number had grown to 1,200 by 1989.
In 1985, a woman became the first to successfully sue city police in Connecticut for failing to protect her from her husband’s violent abuse. She is awarded a $2 million judgement for the violence authorities allowed that permanently scarred and partially paralyzed her. That same year, the US Surgeon General issues a report stating that domestic violence is a major health problem for women.
1990 brought some groundbreaking changes to our legal system: stalking was first considered a crime and for the first time ever judges were required to take domestic violence into consideration when determining custody or visitation rights for children. In 1992, screening women for signs of domestic violence was recommended by the American Medical Association and the organization released guidelines to aid doctors in that task. In the same year, the Surgeon General named domestic violence by husbands as the leading cause of injuries of woman aged 15-44. 1994 brought the passing of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by Congress as part of the Federal Crime Bill. The Violence Against Women Act of 2000 was passed adding and reauthorizing funding for training, services, and new programs for victims of domestic violence – both women and children. And in 1994, our own local shelter, The Safe Place, was opened to serve Conway and Perry counties.
Today we have over 2,800 domestic violence shelters and programs in the United States including 40 in the state of Arkansas, according to domesticshelters.org. On a typical day in the U.S., over 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines. Every minute of every day in the U.S., 20 individuals are physically abused by an intimate partner for a total of 10 million women and men per year. If you are one of those victims, we are here to help. Call 1-888-554-2501, anytime, day or night. For help in Perry County, call 501-889-2030 and in Conway County call 501-354-1884. Let us help you overcome your history of violence so that you, and your children, can have a future free from violence.
http://saintmarthas.org/resources/history-of-battered-womens-movement/
https://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/1368-the-history-and-origin-of-womens-sheltering.html
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