The news continues to overwhelm us. Every day there is new cases of battered women, sometimes with loss of life. Although it is an increasingly denounced issue, many women still remain silent, in a harsh circle from which they cannot get out.
Protocols have been established to help battered women. But there is still mistreatment in small towns, in rural areas, in which tradition, shame, prejudice and the same neighborhood population make it difficult for abused women to report their situation.
What is the abuse process like?
Normally the abuse does not have all its intensity from the beginning, but increases little by little. What starts with insults, minor humiliations, progressive isolation from any family or social network, the number of scenes increases, each time with greater aggressiveness.
In a second phase physical abuse originates, which can begin with a shove or a "sorry slap", and continue with more blows, increasingly harsh humiliations, and so on.
The position of women varies greatly. In many cases, justify to a greater or lesser extent the behavior of your partner. Mothers' concern about not separating their children from their father is also frequent.
Helping the battered woman
If we meet any abused women, the first thing we must pay is our listend capacity. Usually their words, gestures and behaviors on the subject give an idea of confusion. As we listen we must to clarify the story of the abused woman, and trying to delimit the main problem (abuse), from other considerations.
The complaint
Everywhere we hear people say that you have to report. But it is not always easy, among other things because it is possible that the abused woman has to continue living with her partner, that is to say, from the person who receives the mistreatment. The feeling and the reality is that, far from reducing abuse with violence, it can be increased even more.
Although the complaint is very important, the support is effective to the abused woman, the company, the protection, and avoid her loneliness at all times. She must decide, without pressure, the steps to take.
Image sources: Minutes 20 / Lifeguard