Domestic violence is a life-threatening matter that needs to be addressed as soon as it occurs. Although adults are typically the target of domestic abuse, exposed children need to understand the issue on an age appropriate level. Violence perpetrated by a parental or guardian figure is very confusing for children and they most often don’t know what to do in response.
One of the most important ways to deal with this issue is to talk about it with your children before it happens. This requires communicating with them in a way they can understand. The following post will help you with that:
Talking to Young Children about Domestic Violence
Violence in the home can be a difficult subject to approach. There are many complicated feelings associated with domestic abuse — fear, love, shame, sadness, hope — that can make it difficult to try to speak about with other adults.
Now, trying to address this same topic and all of its complicated feelings with children can seem like a daunting task. However, just as it is incredibly important and valuable to create a system of support for yourself as a survivor of domestic violence, it is just as necessary to talk about the issue with your children. Because otherwise, all of those confusing feelings remain unresolved in their heads. They don’t have the ability to understand the situation fully, and might end up placing blame where it doesn’t belong, feeling responsible and internalizing these feelings. Read more at Break the Silence…
Talking about domestic violence with your children will help them recognize it. In the event that they or their friends experience it, they will know how to take appropriate action in response.
A common form of domestic abuse is emotional abuse, which is typically harder to detect than physical abuse, but can have equally devastating effects on children. The post below has more:
Emotional Abuse and The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children
In England, where I continue to practice as a Child Protection Social Worker, there are just over 50,000 children who are subject to Child Protection plans….
While neglect can at times be hard to define, and is often seen as an ‘umbrella term’ when choosing a Child Protection category where there are several risk factors present, it is the long-term impact of emotional abuse that remains the most difficult to evidence.
Emotional abuse might not leave bruises, but it does leave scars.
When speaking with colleagues from all over the world, they share a common problem of explaining the impact of emotional abuse to parents and carers who find difficulty in understanding the damage their children are suffering. This problem is multiplied many times over if the concerns are so severe that Social Workers are having to suggest alternative care options because of the likely impact of future emotional abuse on children. Read more at Social Work Tutor…
Sometimes even well-meaning parents can cross the line into abuse with their children. This is particularly true with regard to discipline and punishment. The key question is this: Do your discipline methods — particularly related to corporal punishment — equate to child abuse? In North Carolina, the charge is clearly defined, so read the following post and look for the signs:
When Does Paddling Become Child Abuse?
Many — perhaps even most — parents paddle, spank, or otherwise use physical force to discipline their children. This kind of discipline is generally viewed by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and the courts as a parental prerogative and not as criminal child abuse. Yet there are limits on the degree of physical force that a parent may lawfully employ and the degree of injury a parent may lawfully inflict. A parent who acts with malice, uses grossly inappropriate force or who causes lasting injury may be prosecuted for child abuse. A recent court of appeals case demarcates the boundaries of permissible parental discipline and sets forth standards for determining when physical discipline by parents constitutes criminal child abuse. Read more at North Carolina Criminal Law…
If you are dealing with home-based physical or emotional abuse, it is important for you to understand that you have rights under North Carolina law.
If you are dealing with physical or emotional abuse involving yourself or your children it is critical that you understand that you have rights under North Carolina law. Seek relief via law enforcement as well as the criminal justice system. Attorney Jonathan Meek of Meek Law Firm can give you the expert guidance you need to navigate this complex area of the law.
Call (704) 848-6335 or use the contact form on the Meek Law Firm website to schedule a consultation appointment. We look forward to hearing from you.
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