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Friday, August 21, 2009
Domestic violence upswing: Recession is making folks smack their spouses up
Posted by D'Ann White on Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 7:58 AM
It’s the stupid economy.
Apparently the dour economy is to blame for the revolting headlines inviting readers to delve into the details of men killing babies, beating and raping women and murdering their families.
That's according to the U.S. Department of Justice report, "When Violence Hits Home: How Economics and Neighborhood Play a Role."
And David Braughton, chief executive officer of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, would be the first to agree.
Braughton says rape, child abuse and domestic violence in Tampa Bay has shot up as the economy has taken a downturn.
And he believes there is a correlation between crimes against women and financial woes.
He notes that child abuse, rape and domestic violence is most often committed by men who feel inadequate and need to be in charge. For these sick individuals, these types of crimes are a panacea against feelings of helplessness and frustration.
Upon losing his job and the ability to control his financial security, an already-mentally unstable man may seek other ways to regain a sense of control including attacking those who are less powerful.
With Tampa Bay’s unemployment rate reaching 11.1 percent last month, the Department of Justice's theory explains a lot of the insanity we’ve seen in recent months including the horrific May 3 shootings of a Lakeland mother and her two children by her husband followed two days later by the death of an infant thrown from a car window along Interstate 75 in Tampa.
Braughton said rape is one of the most underreported crimes in the county. Eighty percent of the time, it’s committed by someone the victim knows. She feels she's somehow at fault and she’s too ashamed to report it.
Despite rape victims’ reluctance to report the crime, the crisis center has experienced a 10 percent increase in the number of calls for sexual assault exams over the past year.
“It’s all about power and control, people venting their frustrations on others. As unemployment and other stresses go up, we see more victims," Braughton said.
Last year his office did a record 340 sexual assault exams, prompting the nonprofit to add a full-time rape advocate. This year, Braughton said the center is seeing a victim a day, and predicts the nonprofit will easily exceed last year's stark statistic.
“The demands for our services are skyrocketing,” he said.
Calls to the 24-hour 2-1-1 crisis hotline have gone up 50 percent and requests for financial help have shot up 81 percent.
"We’re admitting 20 to 30 new cases each month to our specialized counseling program for sexually abused children," said Braughton.
While we focus on the homeless, the hungry and the unemployed, these faceless women and children may very well be the most tragic victims of the recession.
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