Domestic Violence - Resource Guide
This resource guide was designed for 1) primary and secondary victims of domestic violence as well as 2) advocates/potential advocates for victims of domestic violence who are conducting research on domestic violence in Orange County using the Mary Turner Lane Reading and Resource Room at the Carolina Women's Center as their primary resource. This pathfinder is neither comprehensive nor complete, rather it is a preliminary step on the road to researching domestic violence in the United States. The goal is for this guide to provide a knowledge base to help guide the future research and decisions of victims and advocates.
The content provided focuses on the history of the battered women's movement in the United States, books, articles, and websites outlining resources and action plans for victims, first-hand accounts of domestic violence by victims, and domestic violence law in the United States in general and North Carolina in particular. Generally materials spotlight domestic violence at the national level, although some focus specifically on North Carolina.
All materials can be found in the Mary Turner Lane Reading and Resource Room at the Carolina Women's Center, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries.
Introduction - What IS
Domestic Violence? The National Coalition Against Domestic
Violence defines domestic violence as a pattern of behavior used to
establish power and control over another person through fear and
intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence, when one
person believes they are entitled to control another. Most state
laws define domestic violence as any physical abuse or threat of
physical abuse between intimately involved partners, roommates, or
family members. In some states, the legal wording extends to
include anyone with whom you have had a child, whether or not they live
or have ever lived with you. Domestic violence can (and often
does) happen outside the home. What makes it domestic violence
is the relationship between the parties, regardless of where the
violence occurs. Domestic violence is often thought about as
being inflicted from a husband to a wife, but it can also include
violence from a teenager to a parent, from a wife to her husband,
between siblings and other family members, between your ex and your
current love interest, and between partners in gay/lesbian
relationships regardless of their living situation.
Traditionally, domestic violence has been thought of as a private matter to be dealt with in the home but beginning in the 1970s that began to change. With the advent of the battered women's movement, domestic violence began to gain recognition as a social problem. Advances have been made, but despite emerging progress in the battle against domestic violence, home is still the most dangerous place for a woman. According to statistics gathered this year by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime. In 2001 there were 691,710 nonfatal acts of violence committed by the current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend of the victim and in 2000 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner.
Created by Leslee Farish 12/7/05