A number of 568 women sought legal, psychological and social assistance from the Women’s Law Center in the first ten months of this year, as opposed 435 women in the corresponding period last year. An increasing number of mothers with children, who are victims of domestic violence, seek help. Specialists warn that a violent family poses a huge danger both to the woman and to the child, especially the minor one, as the consequences can leave an imprint for life. Domestic violence’s impact on children was discussed in an event staged by the Women’s Law Center, IPN reports.
The Center’s co-founder, psychologist Lidia Gorceag said domestic violence has an influence on children since the first months of life. A baby can experience loss of appetite, is anxious and cries, can have palpitations, etc. The influence is greater in the case of older children. Insecurity and fear appear and these feelings can have very serious consequences that affect the ability to trust the own capacities and influence also internal quietness.
Lidia Gorceag noted that a child usually hides when one of the parents becomes furious. In those moments, his life changes as he does not expedience such feelings as love, happiness and safety. The imprint has long-lasting effects as he becomes anxious, adjusts at social level with difficulty, does not have confidence in those around and communicates not much. A child brought up in a violent environment will not have the courage to lead the family.
In a violent family, the child usually learns one of the two behaviors – of victim or of aggressor. But there is also a third variant, when an important referent person appears from which this learns to be different and this person can be the uncle, the neighbor, a grandparent, the teacher, etc.
According to the psychologist, statistics show that 25% of the children who experience violence repeat such behavior and encounter problems in early childhood and adolescence. They often have an asocial behavior that makes their life much more difficult as the vulnerability experienced in the family multiplies. The child can adopt the role of victim when there is powerful empathy with the mother and the minors behave like victims, do not riposte, endure insults and beating, are unable to take decisions and fight. Such a child will find it difficult to distinguish oneself in life both at family and professional levels.
If the man is an aggressor, the mother should realize that violence must be stopped and the children must be protected. “Today the woman can trust that she will be helped. There is the law that protects the women who is subject to violence, who says that the aggressor should be removed from home, not she and the children. Despite omissions and mistakes, solutions exist,” stated Lidia Gorceag.
The webinar organized with support from Sweden forms part of a campaign to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence entitled “Dear MP, listen to me too”. The national campaign forms part of the intentional campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence”.
