Child Witness to Intimate Partner Violence Essay

Child Witness to Intimate Partner Violence - Essay Example The issue of violence against women by a spouse of intimate partner became a topic of contention primarily during the Women’s Movements of the 1970s (Murphy & Ouimet, 2008). In fact, all acts of violence within a family setting are now referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV). Most studies are based on the support that the affected partner needs when he or she is affected by domestic violence. But very few of them focus on the emotional and psychological aspects of children who are witness to intimate partner violence. It is a fact that children are affected by IPV, and it may result in mental and emotional trauma that can extend into adulthood. It is true that the primary stakeholders in IPV are the battered person (often the woman), the dominant partner and those socially responsible for correcting or preventing the problem. But it is also a fact that the children (common or of those belonging to either husband or wife) are also affected by it. A study titled ‘Survival of intimate partner violence as experienced by women’ states that â€Å"children exhibited panic disorders, mental problems and suicidal thoughts in later life† (Flinck, Paavilainen, & Kurki, 2005). This observation has been found in other studies as well, indicating that children who are witness to intimate partner crimes may also need emotional and psychological support. For example, â€Å"children cannot help but be affected by their experiences of abuse and violence but the impact of living with domestic v iolence can affect children differently† (Jones , 2006). The authors refer to such children as forgotten, silent or invisible victims of intimate partner violence. In case they are very small, later periods may find such children with development problems, language problems, and stuttering. There can also be instances of abnormal bedwetting and