Exploring interlocking systems of oppression and privilege

¶ … Interlocking Systems

Child abuse and domestic violence are two of the most highlighted cruelty in the Catholics' point-of-view. These are household-related violence that the big victims are always the children. The hodgepodge of domestic violence and child abuse in different countries today is really disturbing. It seems that the only way to survive is to have a strong self-encouragement to outwit the oppressor. But is this really effective for protection against any violence happening around?

With today's generation of people's fascination with movie heroes like superman, batman and spiderman to save the land from tyranny increases, the thirst for justice about it also go sky-high. Man's admiration for those superheroes was uncontrolled that the only thing that can be done is to hope and expect for some leaders who can solve these kinds of problems. Some people think that dilapidation of great leaders today will surely go along with the increase of domestic violence and child abuse because they think that the rules and law that governs each nation will not be implemented properly if without the efforts of their own leaders.

C.J. Newton (2001) defines domestic violence as "isn't just hitting, or fighting, or an occasional mean argument. It's a chronic abuse of power. The abuser tortures and controls the victim by calculated threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Actual physical violence is often the end result of months or years of intimidation and control."

Creating a cycle of violence, the origin behind the intended actions is the manifestations in the societal conditions such as poverty and greed for power and control. Some experiences like in most countries, violence against women is caused by patriarchal domination of men. Statistic shows that an estimate of 3 million women is physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year according to the Commonwealth Fund. Others are accounted to childhood problems that was not solved overtime, mental illness and authoritarianism (Commonwealth fund, 1999).

In America alone, there are 6,000 families recorded where men often abused their wives and children (Strauss, Gelles and Smith, 1990). Moreover, the prevalence of this problem is likely to originate in the economic condition of the families. Low-income families are prone to loss control of anger because they are starving and there are no sources of income to buy food. This involves bickering between the husband and wife on where should one can get money for their own sustenance. Eventually, the husband use their own strength and power to control over their wives to maneuver the tension with their own family to seek help either by begging or in some cases women with no choices are selling their own flesh (coined as "prostitution"). This also involves hitting and sexual harassment of women. Patriarchal domination really coincides with domestic violence. This is usually widely seen in Asian countries where poverty is widespread.

Disturbing and alarming, it cannot be denied that men and women (children and adults) are witnessing an act that is very unfair. People should respond to this problem not only relying to the leaders but also to one's own effort to eliminate the problem. It will be of great bliss if there are lots of people who are helping the victims to express their long-endured pain. This problem deserves public attention and resources because it can kill everyone and systematically be a cycle to every generation. National and local governments should put an attention to this by forming a special task force. Task force shall constitute a wide array of persons who themselves experienced such agonies and torture. This also includes psychiatrist and psychologist to help the mentally incapacitated.