Victims of intimate violence: the case of Laci Peterson

Victims of Intimate Violence: Laci Peterson and Minh Dang

Domestic violence is prevalent in the modern world. In the United States, one out of four women, suffer emotional or physical violence in the arms of a close partner. There are scores of causes of domestic violence among them frustration, poverty, social and environmental aspects. Women and girls are predominate victims of domestic violence which leads to murder, emotional pain, psychological trauma and physical suffering. In this regard, this paper assesses the Laci Peterson's case that involved her, her unborn child and her husband, Scott Peterson. The paper also evaluates the Ming Dang's case that entails her and her family who sexually, emotionally, psychological and physically abused her since when she was three-years old and eventually sold her as a sex slave when she was barely ten-years old. The paper links the two cases, though different, into intimate domestic violence defined as violence against children and women within a family setting.

Introduction

Domestic violence otherwise referred to as spousal abuse, domestic abuse, family violence, intimate partner violence, battering and family abuse is prevalent in the modern society (Meadows, 2010). It refers to a blue print of abusive behaviors by one person to another, in a close relationship such as cohabitation, family, dating or marriage. Domestic violence takes the form of emotional abuse, sexual abuse, economic deprivation, and intimidation and covert or passive abuse, which include neglect. Domestic violence is a leading health problem and a significant issue in the United States. According to McCue (2008), more than a million females visit hospital emergency rooms and physicians for treatment following domestic violence. Over three million children per year observe domestic violence, and it subsequently affect them emotionally, physically and psychologically. More than 50% of these children engage in alcohol and drug abuse while other commits suicide. McCue (2008) asserts that the United States is the most violent industrialized country in the world. The Laci Peterson and Ming Dang cases are proof of the prevalence of domestic or family violence against women in the United States. The two cases are of different temperament, perspective and upshot, but they amount to intimate domestic violence.

Intimate Violence

Intimate violence is an international problem for both girls and women. It entails oppression of children, women, people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities. Intimate violence is prevalent in the society and affects scores of women across the world. Domestic violence touches the lives of scores of people in divergent means (Meadows, 2010). Adult victims experience emotional abuse, sexual abuse, economic abuse and physical abuse. Domestic violence takes place when an individual utilizes coercion, intimidation, physical abuse, threats, isolation, emotional abuse or sexual abuse to direct another person in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence is an infringement of the rights people to a safe, supportive and healthy relationship. It entails intimate violence against children and women in family, and can include rape, sexual abuse, torture, assault and rape. One in four women in the United States experiences intimate violence, which exists on a continuum from a single episode of violence to continuous violence (McCue, 2008).

Intimate partner violence results in almost two million injuries and one thousand three hundred deaths of women nationwide annually. Eight five percent of victims are females, and intimate violence occurs across all religions, social classes, occupations, races, geographical regions and cultures (McCue, 2008). Domestic violence within a family takes place at all societal levels (Meadows, 2010). It cuts across racial, educational, ethnic and socioeconomic lines. It is the second most reported crime and accounts for twenty five percent of violence reported to the authority. Male partners carry out nearly all killings of females, and women subjected to physical abuse probably report mental health issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety.

Abusive conducts starts with the abuser's intention of controlling his mate and his feeling of powerlessness. Such a person succeeds in abusing his spouse through diminishing her and expelling his emotions on her while blaming her for his own feelings. The syndrome of intimate domestic abuse entails threatened or actual physical injury, sexual assault, progressive isolation, economic control and psychological abuse (McCue, 2008). The home is the most regular place for all sorts of violence. Children and women are the likely victims of assaults, rape and murder by people who claim to love them. The perpetrators of intimate violence commit these crimes in their homes, within the privacy of the family (Meadows, 2010). However, the temperament, perspective and results of intimate domestic violence differ with perpetrators. For instance, in the case of Minh Dang, the upshot of the violence she experienced resulted to psychological, emotional and physical torture while in Laci Peterson's case, the violence against her resulted in her death and that of her unborn child. Moreover, upon investigations, Laci's husbands received a death sentence while Minh Dang parents remained free.

Laci Peterson's Case And Intimate Violence

Laci Peterson born in May 1975 was an American female murdered in the eve of 2002 Christmas. Laci went missing on 24 December, and she was almost eight months pregnant with her first baby (Fleeman, 2003). Although, the police did not straight away establish her husband, Scott Peterson, as the first suspect to the murder case, finale investigations pointed at him as the person behind his wife's murder. The police questioned his inconsistencies in his ordeal and the fact that Amber Frey, the girl with whom he had extra-marital affair, disclosed that Scott Peterson had informed her that his wife was dead two weeks before Laci met her actual death (Fleeman, 2003). Laci's family had initially showed support for Scott Peterson without knowing that he was the person behind their daughter's cold blood murder.

The evidence pointed out that Scott Peterson intended to kill his wife due to his extra marital affairs and financial problems (Crier, 2005). Frey who later became a major witness in the Laci's murder confessed that Scott had stated to her that he was a widower as he had lost he wife (Fleeman, 2003). People found the remains of Laci's body as well as that of her unborn child in a shoreline in Sam Francisco Bay where Scott Peterson went boating the day that his wife disappeared (Crier, 2005). The autopsies performed on the two bodies did not reveal the exact cause of death given the complete decomposition of the body. The autopsy report indicated that Laci had three broken ribs before her death, an aspect that showed that the husband strangled or suffocated her in their home (Fleeman, 2003). Laci's death was because of intimate partner violence that did not even consider the life of the innocent baby inside her womb. A person who claimed to love her and her unborn child ruthlessly took out her life.

The American criminal justice, Peterson's family, epidemic of misogyny, Modesto Police and more importantly, the spousal murders in the American Culture were subject to judgment following Laci's murder. The vulnerable woman and her defenseless child suffered from the hand of the person too close to them, a person they trusted as a husband and a father (Fleeman, 2003). Peterson cruelly slaughtered his wife and discarded her and her unborn child whom they had planned to name Conner, in the filthy and frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay (Crier, 2005).

In the event where a husband kills his wife, every aspect of their marriage life, personal histories, behaviors and family dynamics receive, microscopic examinations through the public discourse (Crier, 2005). While it is not clear how Scott Peterson and his wife lived, it is evident that Laci suffered domestic violence even before her demise. Perhaps she suffered from emotional and physical abuse. The court eventually found Peterson guilty of murdering his wife, Laci, based on his inconsistent story, questionable behaviors and the fact that he wanted to be single again to evade family responsibility as well as his extra marital affairs (Crier, 2005). He got a death sentence and he awaits execution, by lethal injection, in a California prison.

The killing of Laci and her defenseless child was uncaring, callous and cruel considering that Peterson was the very closest person to her wife and the unborn child. The death of Laci and her unborn child led to the introduction of the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" referred Laci and Conner's Law (Crier, 2005). Women are not safe from domestic violence when they became pregnant, and are not safe from the critical upshots of domestic violence. Instead, their spouses view them as burden because of the financial and emotional responsibilities involved during pregnancy and childbirth.

In the contemporary world, spousal murder is a major topic that attracts intense interests of people. When one spouse unexpectedly turns aggressive towards another, strikes the hearts of many people. People become frightened, intrigued, mystified by such incidences (McCue, 2008). This is because people understand that a family should be the rock of their foundation. It is hard to comprehend why a husband would raise his hand and kill his wife. Meadows (2010) assert that six people die each day in the United States under the arms of a spouse or an intimate partner. Twenty seven hundred people or close to a million people annually experience physical assaults from their intimate partners.

Most people sometimes hold violent or homicidal thoughts toward their intimate partners or spouses. While majority of these people never act on those ideas, others do. People get fascinations from these crimes and wonder how normal or flourishing lives such as that of Scott Peterson and his wife could disentangle in such a devastating way (Crier, 2005). Apparently, violence is a dark contrast to what most people still believe in love, concepts, and promise that marriage offers them. While marriage has the potential of bringing happiness to ones life, it entails a tough journey that calls for sacrifice, trust and understanding. The case of Laci Peterson involved intimate partner violence that takes place between two people in a close relationship. The term intimate partner entails former and current spouses as well as dating partners.

The Case of Ming Dang and Intimate Violence

Minh Dang is a California female, born in Stockton and sold into sex slavery by people close to her, people with whom she entrusted her life (Driver, 2012). Minh Dang got involved in sex slavery when she was only ten years old by her own parents. Her parents, who were responsible for protecting their child, forced her in the globe's most unforgiving industry. Although she is now grown up and escaped from the brothels where her parents would leave her for days, weeks and even months, she cannot forget the predicament she went through as a young girl. Before her parents engaged her into sex slavery, her father subjected her to sexual, emotional and physical abuse (Driver, 2012). Her father and mother started to rape her when she was three years old. Her two parents worked collaboratively and they would collect money from the brothels where she worked as a sex object. She worked as a sex slave for ten years from when she was ten years old until she turned 20 (Driver, 2012).

According to ILO (International Labor Organization), three in one thousand or twenty one million people around the world find themselves in forced labor (Meadows, 2010). Over four million people who are mainly girls and women are victims of sexual violence and exploitation. UNICEF estimates that close to two million children and women around the world are trafficked (Dang, 2012).

Linking the Two Cases to Intimate Violence and Victimization

Domestic violence is a blue print of coercive and assaultive behaviors that include psychological attacks, physical attacks, sexual attacks and economic coercion that people use against their intimate partners (Meadows, 2010). People carry out and devise these conducts to enforce their powers over those close to them. Just like spousal abuse and murder experienced by Laci Peterson and her unborn child, Minh Dang also experienced intimate violence in the hands of her parents. Both Laci Peterson and Minh Dang are victims of domestic violence. Laci Peterson case highlights intimate partner violence caused by a husband or a boyfriend. On the other hand, intimate violence can take place between a child and her parents because parents are the closest friends to their children.

There is an intricate link between domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. Human trafficking for prostitution purpose is sexual violence, and it occurs every day behind closed doors or in the full glare of the public (Dang, 2012). Those involved in human trafficking are organized criminal groups or members of a given family. Among the people who predominately traffic people are acquaintances, friends, neighbors, community leaders, business owners, diplomats among others. The international Labor Organization estimates that Pacific and Asian countries account for over half of all trafficked victims in the world, at an estimated 1.36 million. Most of these victims are girls and women (Chuang & Meak, 2012). Studies indicate that girls and women are the main sexual exploitation victims where women are trafficked for economic exploitation. Although parents are the least people expected to traffic their children for prostitution, some do. For instance, Minh Dang' parents sold to sex slavery.