Overlaps Between Domestic Violence and Incestuous Sexual Abuse: Implications for Advocates and South Asian Women's Organizations

• NCJ Number: 203299
• Journal: Sexual Assault Report Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: November/December 2003 Pages: 17-18,28,30
• Author(s): Grace Poore
• Date Published: November 2003
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the intersection between domestic violence and incestuous sexual abuse and its implications for support services for South Asian women.

Abstract

The goal of the article is to help battered women’s advocates and domestic violence organizations understand and deal with the overlap between domestic violence and incestuous sexual abuse, particularly in South Asian communities. The scarcity of support services for South Asian battered women and incest survivors underscores the necessity of addressing both problems through the services that are currently available. After a discussion of why and how these two forms of abuse overlap, the article discusses the complexities of the violent situation and why some caregivers are unable to respond to the abuse allegations made by their children. The article also discusses why many children who live in violent homes do not disclose the abuse, even to nonviolent family members. The importance of outreach and education in stopping the cycle of abuse is examined and harmful myths in South Asian communities regarding domestic violence and incestuous child abuse are recounted. The remainder of the article lists, in bulleted format, the harmful responses to the abuse by South Asian families and community members; examples of common strategies used by perpetrators of abuse; examples of family dynamics that overlap where domestic violence and incestuous child sexual abuse coexist; short-term and long-term effects experienced by child and adult survivors of abuse; conditions that could lead a child victim to perpetrate abuse on others; factors that contribute to victims recovering from abuse; barriers to appropriate support services for South Asian battered women and incest survivors; and examples of shared benefits to South Asian communities that have appropriate support services for abuse victims. Additional resources on domestic violence and incest are provided. References