Domestic violence enhancer is not a separate charge. It is something that has enhanced the sentence of the crime. In other words, you cannot be convicted of domestic violence unless you are also guilty of another felony.
Violence can be traumatizing for the victim no matter what kind of it is. The impact of domestic violence can leave long-lasting effects that can ruin many victims’ lives if not treated on time. Before impacts learning more about it let’s first look at what is a domestic violence enhancer.
What Is a Domestic Violence Enhancer?
Domestic violence enhancer is a legal phrase that refers to activities that are designed to damage, injure, or distress a former or current intimate partner. It is used to provide context for a wide range of criminal acts. Domestic violence enhancers can be used for any offense in several states in the United States if there is an intimate relationship involved.
Aggressive behaviors connected with domestic violence enhancement might be either psychological or physical. It can be used to charge anybody with a crime, including assault, harassing, stalking, theft, vandalism, criminal mischief, disorderly behavior, and property damage. While domestic violence is not unlawful in and of itself, adding it to a crime can considerably increase the severity of the sentence.
Mandatory protection orders are granted in all instances involving domestic violence enhancers to protect victims of abuse from further criminal activities by the suspected offenders. Furthermore, a domestic violence enhancer aids in the expediting of such cases through the court system.
Domestic violence enhancers keep suspected abusers from returning to a shared house with a vulnerable intimate partner. Alleged abusers charged with offenses involving domestic violence enhancements are barred from having contact with the victim’s young children.
What Are the Impacts of Domestic Violence Enhancer on Victims?
The survivors of domestic violence enhancers can face long-term effects after persistent physical, emotional, and mental abuse. It can take time for a victim to adjust to living in a safe environment, especially if an abuser was extremely violent and has committed the abuse over an extended period.
Survivors show a wide range of effects from it as they have been shaken up because of it. The obnoxious behavior of the abuser in the longer term can cause a series of health problems including physical and mental in the victims. They might need some serious medical attention and immediate treatment for the injuries, hospitalization for extremely severe assaults, or chronic care for devastating health problems caused by the abuser’s physical attacks.
Following are some of the physical impacts of domestic violence enhancers:
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- Bruises all over the body
- Scratch marks on the neck
- Broken or sprained wrists or bones
- Chronic fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Muscle ache
- Stomach aches
- Headaches
- Involuntary shaking
- Disturbed eating pattern
- Disturbed sleeping pattern
Many victims of abuse contact their doctors on a regular basis for health issues and injuries connected to domestic violence. Unfortunately, research suggests that many victims will not reveal the abuse until they are specifically questioned or checked for domestic violence by a doctor. It is also critical that healthcare practitioners question directly about probable domestic violence so that victims receive appropriate care for injuries or illnesses and are provided further aid in dealing with the abuse.
Domestic abuse can cause both acute and persistent mental health difficulties in victims. However, some victims have a history of psychiatric issues that may be aggravated by the abuse, while others may acquire psychological difficulties as a direct consequence of the abuse. Many frequent coping strategies for trauma, such as: are examples of behavioral and emotional impacts of domestic abuse.
Following are some of the emotional impacts of domestic violence enhancers:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Extreme anxiety
- Uncontrolled Ideas
- Depression, which includes extended melancholy
- Low self-esteem and a shaky sense of self
- Suicidal ideation or attempt
- Abuse of alcohol and drugs
- Hopelessness
- Feeling undeserving
- Concerned and disheartened about the future
- Inability to believe
- Doubting and questioning spiritual faith
- Unmotivated
What Strategies Should Victims Use to Protect Their Children and Themselves?
Contacting the police, getting a restraining order, or finding sanctuary at a friend or relative’s house or a domestic violence shelter are all common protective tactics advocated by family, friends, and social service providers. It is commonly considered that these recommendations are effective in keeping victims and their children safe from abuse. However, it is important to realize that while these tactics may be useful for some victims of domestic abuse, they may be impractical and even hazardous for other victims. Obtaining a restraining order, for example, might discourage some abusers but can drive other abusers to become increasingly violent and menacing. Because this advice is real and visible, they tend to assure others that the domestic assault victim is actively working to address the abuse and stay safe, even if they introduce new hazards. Furthermore, these alternatives solely address the victim’s physical violence. They do not address the victim’s economic or housing issues, nor do they give the emotional and psychological protection that victims require. As a result, victims frequently assess “perpetrator-generated” dangers vs “life-generated” risks while making decisions and seeking protection.
The Victim and Parenting
Domestic violence’s adverse impacts can have a negative effect on parenting habits. Parents who are abused may have increased stress levels, which can affect the nature of their connection with and reactions to their children. Victims who are focused on avoiding physical assaults and dealing with violence face extra obstacles in providing safety, care, and nourishment to their children. Due to injuries, mental weariness, or sadness, some victims of domestic abuse are emotionally or physically inaccessible to their children. Domestic violence survivors are more prone to abuse their children than those who are not mistreated by their relationships. Victims who use physical force or improper punishment practices in certain situations are attempting to shield their children from possibly more severe forms of violence or discipline by the abuser. A victim of domestic abuse, for example, may smack the kid if the abuser threatens harm if the child is not silent. Domestic abuse appears to be a direct cause of the victim’s negligent conduct. This is demonstrated when the abuser refuses to allow the victim to take the kid to the doctor or to school so because the adult victim’s injuries might disclose the abuser’s abusiveness.
Many of domestic violence victims are not lousy, inept, or violent parents, but studies warn that domestic violence is one of several stresses that might have a detrimental impact on parenting. Despite persistent abuse, many victims have supportive, loving parents who help to mitigate the damage of their children’s exposure to domestic abuse. Given the influence of violence on parenting habits, it is advantageous for victims to get therapies that reduce their suffering so that they can help and benefit their children.
Domestic violence enhancer has a long-term impact on both adult victims and children who witness abuse. Children and adolescents who are exposed to domestic abuse suffer emotional, mental, and social harm that can impair their development. It also hurts the community. If you are the one who is suffering from abuse or someone you know is suffering from it, it is better to seek help and call authorities.
