As October comes to an end, so does Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Nevertheless, well after Tuesday, October 31, domestic violence will continue to cast a dark shadow over people’s lives and relationships.
Abusive partners subject their victims to not just physical and sexual mistreatment, but also financial control. Domestic violence perpetrators likewise isolate their partners from friends, family, and other loved ones who could intervene on their behalf.
In far too many of these situations, children are involved, as well.
Oftentimes, people make the mistake of believing young kids lack awareness of what’s happening in their homes. Though more frequently than not, children have greater perception skills than they receive credit for.
A closer look at how domestic violence impacts children
While abusers continually use the children they share with their victims as pawns to keep the latter trapped in domestic violence situations, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s been well-documented that children growing up in abusive households suffer, oftentimes in silence. This suffering can manifest in the forms of nightmares, learning disorders, emotional/psychological problems, and struggles to make friends with their peers.
