Judy Van Wyk examined the facts, reasons and beliefs on male female violence.
Van Wyk spoke about Social Dysfunction and how it can be separated into to categories; intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary divides. Intradisciplinary identifies the victim and offender in partner violence. Van Wyk states that the majority of the violence that happens occurs between couples. And because couples can include gays it is incorrect to assume that violence can only occur between males and females and therefore incorrect to label it "male/female" violence. Interdisciplinary identifies physical and metal harm through partner violence, and the ways to which to prevent it from occurring. The cycle of violence looks at what makes women stay in an abusive relationship and screening programs have been developed to determine how harmed women can be from staying in these abusive relationships.
Dr. Van Wyk also has shown us some very disturbing facts about violence in Rhode Island and around the country. 1.5 million around the nation experience physical abuse every year. And in Rhode Island out of the 2,912 arrested made for physical abuse this year 40% of the time children where there to witness what happened. And a total of 175,000 children witness violence every year. In 2,709 of the cases the offender was under some type of a substance, and ONLY 205 of the offenders where forced to go to counseling. On the national average offenders serve an average of 1-7 HOURS of jail time. Abused women endure 7-9 beatings before they leave their spouse. 1,183 offenders" violated protective orders alone in Rhode Island and 1,308 of the accused were already on probation for other violent crimes.
Van Wyk also speaks about how neighbor can inadvertently promote violence, through the people that are living there, advertisements and even the way that the blocks and streets are arranged. She also talks about how punishment for violent behavior is not a deterrent it will make the offender more angry and can incur more physical violence.
