ABSTRACT
Domestic violence poses many threats and challenges within the African American community. The Black Women’s Health Imperative actually designated domestic violence as the number one public health issue impacting African American women in 1997 (Joseph, 1997). Largely hidden from public view, domestic violence often takes place secretly in homes, with women questioning how to respond, when to leave, and what to do. Social, health, and criminal justice systems have also been faced with the same questions: how to respond, when women should leave, and what should be done to address the violence. Domestic violence is a major issue that impacts all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, religion, or sexual orientation. Domestic violence is defined as “a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion that adults or adolescents use against
Prevalence of Domestic Violence in the African American Community 16 Barriers and Challenges to Receiving Services 17 Systemic Discriminatory Treatment 18 Limited Culturally Competent Services That Are Geographically Available 19 The Historical Context of Abuse 20 Messages of Racial Loyalty 20 Implications 21 Invest in Healthy Relationship Education 21 Promote More Community and Faith-Based Responses 22 Invest in Primary Prevention Efforts 22 Increase and Fund Culturally Competent Responses and Programs 23 Conclusion 23 References 24
their intimate partners” (Schechter & Ganley, 1995, p. 10). While there has been an increasing focus on male victims and female perpetrators, women are consistently more often victims with male perpetrators. Overall, 5 million people reportedly experience domestic violence in this country each year (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2003), and women continue to be the victims of abuse by their male partners over 90% of the time (Rennison & Welchans, 2000). In 2007, it was reported that domestic violence rates were declining for the general population; yet, the rates remained constant for African American women (Catalano, 2007). While the decrease in overall rates is still being disputed in the field, the questions as to how and why African American women are at, what appears to be, an increased risk of experiencing domestic violence still persist. This chapter will examine statistics related to domestic violence in the African American community, discuss some of the challenges and barriers experienced by the African American community to stop domestic violence, and end with recommendations as to how to move forward to eradicate domestic violence in the African American community.
