Domestic violence is becoming a significant topic of research by the day. It is broadly described as any form of violence that occurs within the precinct of a domestic relationship. The fact that this definition leaves out many other related forms of abuse led to the coinage of an even broader term - intimate partner violence. The new term covers all relationships. Children who witness the events have always been the collateral damage of intimate partner feuds. In particular, they suffer almost as much as the actual victims of the violence yet are often ignored in research and even statistics. If anything, the focus has always been on the children who directly face abuse and violence. The most current research as of 2015 by the National Children’s Alliance (n.d.) reveals that approximately 1,670 children succumbed to both abuse and neglect in the U.S. alone, with child advocacy organizations serving over 311,000 victims. On average, it is approximated that over 700,000 children suffer from abuse in America every year (National Children’s Alliance, n.d.). However, even these debilitating figures do not quite capture the situation. They only capture direct victims of abuse and violence, but not those who witness violence daily. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (n.d.), about 10 million people (men and women) in America face domestic violence and abuse every year. Suppose just one child is involved in each of these cases, then the precise figure for children witnessing and perhaps experiencing domestic violence would stand at around 10 million. In case more than one child is involved, the net figures would be staggering and unbelievable if the current ones are not. The following research is seeking to prove that children who witness domestic violence suffer just as much as the actual victims. They bear a range of physical, behavioral, emotional, and social burdens related to these events.
Problem Statement
According to Kimball (2016), government statistics on child victims of domestic violence have to be thoroughly reviewed and confirmed before they are availed to the public. Likewise, a more significant number of these cases go unreported. Since data take time before it is available, the existing statistics are outdated and potentially inaccurate. It would be fruitless working with the existing data to achieve any meaningful end in the struggle to assist children who witness domestic violence. All this while, this population continues to languish, suffering emotionally and socially without any targeted and effective form of help (Callaghan, Alexander, Sixsmith & Fellin, 2015). These negative impacts could cascade down several generations to come (Forke et al., 2019). In particular, these children potentially carry with them the burden of witnessing cases of violence into adulthood because (Katz, 2016), for instance, they never received appropriate counseling and other forms of intervention.
Purpose of the Study
The fact that even national statistics have failed to capture the number of children who witness domestic violence clearly is a demonstration of the fact that this population has been grossly ignored. Similarly, a larger body of research focuses on children who experience domestic violence, that is, the actual victims. As a result, they may not even be the target of intervention programs for victims of domestic violence despite potentially suffering the same consequences. While this study may not provide the actual statistics, it will extensively illuminate the problem as an express and immediate call for action by all the responsible authorities. Furthermore, it will add to the existing body of knowledge and address the research gap.
Research Question and Objectives