Domestic violence is mostly about control and it can be physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse against an intimate partner. Problems associated with domestic violence frequently find their way into the workplace in one way or another. If not by overt harassment, then by other ways like decreased productivity, loss of self-esteem, sick time, and so on.
Domestic violence is a dark and pervasive issue that's often very difficult to spot because the survivors many times suffer in silence because of perceived stigma. Throughout this presentation, you'll notice that the women, men, and teenagers who are caught up in these abusive situations are referred to as survivors rather than victims, as used to be the case. Survivors empower themselves with the tools needed to overcome the many obstacles that would otherwise keep them in.
in a hostile relationship. It's very important to create a culture where employees who are in situations like this feel safe and knowing that they can go to their supervisor or manager in confidence and let them know what's going on without the worry of retaliation or having their business told to people who don't have a need to know. Otherwise the supervisor and managers are likely to think the employees just not coming to work or is just being unproductive.
Security is the other reason to tell someone. There are security precautions that can be taken to help keep the affected employee and the others in the workplace safe. The next few slides will cover information on domestic partner violence, the types, signs, characteristics, coping mechanisms, etc.
This is only a brief look that merely scratches the surface of this dark, pervasive issue that not only affects the survivor, but may also endanger the workplace as it follows them to work. Domestic abuse does not only come in the form of physical attacks. It can be intense verbal harassment such as intense criticism, emotional or psychological abuse, or sexual coercion, even mutilation. These are some of the types of physical injuries that survivors may endure.
Remember, though, that many times the abuser may be clever enough to do harm in a way that does not show any physical signs. This list of signs and symptoms is not all inclusive, but these are some of the most common ones. One or two of these.
symptoms or signs may not be significant. However, if you should start to see clusters, then that could mean that there is a problem. There is no single profile of a domestic violence survivor. They come from every demographic group without regard for educational level, economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender. Some consistent risk factors are being female.
90 to 95% of the abusers are male. Prior victimization is also another risk factor. Most of the available information refers to females as the survivors. However, statistics are now becoming available that show that males are also abused. What about the abusers?
They also come from every demographic group. Frequently, males who are exposed to violence as a child are more likely to become abusers and may confuse violence with masculinity.