Domestic violence and children : raising awareness of school personnel responsibilities

Abstract

Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of physical, sexual, and/or psychological behaviors perpetrated against a person by a current or former intimate partner, in order to control the other partner. Research has shown that exposure to violence between parents, or between a mother and her partner within the context of home and families during childhood results in a wide range of developmental outcomes. The literature reviewed in this essay shows that domestic violence is a prominent indicator of a number of other forms of child maltreatment and abuse that include physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, and neglect. The abuser typically abuses the mother, but the mother may also abuse the children. There are a number of risks and protective factors that can increase or mitigate the effects of violence witnessed and/or endured by these children. It is imperative that primary care providers such as school personnel that have closer contact with children and their families are educated about the dynamics of domestic violence, recognize both immediate and long term consequences faced by children, and intervene as early as possible to protect and support the children in their care. It is important to raise awareness of domestic violence and its impact on children and schools in current teacher education.