Domestic violence results in more than just one victim. Like any virus, it spreads and takes down all who are directly exposed to it. When children witness acts of domestic violence in the home it drags them into a darkness and can easily last a lifetime.

Presented here are the statistics and details about the many longterm ways that witnessing domestic violence in the home impacts children.

How Witnessing Domestic Violence Impacts Children

Source: National Institutes Of Health & Childhood Domestic Violence Association

• Approximately 45 million children will be exposed to violence during childhood.


• Approximately 10% of children are exposed to domestic violence annually, and 25% are exposed to at least 1 event during their childhood.


• Ninety percent are direct eyewitnesses of violence.


• Males who batter their wives batter the children 30% to 60% of the time.


• A boy who sees his mother being abused is 10 times more likely to abuse his female partner as an adult.


• A girl who grows up in a home where her father abuses her mother is more than six times as likely to be sexually abused as a girl who grows up in a non-abusive home.


• Children who witness abuse are 7.4% more likely to attempt suicide.


• Children who witness abuse are 50% more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.


• Children who witness abuse are 74% more likely to commit a violent crime.


• Children who witness domestic violence are at an increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, aggressive behavior, anxiety, impaired development, difficulty interacting with peers and academic problems.

While it would be wonderful if children could be quickly shielded or removed from an abusive home environment, that doesn't always happen. The abuser counts on the darkness that they create to hide the truth about what they perpetrate.

Another reality which prevents helping a child is their reluctance to tell what's happening in their home. A family member or teacher may see that a child is troubled but when they ask what's wrong, that child will often not reveal details about the violence happening in the home. This can be due to fear that the abuser will target them next or shame over what's happening.

Or already has.

Solutions

Removing fear and restoring a sense of safety within a child who has witnessed abuse in their home is key to preventing any longterm effects which could destroy their life.

This calls for a team effort. First and foremost is the parent who has been the victim of domestic violence. As challenging as it will be, they need to display strength which will benefit themselves as well as their children.

If that's not possible, the family needs to step forward and provide that child with the feeling of family that's positive and healing so they don't feel lost, abandoned or shut down.

In too few instances there are state and local laws that mandate that children in domestic violence cases receive counseling. This is an idea which needs to be greatly expanded with the person charged with domestic violence paying that cost.

A parent should always place their children first and want the best for them. When a parent becomes an abuser they place themselves first in their minds.

Restoring peace and a feeling of safety for a child who has had to live in a home where abuse took place will prevent that violence from spreading via the hands of those who have witnessed it.