The widespread problem of domestic violence

Wisconsin residents may be dismayed to learn that an incident involving domestic violence takes place about once every nine seconds in the United States. Experts in the area say that much of the violence in modern society is rooted in family quarrels and disagreements, but they feel that this often goes unnoticed as law enforcement rarely places sufficient emphasis on these underlying causes when investigating violent incidents.

The issue of domestic violence crosses racial, religious and economic lines, and its victims are often seen as being somehow responsible for causing the situations they find themselves in. Advocates for domestic violence victims also say that threats made against intimate partners are often not taken seriously enough by police.

Statistics can convey the scope of the problem but not the impact that it has on families. Domestic violence was cited as the cause of more than 1,300 deaths and approximately 2 million injuries in the United States in 2014, and experts say that many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented. Steps that could be taken to tackle the problem include education about healthy relationships for teenagers, more effective tools for law enforcement and harsher sentences for violent offenders. Domestic violence advocates say that victims are often forced to live in fear while their abusers walk freely.

Experienced attorneys will likely be very familiar with how combustible intimate relationships can be, and they may have witnessed bitter arguments during negotiations over contentious family law issues like spousal support, property division and child custody. When they are informed by their client of a physical threat, attorneys may seek to have a restraining order issued. This kind of order prohibits further contact between the parties and requires the abuser to surrender firearms and keep a distance from the victim.