Home is the first place where a child is supposed to get unconditional love, care, kindness and safety. But not all families can assure a safe haven for kids at home. Children who become victims of domestic violence or witness domestic violence are at serious risk of physical and mental health problems. The impacts of direct and indirect domestic violence on children can be both short-term and long-term. Like other common occurrences across the country, domestic violence is an uncomfortable feature of Bangladesh as well as in many other countries. Research has shown that about 10 million people are affected by incidents of domestic abuse annually. This number will also increase if we consider the silent victims- children. A study in 2010 shows that 1 in fifteen children was exposed to cases of intimate partner violence and 1 in 3 also experienced acts of violence. Let’s explore here the consequence of domestic violence on children.  read Postpartum Depression, Mood Swings: How can new moms deal with these issues? What is Domestic Violence? Domestic violence also known as domestic abuse or family violence is a kind of violence or abuse that occurs in a domestic setting. It is also called intimate partner violence, which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person. Domestic violence relates to violence against children, parents, or the elderly in various forms such as physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, or sexual abuse.  How can domestic violence affect children physically and mentally?  When a child is abused or tortured directly by a family member or intimate partner that includes physical, sexual, psychological, or economic violence, it is called direct domestic violence.  Short-term effects of direct domestic violence on children Children who are the victims of domestic violence may feel fearful and anxious. This can cause short-term effects on them so they react in different ways depending on their age: Effects of domestic abuse on preschool children Young children who experience domestic violence generally start doing things they naturally do at a young age like bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, increased crying and whining. Most often they may show signs of terror like mumbling or hiding. They may also show signs of severe separation anxiety. Read Newborn Baby, Infant Care Tips during Summer Impacts of domestic violence on School-aged children School-aged children often feel guilty about the abuse and blame themselves for it. Domestic violence hurts children’s self-esteem and so they always feel annoyed with everything and may not participate in school activities. Usually, they can't achieve good grades at school. Generally, the victimised kids have fewer friends than others. They might face trouble in making new friends or socialising. Most often they suffer from headaches and stomachaches. Implications of family abuse on Teens Domestic violence affects teens in negative ways, for example fighting with family members or bouncing school. The abused tenagers may engage themselves in risky behaviors like having unprotected sex and using alcohol or drugs.  Besides, they have trouble making friends. They usually start fights with others and most importantly get in trouble with the law. These types of behaviors are widely seen in teen boys who are abused in childhood compared with the abused teen girls.  Read Creative Toys for Children to Foster Creativity Staying Away from Electronics How watching domestic violence can affect a child's mental health?  When a child witnesses the abuse of their mothers, fathers, or other family members,  this is called indirect domestic violence. This may affect a child psychologically, emotionally and even physically. Watching family abuse may create negative influences on children both in short terms and long terms. Short-term effects of indirect domestic violence on children Check below some of the quick effects that children usually experience after witnessing domestic violence. Anxiety Children tend to remain in horror if they see abuse of one parent by the other. They feel insecure at home as they remain scared of the next physical or verbal assault. If domestic abuse between parents or among other family members frequently occurs at home, it can create a state of perpetual anxiety in children.   Read Young Kids Wearing Makeup: Health Risks and Ways of Prevention

When sub-inspector Shapla picked up the hotline, she heard a woman screaming for help on the other end. “Please help me. My husband is beating me. I’m dying,” said the woman in a desperate voice. The distress call on August 21 this year came from Dhalpur community centre in the capital city. SI Shapla (who gave only one name), then in charge of Quick Response Team (QRT) of police, gathered her team and rushed to the scene where she found a 22-year-old woman being battered by her husband. Also read: Strategic plan launched to ensure greater gender equality in Bangladesh police force

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all to ensure the reproductive health rights of everyone, everywhere noting that resources for sexual and reproductive health services were diverted with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read:FM greets UN chief Guterres on re-appointment “As we mark World Population Day, let us pledge to ensure the reproductive health rights of everyone, everywhere,” he said in a message marking the World Population Day that falls on July 11. Guterres said the Covid-19 pandemic continues to upend the world, reaching one grim milestone after another. Read: Next 10 years final chance to avert climate catastrophe: UN chief In addition to the millions of lives tragically lost, there has been a less visible toll:  a shocking rise in domestic violence as women were forced into isolation with their abusers; empty maternity wards as women postponed motherhood; and unintended pregnancies due to curtailed access to contraceptive services, he said. “Our latest estimates indicate that Covid-19 will push 47 million women and girls into extreme poverty. Many girls who are out of school may never return,” said the UN chief. Read: Let's work together to defeat COVID-19: UN chief In every corner of the world, he said, they are seeing a reversal of hard-won gains and an erosion of women’s reproductive rights, choices and agency. “These gaps in access to health rights are unacceptable. Women cannot be alone in this fight.”

The woman arrested on suspicion of killing her three young children at her Los Angeles apartment had been involved in a custody dispute with their father, according to a newspaper report Sunday. Liliana Carrillo, 30, was arrested Saturday in Tulare County after fleeing the gruesome scene and leading law enforcement officers on a long-distance chase, authorities said. The Los Angeles Times cites family court documents that show Eric Denton sought custody of the children — ages 3, 2 and 6 months — on March 1. Denton requested a temporary emergency visitation order from the court on March 4 and petitioned for a mental health evaluation of Carrillo, according to the newspaper. Orders were drawn up at a March 26 hearing. Another hearing in the case was scheduled for April 14. Also read: Mother arrested after 3 children found slain in Los Angeles In response, Carrillo sought a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Denton on March 12 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, documents show. In a brief interview with the Times, Denton confirmed he was the father of the three children — two girls and a boy — and said he’d been in a custody battle with Carrillo after she began acting mentally unstable. Denton said he tried to get local authorities to intervene, but “in L.A. they wouldn’t help. The LAPD would not get involved.” He said Carrillo was supposed to turn over the kids to him on Sunday. Also read: Pathao co-founder Fahim Saleh found dead in NY apartment The children’s grandmother returned home from work Saturday morning and found the bodies and the mother missing, Los Angeles police Lt. Raul Jovel said. Police said initial reports suggested the children had been stabbed to death, but no official cause of death has been released. Los Angeles police initially received reports Carrillo was driving her car and heading north on Interstate 5 when she got in an altercation in the Bakersfield area. She abandoned her car and carjacked another vehicle, Jovel said. Also read: Police: Multiple people killed at Colorado supermarket   Carrillo was detained in the Ponderosa area of Tulare County, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Bakersfield, police said.

 

UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has joined hands with Twitter and critical partners to provide important information about helpline services for domestic violence survivors.   It works as follows: When a Twitter user searches for terms associated with violence against women ("abuse,” “sexual assault,” “domestic violence,” etc.), the top search result will be a notification in their language: “If you are experiencing violence, help is available,” followed by a relevant hotline number and the Twitter handle of that service.   Twitter, with support from UN Women, is launching the prompts in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Viet Nam as part of Twitter’s #ThereIsHelp notification initiative.   For UN Women, the decision to cooperate with Twitter was motivated by UN Women’s focus on ensuring essential information and helpline contacts are accurate and accessible to everyone, including people who feel marginalized or are hard to reach — especially at a time when service providers are less available.   “Violence against women and girls across Asia-Pacific is pervasive but at the same time widely underreported,” says Melissa Alvarado, UN Women Asia Pacific Regional Manager on Ending Violence against Women.

A married couple were confined in a room for 14 hours till  Saturday morning, during which they were inflicted with torture for allegedly stealing a mobile phone in Anandanagar area of Bandar upazila in Narayanganj.

Sylvia. Dalila. Aminata. Céline. Julie. Their names are plastered on buildings and headlines across France, calling attention to their shared fate: Each was killed, allegedly by a current or former partner this year.