Intentional Injuries

II. Intentional Injuries
A. Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV), can be broadly defined a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation. Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation. Domestic violence may or may not constitute a crime, depending on local statues, severity and duration of specific acts, and other variables. Alcohol consumption and mental illness have frequently been associated with spousal abuse. Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating.
Forms of abuse
a) Physical violence is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing injury, harm, disability, or death, for example, hitting, shoving, biting, restraint, kicking, or use of a weapon.
b) Sexual abuse is common in abusive relationships. Battered women are raped by their partners at least once during their relationship. Any situation in which force is used to obtain participation in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity constitutes sexual abuse. Forced sex, even by a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence. Furthermore, women whose partners abuse them physically and sexually are at a higher risk of being seriously injured or killed.
c) Emotional abuse (also called psychological abuse or mental abuse) can include humiliating the victim privately or publicly, controlling what the victim can and cannot do, withholding information from the victim, deliberately doing something to make the victim feel diminished or embarrassed, isolating the victim from friends and family, implicitly blackmailing the victim by harming others when the victim expresses independence or happiness, or denying the victim access to money or other basic resources and necessities. People who are being emotionally abused often feel as if they do not own themselves; rather, they may feel that their significant other has nearly total control over them. Women or men undergoing emotional abuse often suffer from depression, which puts them at increased risk for suicide, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol abuse.

d) Economic abuse is when the abuser has complete control over the victim's money and other economic resources. Usually, this involves putting the victim on a strict "allowance, "withholding money at will and forcing the victim to beg for the money until the abuser gives them some money. It is common for the victim to receive less money as the abuse continues. This also includes (but is not limited to) preventing the victim from finishing education or obtaining employment, or intentionally squandering or misusing communal resources.
e) Stalking is often considered a type of psychological intimidation that causes a victim to feel a high level of fear.
B. Gang and Youth Violence
A gang is a group of three or more people using common identifying signs, symbols and colors demonstrating their common purpose to engage in criminal, violent or anti-social activity such as graffiti, vandalism, extortion, intimidation, robbery, theft, drug sales and use, and violence (e.g. drive-by shootings).
Why Do Young People Join Gangs?
· They want to feel powerful
· They want to have status
· They are looking for protection, security or safety
· They are looking for friendship or their friends are in a gang
· They feel peer pressure to join
· They want attention and to be accepted
· They want money or other material items
· They want to feel like they are part of a family
· The media makes it seem attractive to be in a gang and the youth think it's cool
· They do not have a mentor to help guide and support them
C. Kidnapping and Abduction
Kidnapping is the taking away or aspiration of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority. This may be done for ransom or in furtherance of another crime, or in connection with a child custody dispute.
D. Sexual Victimization
Sexual harassment is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment may be illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and annoyances to actual sexual abuse or sexual assault. Sexual harassment is a form of illegal employment discrimination in many countries, and is a form of abuse (sexual and psychological) and bullying.
Types of harassment
· Power-player - Legally termed "quid pro quo" harassment, these harassers insist on sexual favors in exchange for benefits they can dispense because of their positions in hierarchies: getting or keeping a job, favorable grades, recommendations, credentials, projects, promotion, orders, and other types of opportunities.
· Stereotypes - An employer, co-worker or supervisor also cannot harass you because you do not conform to the typical male or female stereotype
· Mother/Father Figure(a.k.a. The Counselor-Helper) - These harassers will try to create mentor-like relationships with their targets, all the while masking their sexual intentions with pretenses towards personal, professional, or academic attention.
· One-of-the-Gang - harassment occurs when groups of men or women embarrass others with lewd comments, physical evaluations, or other unwanted sexual attention. Harassers may act individually in order to belong or impress the others, or groups may gang up on a particular target.
· Third Party sexual harassment - describes sexual harassment of employees or peers who are not themselves the target of the harassment; this includes groping. Third-party sexual harassment may be either quid pro quo or hostile environment.
· Serial Harasser - Harassers of this type carefully build up an image so that people would find it hard to believe they would do anyone any harm. They plan their approaches carefully, and strike in private so that it is their word against that of their victims.

· Groper - Whenever the opportunity presents itself, these harassers' eyes and hands begin to wander, engaging in unwanted physical contact that may start innocuous but lead to worse.
· Opportunist - Opportunist use physical settings and circumstances, or infrequently occurring opportunities, to mask premeditated or intentional sexual behavior towards targets. This will often involve changing the environment in order to minimize inhibitory effects of the workplace or school or taking advantage of physical tasks to 'accidentally' grope a target.
· Bully - In this case, sexual harassment is used to punish the victim for some transgression, such as rejection of the harasser's interest or advances, or making the harasser feel insecure about himself or herself or his or her abilities. The bully uses sexual harassment to put the victim in his or her "proper place."
· Confidante - Harassers of this type approach subordinates, or students, as equals or friends, sharing about their own life experiences and difficulties, sharing stories to win admiration and sympathy, and inviting subordinates to share theirs so as to make them feel valued and trusted. Soon these relationships move into an intimate domain.
· Situational Harasser - Harassing behavior begins when the perpetrator endures a traumatic event (psychological), or begins to experience very stressful life situations, such as psychological or medical problems, marital problems, or divorce. The harassment will usually stop if the situation changes or the pressures are removed.
· Pest - This is the stereotypical "won't take 'no' for an answer" harasser who persists in hounding a target for attention and dates even after persistent rejections. This behavior is usually misguided, with no malicious intent.
· Great Gallant - This mostly verbal harassment involves excessive compliments and personal comments that focus on appearance and gender, and are out of place or embarrassing to the recipient. Such comments are sometimes accompanied by leering looks.
· Intellectual Seducer - Most often found in educational settings, these harassers will try to use their knowledge and skills as an avenue to gain access to students, or information about students, for sexual purposes. They may require students participate in exercises or "studies" that reveal information about their sexual experiences, preferences, and habits.
· Incompetent - These are socially inept individuals who desire the attentions of their targets, who do not reciprocate these feelings. They may display a sense of entitlement, believing their targets should feel flattered by their attentions. When rejected, this type of harasser may use bullying methods as a form of revenge.
· Stalking - The persistent watching, following, contacting or observing of an individual, sometimes motivated by what the stalker believes to be love, or by sexual obsession, or by anger and hostility.
· Unintentional - Acts or comments of a sexual nature, not intended to harass, can constitute sexual harassment if another person feels uncomfortable with such subjects.
E. RAPE
Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent. In one survey of women, only two percent of respondents who stated they were sexually assaulted said that the assault was perpetrated by a stranger. For men, male-male rape in prisons has been a significant problem. Several studies argue that male-male prisoner rape might be the most common and least-reported form of rape, with some studies suggesting such rapes are substantially more common in both per-capita and raw-number totals than male-female rapes in the general population. When part of a widespread and systematic practice, rape and sexual slavery are recognized as crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Types of Rape date rape, gang rape, marital rape or spousal rape, incestual rape, child sexual abuse, prison rape, acquaintance rape, war rape, statutory rape.
PREVENTION MEAURES OF INTENTIONAL INJURIES
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION
a. Call the police
b. Get support from friends and family
c. Find a safe place
d. Get medical help
e. Get a personal protection order
f. Personalized Safety Plan
YOUTH AND GANG VIOLENCE PREVENTION
What you can do?
• Become a mentor and share your skills.
• Report suspected gang activity to the local police department.
• Recognize and believe that concerned, caring adults can make a difference.
ü Personality changes
ü Alcohol / drug use
ü Unexplained wealth
ü Graffiti
ü Dress in a particular color/style/brand
ü Change in vocabulary
• Talk about gangs with your child before there is a problem.
• Be a good role model.
• Inform parents.
• Work as a community to look out for and protect each other'
• Encouraging the victim to be involved in sports or other recreational activities.
• Form a group that can help save the youth from gang violence.
KIDNAPPING AND ABDUCTION PREVENTION
· Follow your instincts Always listen to your gut instinct; it should always be taken seriously. If someone is following you and don't feel an immediate threat, turn and look them in the eye. They then know that you can identify their face and then you are not an easy target.
· Change your public routine occasionally When it comes to your route and times-- mix it up! If you were being watched it would make it more difficult for your abductors.
· Have a plan Imagine how you would react to various abduction situations. The element of surprise will then switch to your favor if you don't have to try to think of something in the heat of the moment.
· Be ready to react Your hesitation could cost you your life! You have a plan, use it.
· Carry a security device A personal alarm that is activated by pulling a pin out. The intense siren noise should be enough to draw enough attention to prevent kidnappings. Weapons are useful only if you know how to use them. Mace spray or tasers, while effective when used properly, can be your worst enemy if taken from you and used against you.
· Run away In a kidnapping attempt the goal is to get away, not beat up the attacker. Once he/she lets go, run! Don't look back- we've seen that in the movies- it'll slow you down.
· Draw attention Scream "FIRE" or "CALL THE POLICE". People are less likely to come to your aid if you simply yell for help. Children should yell, "I'm being kidnapped!" or "I don't know this person!"
· Put something between the kidnapper and you Run into a crowd of people, in a busy street or anything that may slow him/her down.
· Grab onto something Grabbing onto a person would force them to get involved. Go for the stronger looking person. Grab a light pole, parking meter or anything. This technique should be taught to all children to prevent kidnappings.
· Fight as if your life depended on it It does. Fight dirty--aim for the eyes, nose, throat or groin. Use your knuckles, elbows, knees and feet. Flail your arms wildly to make it difficult for the abductor to keep hold of you.

SEXAUL HARRASSMENT AND RAP PREVENTION
· Women should learn self-defense.
· Women should lock themselves in their houses after dark. Women shouldn’t wear short skirts.
· Women shouldn’t leave drinks unattended. Perhaps they shouldn’t dare to get drunk at all.
· Yelling, running away and calling the police
· If you feel uneasy about someone, don't let them isolate you.
· Make a scene if you must.
· Get to where other people are.
· Use your viewer to see who is outside before you open the door.
· Never let someone in if you feel uneasy about them.
· Teach your children not to let others come into your home without your permission.
· If someone wants to use the phone you can take the number and make the phone call for them. Never enter your home alone if you think someone has entered illegally.