DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. THE TRUE LIFE OF WOMEN IN THE “PERFECT HOME”

Abstract

Domestic violence is one of the most frequent violations of human rights, occurring worldwide and manifesting in various forms. It has been found that domestic violence should not be ignored or considered normal. Thus, various actions have been initiated to inform society about the consequences of this issue at individual, community, and national levels. Although in Romanian society, the awareness of domestic violence came much later, in the last three decades, previously being a “taboo” subject, today, violence against women is viewed with a different attitude. Through this paper, I aimed to identify the effects of domestic violence on victims, and for data collection, the interview guide has been used. The study is based on the analysis of 5 interviews conducted with women victims of domestic violence, who were beneficiaries at the time at the Social Services Center for Adults in Difficulty in Iasi. The discussion areas have been focused on the following aspects: the history of violence in the couple relationship, the couple relationship, the factors leading to acts of violence, the reason why the woman remains in the abusive relationship, and support services for victims. The main aspects identified from the study refer to the partner’s alcohol consumption, which is a primary factor in triggering acts of violence, jealousy, lack of financial resources (a reason that keeps the victim trapped in the relationship), and the partner’s promises.