Putting an End to Domestic Violence

In response to a comment made by U.S. Senate majority leader Henry Reid that the U.S. could see a surge in domestic violence due to the unemployment rate, the executive director of Cottage House Inc., a Batterer Intervention Program and Care Facility in Florida, says that instead of creating job bills, parents and society as a whole should instead focus on teaching children and young people not to express their emotions through violence and abuse.

David H. Horne, Cottage House’s director, says that instead of focusing on factors that could cause an increase in domestic violence, such as a job loss, it’s more effective to communicate to all people—men, women, boys, and girls—that it is absolutely unacceptable to beat or abuse a spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, child, grandparent, or any other relative. It is also important to enforce that violent behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and stress that everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes and with their families. Horne says that until everyone has this mindset, we can only expect violence and abuse to continue to occur.

Horne says it is crucial to teach children that abusing or inflicting violence is absolutely unacceptable. Horne also says society would benefit greatly from funding programs that help families find ways to express their anger and frustration through non-violent means. Until it is ingrained that violence and abuse are not the answer, Horne says we are just helping to perpetuate the cycle of abuse.