Family Violence

Family violence occurs throughout the country every day. It can include physical, sexual, and financial abuse, child abuse and neglect, and elder abuse.

Exposure to familial violence has a devastating impact on all involved, including children who may not be direct victims but who witness the violence. Advances in neuroscience and child development have shown that the trauma children experience when they are exposed to physical, sexual, and emotional violence harms their ability to mature cognitively and emotionally, and it scars them physically and emotionally well into their adult lives.

Frequent exposure to violence in the home not only predisposes children to numerous social and physical problems, but also teaches them that violence is a normal way of life.