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Although domestic violence includes sibling abuse and elder abuse, and child abuse the



focus of my essay is on spouse abuse. Domestic violence has many names; family violence,



battering, wife beating, and domestic abuse. All these terms refer to the same thing, abuse by a



marital, common law, or a dating partner in an intimate relationship. Domestic violence is not



limited to physical beatings. It is any behaviour that is intended to subjugate and control another



human being through the use of humiliation, fear, and physical or verbal assaults. Domestic



violence is very important issue in today's society because it has such a profound negative affect



on the abused, mentally and physically, and more needs to be done to help the abused and



prevent it from happening further. Even though Domestic violence can be caused by either the



male or the female it is usually caused by the male due to their controlling nature and physical



advantage.



History and Causes





Since the dawn of time physical force has been used to keep subordinate groups in their place by



dominant people in society. Men have always been physically larger than women and since most



societies are male dominated, too no surprise the woman has almost always been the most



common victim. In Roman times, a man was allowed to divorce, chastise, or even kill his wife



for adultery, attending public games, or public drunkenness. All of which the husband was



allowed to freely partake in. During the middle ages it was mans right to beat his wife or kill...