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Victims Rights and
Support Organizations
Tennessee
Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
East
Tennessee Victims Rights Organization
Shelby
County Victim's Assistance Program
You
Have The Power
Tennessee
Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund
Office
For Victim's of Crime (Federal)
National
Center For Victims of Crime (Federal)
Victims'
Assistance Legal Organization (Nationwide)
National
Crime Victims Compensation (Nationwide)
National
Organization For Victim Assistance (Nationwide)
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Cycle of Violence
PHASE ONE
Step 1:
- minor battering.
- victim's denial of anger helps them to cope with a
situation they desperately believe will change.
- victim blames outside factors; takes guilt for battering
incident; apparent passive acceptance spurs on the abusive
behavior and batterer doesn't have to find control.
Step 2:
- batterers don't want behavior made public, causing fear
in them the victim will tell, thus increasing the
oppression.
- batterer's brutality keeps victim captive.
- learned helplessness syndrome.
Step 3:
- as Phase 1 progresses, battering incidents increase,
anger escalates, victim realizes Phase 2 is coming and
works hard to control external situations: keeping
children quiet, no phone calls.
- soon coping techniques fail.
Step 4:
- batterer increases possessive smothering and brutality.
--victim less able to defend herself against the pain and
hurt.
- victim withdraws; batterer moves in more oppressively.
- unbearable tension builds up.
- victim sometimes triggers Phase 2 in order to break the
unbearable tension, to just "get it over with".
PHASE TWO
Two characteristics of Phase 2:
1. lack of control
2. lack of predictability
- acute battering with major destructiveness.
- lasts usually from 2 to 24 hours, with some reports of a
week or more of terror.
- only batterers can end Phase 2.
- there's an element of overkill and victims express
extreme futility of trying to escape.
- victims suffer emotional collapse 22 to 48 hours after
acute battering. They seek isolation; thus doctors often
do not see them until a natural healing time has passed.
- extreme sexual abuse also during this time.
PHASE THREE
Unusual period of calm.
- batterer is extremely loving and kind and contrite.
- they are sorry and promise to never do It again.
- they believe they can maintain control.
- also believe they have taught victim a lesson so that they
won't have to beat them again.
- promises to give up drinking.
- convinces victim they're needed, makes them feel guilty
for leaving; makes victim feel the responsibility.
- promises they will get help if victim just stays.
The victim sees batterer being sincere and loving. Victim
chooses to believe this is what they are really like, this is
everything they wanted in a partner. Victim believes that if
only they help the batterer they will change. A Symbiotic Pair:
each dependent on the other. During Phase 3, when loving
kindness is most intense, symbiotic bonding takes hold.
Phase 3 is a time when almost all of the rewards of being
married or coupled take place; thus making It extremely
difficult for the victim to leave or end the relationship
Information provided by www.crisis-support.org.
Duluth Model power and
control wheel. "Using male
privilege" and "using economic abuse" are seen as
key components of men's oppression of women.
Graphic provided by Menweb.
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