Sunday, December 2, 2007

Jerusalem Post article on battered women

This week's Jerusalem Post has an article on battered women in Israel (not particularly in the religious community). An excerpt:

According to Glick, abuse occurs in a cycle: The husband tends to find wrong in everything that his wife does. He will then begin to complain, and the complaints lead to a beating. After the beating, they will both relax because what they both know was going to happen has happened. Then they enter the "honeymoon phase," during which he may apologize for his behavior, cry and bring her presents. This phase can last for any period of time, until the complaints begin again. The woman's life becomes like a rollercoaster. She can never be sure when the abuse will happen, and her fear and expectation of future violence places her in a position where she feels she must be doing something to make him angry enough to hit her. Then, again, they will enter the honeymoon phase and she can relax until the next episode. "Weekends and holidays tend to be the worst days for those who are abused, and therefore most complaints come in on Fridays and Sundays," says Glick.
Here are two hotlines for abused women to contact if necessary:

L.O. Combat Violence Against Women: 1-800-353-300
Haifa Battered Women's Hotline: 1-800-22-0000