Not all domestic abuse ends in murder; most dwell somewhere less final on the checklist.
As a young police officer called out to a ‘domestic’ Jane Monckton Smith couldn’t understand why the target refused to get in the ambulance. She found out during her career, that many targets of domestic abuse are far too terrified to risk escape. They know the punishment for escape can be more violence against them or, worse, their children. The most dangerous stage of ending an abusive relationship is just after ‘escape.’
It can happen to anyone. Jane Monckton Smith had a relative that fell into such a controlling relationship. Most people were surprised to learn that Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) was trapped in such a relationship, but if you are an abuser, a more docile target wouldn’t be such a prize to control, and who is going to believe that Scary Spice can be abused? She’ll be too embarrassed to admit it.
You can’t force a target to leave their abuser; it can be very dangerous. As Jane Monckton Smith did, all you can do is to ensure the target knows you are there if and when they decide to leave.
Having read the case histories in her book, I agree that domestic violence can be more accurately described as domestic terrorism.
#DomesicViolence #Control #JaneMocktonSmith
