Every family is an important element of a society, but violence in the family is a hazardous destabilizing factor in society. Actually, in the early history of the United States, when court rulings essentially upheld a husband’s right to beat his wife, men were at the top of the family hierarchy. In spite of the fact that there were decisions that a spouse ought not beat his better half, aggressive behavior at home was constantly viewed as a private family matter and the courts ought not get included. Then the growth of the feminist movement caused more attention to be paid to the issue of domestic violence, which led to changes in the law on domestic violence. Until 1994 that Congress passed “the Violence Against Women Act”, which was the first time the U.S. federal government implemented a comprehensive law to address domestic violence, it requiring states to honor protection orders issued by other state courts, and allowing victims to file lawsuits in federal court. According to an expert, “Domestic violence includes physical and mental injuries as well as forms of sexual abuse. In the case of physical injury, the victim suffers minor injuries or is killed in serious cases. In the case of psychological injuries, the victim is verbally abused and harassed, isolated from family and friends, or loses his or her financial resources. In the case of sexual abuse, the victim is often forced to have sexual relations with the other party”. Most acts of violence have a malicious intent. If many people use domestic violence as an excuse to intentionally harm another person, then this is a very serious and intentional crime. Firstly, domestic violence seriously harms citizens’ right to health and life; secondly, it also harms victims’ psychological health and may lead to a series of tragedies such as mental disorders, self-inflicted suicides, and violence. I believe that domestic violence places an enormous burden on the harmony and stability of society, and to some extent even impedes the building of a civilized society and a society governed by the rule of law.

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