One of the most overlooked problems as to any issues regarding children in our society is the impact Domestic Violence has on a young individual. When the topic of domestic violence comes up in any conversation I have with others, mostly everyone states how hard it must be for adult victims. While it is hard for anyone involved, children (if applicable) who witness such traumatic events can impact on their wellbeing. Children who witness, or are involved in any sort of abuse are most likely to suffer from a number of issues, including (FACS, n.d.):
- Learning, Behaviour and Wellbeing
- ongoing Anxiety and Depression have
- Trouble forming any form of positive relationships.
- Run a risk of being homeless
- Drug and Alcohol abuse
- Engage in risk-taking behaviours
- Experience or use violence, be controlling and manipulative in relationships. (repeating the cycle)
In crucial early learning years, the ability to focus properly and do school work can be disrupted, and tend to not do well in primary school (James, 1994, UNICEF, 2006).
In a Psychosocial framework, it is believed that ongoing trauma and abuse have a long term effect on a young person/child’s development and psychosocial outcomes. This can include the ability to form healthy relationships in adulthood (Price – Robertson et al., 2013).
Overall, children in their younger years need to feel love and support within their home and support networks in order to grow and develop properly. Every child has the right to grow up feeling safe in their own home and should not fear for their own or other’s safety.
Throughout my research into the impacts and how children view Domestic Violence, I have come across this video. ‘What I See’ is a short film produced by Global Pictures for Sutherland Shire Family Services. To summarise it, it is about a little boy who sees violence through his eyes. In society, his dad Paul is a well-known guy, respected by everyone. He narrates throughout the video, and the shift of energy between the man he knows at home versus society and how everyone else perceives his father is evident. The video shows the harsh reality of what and how children would feel throughout these situations.
Effects of Domestic Violence on a Child
Faye's Blog 
This is a very interesting blog post. It is hard to come to terms of the serious impacts on children, especially from such a young age. As a child care worker, i have experienced seeing children being negatively impacted and it can be difficult to find a process to help these children. Throughout my career, i have never known about what impacts may occur as the children enter their youth and i have found this surprising. This then makes me wonder about what initiatives can be implemented to help a range of children to deal with this trauma and lessen the impacts for them in the future.
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