PSA Paper: Domestic AbuseAbuse is non-discriminatory, which means it can happen anywhere and to anyone. 32% of high school students will be in an abusive relationship. (www.statisticbrain.com) Kids who witnessed abuse as children will be twice as likely to commit abuse when they become adults. Domestic abuse is more common than most people think because one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, even worse, 1 in 3 women killed in a homicide will be killed by a former or current abusive partner. Domestic violence is a serious problem in society. Domestic violence is one of the most under-reported crimes and that is not okay. (www.ncadv.org) Even though people typically don't report enough, police still spend about 33% of their time investigating domestic abuse calls for service. (www.safehorizon.org) Abusers have a few key characteristics, they typically use fear, guilt, shame and intimidation to wear you down. They become overly jealous and possessive and will begin to isolate you from your family and friends. They limit your access to money and people and monitor you constantly, for example if your spouse makes you call every hour to check on your whereabouts even though you told him where you were, this would be a trait of domestic abuse. (www.helpguide.org) The sign of abuse in victims is that they will have bruises or imprints that may be in the shape of a hand, or they will suddenly start to withdraw from people or have mood changes. They may start to have psychosomatic complaints, such as stomach pain or headaches. Typically, if you ask them what happened, the story they tell won't match the injury. The abused person may develop a fear of being touched. If children are being abused, ... middle of paper ... you can always learn self-defense to protect yourself. You should always be with someone when walking in a seedy neighborhood. Never let the person who is supposed to love you hurt you, and you should never hurt the person you are supposed to love. If you ever feel like hitting your significant other, take some time to calm down. You should count to ten and breathe deeply, or you could say the alphabet out loud. There are always ways to stay in control of your temper, but if things get to the point of abuse you should seek help immediately. Never allow yourself to be the only person arrested for domestic abuse or, even worse, murder. If you go to prison for this, you get out and your permanent record will be opened, that means when you try to get a job people will see it. Everyone would know what you did to that person. Don't let domestic abuse affect your entire life.