Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as mental, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by someone who is in a personal relationship with the abuser. The effects of this abuse can be both direct, causing death, rape or injury; and indirect causing psychological and sociological harm (Stover, & Lent, 2014). Stover and Lent (2014) further explained that while 36 % of women and 28 % of men have experienced either physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner, many domestic violence services are primarily focused on women and children (Stover & Lent, 2014). Both types of abuse have lasting generational effects when witnessed or experienced by children in the household. Domestic violence …show more content…
Empowerment is a way for advocates to help victims understand and overcome the violence by identifying the signs of abuse, developing positive relationships, and rebuilding self-esteem. An advocate can have a positive or negative effect on a victim, so an advocate must be able to identify the victim’s needs and provide the necessary guidance for her. Empowerment effects both the advocate, the victim, and the entire community at large. The minimal research that has been conducted in testing the efficacy of the empowerment model have been focused on urban settings. More research is needed in order to quantify the efficacy of the empowerment model in the rural setting. Many themes have been used within domestic violence institutions in order to gain a better perspective in aiding victims. Empowerment has become the most acceptable method used in rural and urban institutions, allowing the advocate to understand the victim’s perspective and to validate the myriad of emotions the victim has experienced (Morgan & Coombes