According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), violence; “The purposeful use of physical force or force against oneself, another person, a group or community, in a threatening or actual manner that causes or increases the likelihood of physical harm, psychological harm, death, developmental problems or deprivation.” (World Health Organization, 2002).
Common elements encountered when looking at various definitions of violence; Domestic violence is defined as using force to hurt, injure, or kill a person, to damage property, or to achieve an illegal goal (Özerkmen, 2012: 2).
Domestic violence was defined by the American Psychological Association in 1996 ( It is defined by APA as "behaviors that include physical, sexual and psychological mistreatment in order to provide power, control, autonomy and authority to the person with whom a person is close in a relationship." The phenomenon of domestic violence does not generally occur as a single event, but is generally observed as behavioral patterns used by the person who commits violence against the victim. Domestic violence; It can be observed in different ways, including physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence. It mostly appears as violence committed by men against women and children.
The theory of domestic violence cycle was put forward by Lenore Walker in her book The Battered Woman Syndrome (1979). Walker's theory basically defines the pattern of recurrence of abuse in violence committed by the spouse/partner. When the voltage rises, the cycle begins. It may be triggered by a concrete impulse (‘a bad day at work’, drinking, arguing about money, etc.). As a result, physical abuse occurs, but emotional or mental abuse may have started before. Then, the person who abused apologizes and says that it will not happen again, or that it will not happen again. He/she denies it and may even blame the victim. This event is followed by a period of calm until tension and violence escalate again. Although most violent relationships emerge in this way, as time passes, the 'recovery' and 'calm' phases gradually become shorter and eventually disappear, until violence in some form becomes a daily routine.
Walker's Cycle of Violence Theory
In the first stage;
The violent party : Apologizes, begs the other person for forgiveness, promises to get therapy help, sends flowers/gifts, says “I will never do this again,” expresses love.
Reaction of the victim: Agrees not to leave, returns or takes the violent person back home, tries to stop legal proceedings, makes a therapy appointment for the violent party, feels happy/hopeful.
In the second stage;
strong>The violent party: Acts erratically, finds fault with everything, isolates the other party, does not show interest, shouts, takes alcohol or drugs, threatens, and damages property.
Reaction of the victim: He tries to calm the other party down, moves away from his family and friends, keeps the children quiet, submits, withdraws, tries to make excuses, cooks his favorite meals, in general acts cautiously.
In the third stage;
The party using violence: Hitting, choking, humiliation, rape, use of weapons , verbal abuse, throwing things at him etc.
Reaction of the victim: He protects himself and the children, calls the police, tries to stay calm, tries to make excuses, leaves the house, resorts to violence. resists (Walker, 1979).
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
Violence creates permanent effects on children. Some of the effects of violence on children who witness violence within the family can be listed as follows:
• A child who sees one of the parents committing violence against the other or his/her parent being subjected to violence against his/her sibling does not feel safe, gets scared, upset,
• Feels guilty even if he/she has nothing to do with the events,
• He/she feels beaten, violent and learns that pressure is a problem-solving method and applies it, It happens,
• He feels anger towards the person who uses violence,
• He may experience various problems in his development,
• His self-image is shaken, his feelings of confidence are damaged, his boundary setting skills are not developed,
• To escape from a violent environment, they may run away from home, enter a marriage they do not want or are not ready for at an early age, or make choices they do not want.
Children who have been exposed to or witnessed violence may have one or more of the following symptoms: It may indicate more:
• Inability to sleep, fear of sleeping, having nightmares, waking up frequently,
• Headache, stomach ache, nausea not due to a medical reason. Physical symptoms such as,
• Extreme anxiety, fears, startling when there are sudden sounds or movements,
• Aggressive behavior, irritability, quarrelsomeness, hurting other children or animals,
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• Temper tantrums or other compulsive behavior,
• Lack of interest in people, school, or activities he used to enjoy,
• Weakness, lack of energy,
• Inability to express emotions,
• Feeling alone and abandoned,
• Difficulty in concentrating and focusing attention, failure in school,
• Bedwetting, regression in language development Underage behaviors such as,
• Frequent and long-term crying, feeling anxious and tense,
• Physical health problems,
• Behavior problems in adolescence (e.g. child criminality, alcohol – substance use),
• Emotional difficulties in adulthood (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders)
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