Consequences of Violence for Children

Domestic violence against mothers also has a negative impact on children and adolescents who grow up in such families. Even if they themselves do not get beaten, they live in an atmosphere of anxiety that shapes the way they deal with violence at a later age.

Negative Impact on Child Development

When fights, threats, fear, and beatings dominate the children’s everyday life and when they consider their home unsafe, this will leave a mark on their personality development. There are a variety of immediate consequences: Problems at school, bed-wetting, sleep disorders, headaches, fits of rage, eating disorders, or retarded speech development.

When children experience violence against their mothers, this also increases the risk that they themselves will have problems in dealing with violence at adult age. In many cases, they likewise tend to act violently towards their partners.  

Impact on Children Often Underestimated

Abused mother often assume that their children do not notice the violence. But the children and adolescents do witness the domestic violence. They have a grasp of the situation and sense its effects. Occasionally, they also experience neglect and feel overwhelmed.

Cooperation to Protect Women and Children

Youth welfare organisations in Germany regard the situation of children who witness violence between partners as increasingly endangering the child’s well-being. In order to intervene effectively in violent situations, youth welfare organisations have to work more closely together with organisations that support women who are affected by violence. Their common concern should be an improved integration of the protection of women against violence with child protection in cases of violence. Affected children in women’s shelters and specialised counselling centres are in need of gender-specific and age-specific service offers that help them cope with their experiences of violence.