If emotional and verbal abuse can cause more damage to a person than physical abuse, why less legal repocussn

Question

Seems like the two should be equal, or heavier consequences on the verbal side... Wondering if it is such a good thing teaching kids to rip each other apart emotionally & mentally is "ok", but to physically lash out is bad. Realistically both are bad and both discouraged.

Answer 1

How do you document the amount of abuse? How do you document the actual damage it causes?

P.S. your question suggests that physical abuse LACKS an emotional component. How can that be???

Answer 2

The harm of successfull physical abuse is that you can't defend yourself. You're completely innocent. You are just there and you cop it. e.g. no 80 pound weakling is going to assault a 200 pound football player but the opposite can happen.
With emotional and verbal abuse you can (in most circumstances) simply walk away. The law expects you to take as least some responsibility for your well being. Not that they specifically deserve it, but many of these sufferers bring it on themselves because they are slow in gathering up the will power to leave their abusive environments and move on with their lives.

Answer 3

Physical bruises will heal, verbal ones will not. You cannot take back something horrible you say. But there is no proof of verbal abuse, only the emotional mess left over. Our laws need revamping badly, too many people get away with too much these days.

Answer 4

You are right they are both damaging, it is easier to identify physical abuse though, and therefore easier to punish the abuser. Emotional and verbal abuse leave emotional scars but those can not as easily be identified.

Hope this Helps you a Little

Answer 5

Like Cho from Virginia Tech? Yeah, it would seem that there isn't much sympathy for people who came from these types of homes in the Court system. It shouldn't be an excuse to be a criminal either. Many people have grown up kicking or being: "The Dog." Isn't this why we have school counselors also?

Answer 6

Because unfortunately most judges , prosecuters, defense lawyers haven't caught up to that idea yet. If you can't see the wounds, there must not be any....sad isn't it.

Answer 7

becuase ones effects can be physically proven. while mental abuse maybe worse, it cannot really be proven. whereas broken bones and bruises cannot really be skewd.

Answer 8

Much more difficult to prove.