18Children Who Witness Domestic Violence: How to Better Protect and Support Battered Mothers and Their Children

In Taiwan, the impact upon children who witness domestic violence has just been noticed. As a matter of fact, only until recent years has evidence shown that children who witness domestic violence can be adversely influenced.[1] In the U.S., studies estimated that more than 3.3 million children between the age of three and seventeen are exposed to domestic violence each year. And in eighty-seven percent of domestic violence cases the children directly witnessed their mothers' abuse.A common description of the definition of witnessing" includes seeing and hearing violence between parents, as well as observing the aftermath of violence, such as broken furniture, bruises, or parental apprehension when the abuser is present.While the law has begun to acknowledge the effects of domestic violence on women through increased legal protection, child witnesses are often overlooked unless they themselves are victims of physical abuse.