Hello lovely people! I'm Cara, an intimate partner violence researcher participating in the #GlobalScienceShow

Today, I'm analyzing Chris Brown's infamous assault against Rihanna to teach you about #IPV- which in women will experience in their lifetime

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You likely already know the story: Brown brutally assaulted Rihanna & photos of her injuries went viral online.

Rihanna became a poster child for #IPV, but has since decided to use her experience to help other women.Let's see what we can learn from her story.

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Above all, Rihanna's story proves that experiencing violence can happen to anyone- some even call it the "great equalizer".

And trust me, it does happen: 1 in 3 women will experience violence in their lifetime.

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But her story goes deeper.

Women with a history of abuse are disproportionately likely to continue to enter/find themselves in abusive relationships. /

Rihanna has disclosed that her father was an abuser.

The intergenerational impacts of violence are real.

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We also know that violence frequently escalates after the initial episode(s).

Brown admitted that they verbally fought, and eventually it became physical , manifesting into the media popularized assault we know today.

Sometimes, this escalates to #femicide.

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Often, our first instinct is to tell women to #leave an abusive relationship/situation.

But, Rihanna trying to leave the car escalated the violence.

#IPV involves extensive coercive control over a partner-leaving is complicated and even escalate violence.

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It may sound counterintuitive, but staying in an abusive relationship can be safer than leaving.

#SafetyPlanning is critical for:
a) ensuring the safety of the woman and any potential children &/or pets
b) minimizing the risk of retaliation by the abuser.

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Rihanna's story also plays into the stereotype of #IPV: that it's exclusively physical. In fact, #IPV comes in many forms- #physical is but type.

This has contributed to making it difficult to raise awareness and recognize alternative experiences of violence.

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The media also encouraged #EpisodicFraming: the idea that occurrences of #IPV are random and disconnected.

This makes it easy to assign individual blame - and avoid working towards change!

Really, #violence is a product of societal + cultural failures.

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Chris Brown, a black man, was drinking the night of the assault.

#IPV is disproportionately prominent in black relationships w/ use. This is attributable to #EconomicStress + #RacialInequality - NOT distinctive effects of alcohol among African-Americans.

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Thanks for tuning in to this brief, *non-exhaustive* discussion about #IPV! Trusted #resources to keep handy

Feel free to @ me with questions.

P.S. There are tons of other cool scientists in the @GlobalSciShow- check them out w/ #GlobalScienceShow.

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