Domestic Violence In Australia

Prior to the 1800’s, the majority of legal systems regarded ‘wife beating’ as a way in which a husband could assert his dominance and authority over his wife. Within the 1970’s, attention to domestic violence began with the woman’s movement, principally through the introduction of feminism and women’s rights. In recent years however, the way domestic violence is viewed has changed. Previously, domestic violence only occurred within marriage, predominantly against wives and therefore formalised through the use of a marriage contract. Within modern society, domestic violence can now refer to

Domestic Violence is a major issue in Australia right now and many believe that there are not enough resources to help domestic violence victims. 25% of women report being affected by domestic violence in their lifetimes and yet there is still not much being done. One of the main reasons women stays in the home where they are experiencing domestic abuse is because they do not feel safe leaving their home. Domestic violence victims are being turned away from refuges and being sent to motels and caravan parks, the refuges instead take in homeless people.

According to “The United States Department of Justice” Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence has different forms sexual, physical, emotional and psychological actions or threats. These forms of treatment can influence another person. There are

Domestic violence has become an increasingly dominant problem within Australian society but is constantly pushed to the side like a burden. Domestic violence is a relationship between intimate partners in which one individual seeks to assert power and control over the other and cause fear or intimidation and doesn’t have to be physical abuse, it can be emotional, psychological, financial, sexual or other types of abuse. It can affect anyone in the community regardless of gender, sexual identity, race, age, culture, ethnicity, religion, disability, economic status or location ("home - Domestic Violence", 2016). Violence isn’t just physical violence it can also be sexual, verbal, psychological, emotional, spiritual, economic or social. Domestic violence is the most frequent form of assault in Australian society nevertheless, it remains a hidden problem because it occurs within the privacy of the home and those involved are usually reluctant to speak out. Women and Children are commonly affected by domestic violence in fact, 33.3% of women had experienced physical violence since the age of 15 (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2016). Although, studies show that men are not the only perpetrators, in fact more than 10,000 men alone have been affected by domestic violence in NSW ("10,000 men are domestic violence victims", 2016).

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior or coercive control in any relationship that is used by one person to gain or maintain power and control over another. (Violence). Most of society’s think domestic violence is when one of the spouses is abusing the other spouse. Domestic violence can occur between anyone who has lived together at one point of time; couples who have never lived together, but have a child together and family member who has live together in the same household. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of their class, religion, ethnic background, education, age, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, gender presentation, or immigration status. The domestic violence can place in different categories, such as; emotional abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and financial abuse. Researcher had discovered tactics that the abusers use to control their victims such as; dominance, humiliation, isolation, threats, intimidation, denial and shifting blame. (Helpguide.org).

A recent news article cited statistics that suggest domestic violence is increasing dramatically from year to year in West Australia (Pownall, 2012). In 2011, the police in West Australia responded to 39,297 domestic violence calls. This represents a 12.2% increase from the previous year and a 27.0% increase from 2009. Some of the factors blamed for this year to year increase were population growth, creation of domestic violence awareness campaigns, the economic downturn, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Domestic Violence is violent or aggressive behaviour within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or a partner.

In the past, Australian Federal and State governments have introduced several acts in attempt to suppress acts of domestic violence. Formerly, domestic violence was only recognised as physical abuse in a marriage between a man and a woman, as outlined in the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 1989 (QLD). As such, legislation

Domestic Violence in Australia Before considering the possible solutions to Domestic Violence in Australia, it is imperative to develop an understanding of the scale and scope of the problem. Firstly, there must be acknowledgement of the particularly damaging nature of domestic violence, Minister for Child Protection Helen Morton stating, “The impacts of this experience on the physical and emotional wellbeing, and overall quality of life, for adult and child victims can be devastating, with many experiencing a lifetime of fear, threatened and actual abuse and violence.” (Western Australia.

The following essay will demonstrate the profound trauma and losses experienced by female victims of domestic violence in Australia. This essay will also examine the relevant theories and guiding concepts prominent to domestic violence case work in Australia. Furthermore, this essay will formulate constructive ways of responding to the needs of the victims and survivors at a personal and public health level. Moreover, this essay will analyse the diversity of personal and public responses and perceptions of domestic violence in Australia.

Domestic violence is aggressive behavior within the home, generally involving the abuse of a spouse or partner in order to gain control or maintain power over another. This type of violence can be sexual, physical, emotional, or even psychological in which these threats influence the other person. It is not only about physical abuse, it’s the consistent pattern of behaviors that are used to make the victim feel threatened and manipulated.

Surprisingly, many Australians are unaware that about 2.56 of women (33 per cent of all women) have experienced physical violence and 1.47 million (19 per cent) have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. You also probably don’t know that only 7.2 per cent of the abusers have received a prison sentence. Although domestic violence is a widespread and growing problem in Australia, there is something quite radically wrong with applying the criminal law in this field.

Thousands of women and children in Australia lives are shattered from family and domestic violence, it causes physical and psychological damages. The failure to articulate its long-term effects, has social and economic consequences. The Australian Human Rights Commission have conducted human rights laws to free and protected anyone from a history of family and domestic violence, So nobody inducers physical, emotional and sexual abuse again.

Domestic Violence is a type of abuse that usually involves a partner or spouse wanting to take control and power of the other partner through the form of physical or verbal assault. Domestic Violence, defined as abuse involving intimate partners, is a growing problem in the United States (Barrier 1998). The frequency of violence can be on and off, occasional or chronic.

Australian studies have thrown that partner abuse within Australia ranged vastly from 2.1% to 28%. This is because results were largely dependent on the definition of domestic violence used in each study. The lack of precise definition of the term results in a number of various definitions. It is therefore essential that all forms of abuse, whether they are physical, sexual or verbal, truly are categorised under the term domestic violence (Hegarty and Roberts, 1998). Hence, it is evident that perceptions of domestic violence would vary from one individual to another.