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. Department for Child Protection and Family Support, 2015). The extreme effect domestic violence can have on individuals has a corrosive and insidious
…show more content…
Family and Domestic Violence is an issue that affects between one in three and one in five women (Mouzos & Makkai, 2004). In 2014 the Western Australia Police released the statistic that there had been over 40,000 calls for assistance in cases of domestic violence between 2013 and 2014 (Western Australia Police, 2014). Domestic Violence is responsible for the majority of physical injuries to women and is a contributing factor to around 60% of homicides with female victims (Shackelford & Mouzos, …show more content…
Gelles and Straus also found that, closely related to substance abuse, low self-esteem of the perpetrator can also promote physical violence. One theory that gained traction in the early 1970’s through the work of William Goode (1974) is the “ultimate resource theory”. This theory assumes the inherent desire for a male to maintain authority in a family environment, and to be able to supply more highly valued resources to the family unit than his female counterpart. It is then argued that, “men may resort to
“Domestic violence is a type of abuse by one or both partners in marriage, friends, family, dating or cohabitation” (Aziz & Mahmoud, 2010). There are many forms of abuse from verbal and emotional to physical that often escalates over time in intensity for the victim. Data from the criminal justice system, hospital patient medical records and mental health records, police reports, surveys and social services reports of thousands of women revealed that many are injured and killed as a result of violence from someone close to them. “The US Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence 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 regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender” (Robertson & Murachver, 2009). Researchers and the criminal justice system have not been able to agree on a clear definition to domestic violence which can range from physical injury, stalking, verbal abuse and humiliation, denial of shelter and access to money, and intimidation through aggressive behaviors. The definition of domestic violence may vary but the results from physical injury, mental and emotional trauma, and sometimes even death can last a life time.
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, alternatively referred to as Intimate Partner Violence, is defined by the Department of Justice 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.” While domestic violence is commonly thought of as only physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence can also be emotional, economic, or psychological. Domestic violence has remained constant in society throughout history, even though over time society’s response to the issue has changed. While domestic violence affects everyone regardless of race, gender, age, etc. it is estimated that approximately 90% of all victims are women. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on
The population of domestic violence in Australia has allowed some government fund to the community to create many charities and campaigns to raise awareness of its existence to end.
1.0 The literature of Indigenous violence - Qualitative and Quantitate Analysis Domestic Violence pervasiveness amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contemporary society is a menacing topic that is often neglected by the Australian government, regardless of its severity. The definition of Domestic violence amongst Indigenous Australians and its causes differ from the general understanding the Australians have of the term. This report will examine the literature of domestic violence, elaborate on statistic and findings, provide perspectives on stakeholders, support the hypothesis and offer recommendations. Domestic violence refers to acts of violence (physical, sexual, emotional and psychological) that occur between
Out of the shadows and into the limelight, the once hidden crime of domestic violence has recently emerged within the Australian community as a widespread criminal issue. This abuse of power occurs in a relationship when one partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate and control the other. Inflicting physical harm upon another human being is undoubtedly a breach of the criminal law, yet the Australian legal system takes little measures to protect the wider community from this type of violence. According to Family Lawyer Richard Ingleby, domestic violence has often been condoned by the legal system due to the fact that assaults occur in the ‘private’ realm of the home where legal measures are regarded as inappropriate, and interventionist. However, by overlooking domestic violence as a criminal offence, does the Australian legal system fail to adequately protect the family unit from this form of violence? Recent studies from the Australian Bureau of Statics have revealed that 23% of women who have ever been married or engaged in a de facto relationship have experienced violence by a partner at some time during the relationship. Due to the secrecy that once surrounded this kind of abuse, victims often feel unable to speak out and seek help, therefore even large surveys cannot provide accurate estimates of the extend of domestic violence within the Australia community (Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre, 1998). Despite the high incidence rate of
From an Australian perspective the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) identified no single definition of domestic violence and is shaped in the context of inquiry from perspectives and understandings of organisations
In 2015, an Australian woman was killed in result of domestic violence by their husband, boyfriend or partner. Domestic violence can impact the victim’s health according to (Kristen 2003), abuse by husbands, boyfriends or partners can be linked to physical health to woman even though their not in an abusive relationship with their partner, it still impacts their health such as; getting anxiety, depression, mental illness. The majority of common injuries to women is by their current or former partner which is domestic violence the injuries that accrue from cuts, bruises and scars (Guth & Pachter 2000). Women have experienced three types of different injuries by their partners
Domestic violence A large contemporary issue in the legal system is domestic violence. Domestic violence is violent or aggressive behaviour which is usually between partners within a home environment. The legal system has become effective in relation to the issue of domestic violence through legal and non-legal responses. Domestic Violence is often violent or aggressive behaviour which is usually between partners within a domestic environment.
Domestic violence is an issue that is impacting the indigenous Australian population (Korff, J. 2015).This should be concerning to Australians so that they may help reduce fatal deaths by domestic violence (Korff, J. 2015).
Violence affects a healthy family’s relationship, state of mind and well-being, in other words, it’s normal functions. Because of violence, children are forced to endure and cope with mental, physical and emotional trauma leading to a display of impacts on health, development, and wellbeing. The effects build up over time and can impact on every aspect of their life. How many children and innocent lives must suffer from something unnecessary? Imagine walking into a home late at night to find a child hiding in a corner, with a bloody face and cuts all around their body saying they were self-inflicted or making up other silly excuses like falling down the stairs out of extreme fear. Up to 75% of all acts of domestic violence occurs between the ages 18-24. No child should ever see domestic violence as normal because the moment that happens a future perpetrator has been born. We need to take a stand and refuse to let domestic violence become something we ignore.
There’s high rate of family violence in Australia. Family violence could happen in every different level, every different social class. It doesn’t involved any reasons. Common abuse except in physical and other abuse, there’s also have “honor” based violence and emotional abuse.
This article was a story of domestic violence which is widespread across all cultures, ages and socioeconomic groups in Australia. It revealed that both men and women in Australia experience substantial levels of violence, but the rate of physical and sexual
Domestic abuse in the United States is a large-scale and complex social and health problem. The home is the most violent setting in America today (Lay, 1994). Sadly enough, the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a hold-up or similar crime but are killed by someone they know. Not surprisingly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention has identified interpersonal violence as a major public health problem (Velson-Friedrich, 1994). Current estimates suggest that three to four million women are the victims of physical abuse by their intimate partners (Harris & Cook, 1994). According to the FBI, some form of domestic violence occurs in half of the homes in the United States at least once a
First, the “one size fits all” approach is inappropriate and ineffective as it does not necessary gather for multiple causes and dynamic nature of domestic violence problems. As Justice Susan Glazebrook points out given that there are a myriad of factors behind family violence, any treatment efforts must got to the roots of the problem. We have identified above that the roots of the domestic violence are largely contributed to a variety of cultural, social, economic and psychological factors. It is fundamental for the success of the non-violence programme to differentiate among the types of family violence, allow for the development of more appropriate risk assessing instruments that would more accurately describe the central dynamics of the family violence, its context, and consequences. As Judge Boshier says, in order to have better decision making, appropriate sanctions and more effective treatment programmes must be tailored to the different characteristics of family violence. Otherwise, the programmes would not addressing the nature of violence that has occurred, therefore, in essence, one size does not fit all.