Domestic Violence In Australia Essay

For centuries domestic violence has been perceived as a private matter private of which the government has not been concerned about nor was it considered the government’s business to intervene on behalf of a battered spouse. The unlawful nature of this failure for state or federal government intervention against this crime contributed to the systematic abuse of women in the family. The traditions, customs, and common law found in both British and American societies continued right up until the last decade of the 20th century and left the battered wives and very frequently, her children, at the mercy of the husband. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when the government began to do something to protect mothers, wives, and lovers from intimate

Domestic violence is defined as emotionally or physically (or both) controlling an intimate partner, often involving physical assault, stalking or sexual assault (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Something close to my home, Fargo North Dakota 2005, 1 in 5 women reported that she had left her home due to abuse. In Fargo, 45 percent of homeless women had experienced violence from an intimate partner in the past year (ACLU Women 's Rights Project, n.d.). Living so close to Minnesota as well, 1 in every 3 homeless women were driven from their home by domestic violence in 2003 (ACLU Women 's Rights Project, n.d.). These numbers are unthinkable when a person lives in the area, and knowing that it happens to just about anyone. Many women don’t have the resources or family around them that they can rely on when something of that nature occurs. When a woman has had enough of the abuse and decides to leave the situation, they often times have

The laws have to fair for everyone but easier for the victims of domestic violence to get justice for the crime of domestic violence. What is meant by this is that make easier for the victim to prove that domestic violence has happened and then the judge has to decide on the evidence that is shown and by the precedent of other domestic violence cases to get a restraining order or some kind of justice for the victim. This is also very import that it is easy to access courts or someway of reporting and receiving justice. This means more people will report the crime and will help get help and try and lessen the amount of domestic violence. The legal system issues for domestic violence are evident in the legal

(Williams 152) Many domestic violence victims lack family support because either they have passed away or they have really bad relationships with them so they instead are forced to to rely on battered shelters and homeless shelters for protection. Research conducted on homeless and domestic shelters find that shelters are temporary and they rarely provide help for more than 3 months. Research on on homeless and domestic shelters also suggest that shelters do not provide individuals with the ability to become economically dependent; therefore, it is to no surprise that women make up a large portion of the familial homeless population. (Roschelle

Also, Dawnovise explains “that recognizing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and substance abuse issues would help better understand their issues, by developing more need comprehensive interventions and services”, ( Dawnovise, 2009). Domestic violence among women in shelters is such a broad area. Residing in emergency shelters is a start to getting to the core of their ordeal and to help residents / clients open up about their issues and learn better coping skills ( Dawnovise, pp.322-323).

Prevalent domestic violence has prompted shelters to be established for protection from abusers. In an effort to better assess the needs of survivors and establish intervention and prevention strategies studies have been initiated to help identify, develop, and adapt needed support for proven program and practices.

The focus of this paper is to bring more public awareness to domestic violence against men. Our research proved that little or no concerns are given to battered men who cry out for help from the law enforcement; in most cases minimum rights are given to them in court. Domestic violence against men is not being addressed with a sense of urgency as it is for women. Limited resources are available for the abused men and minimum funding are provided for assistance of any kind. Statistics show that domestic violence reported rate may be higher for women than men since men tend to hide the abuse due to pride and society stereotype. There is a great need for equal opportunity for the abused victim whether that individual is a male

Today, we have laws and organizations that help those who were victims and to stop people from being victims. One organization to help those who are victims is the Battered Women’s Justice Project. The organization helps those who have been victims of domestic maltreatment and promotes innovations in policy and practice that improve the response of domestic violence, (“Protection And Justice Are Every Victim’s Rights,” N.D.) In 1994, congress passed the Violence Against Women Act. It recognises domestic violence as a national crime. Both the law and the organizations help domestic

An agency in Stuart, Florida that helps women in cases of domestic abuse is called SafeSpace Shelter Program. This agency offers victims of domestic violence and their dependents a safe housing to escape the violence in their home. While in this program residents can attend individual and group advocacy, develop individualized safety and action plans which assists them in staying safe and setting and achieving personal goals. Initial steps that this agency takes with victims are to bring them to a secure and confidential shelter. They assess their immediate needs and help to meet these needs; this is called the acute phase. SafeSpace advocates then work with the victims to obtain employment, childcare, legal services and safe housing.

Domestic Violence in Australia is an increasing statistic; research from ANROWS violence against women shows that 89 women have been killed by their current or former partner between 2008 – 2010, this is nearly one every week. This statistic is quite frightening and just shows how prevalent domestic violence is in Australia.

Domestic violence is an issue close to my heart. Being born and raised in country Victoria, I know too well the barriers those victims of violence face from rural areas when trying to access support services (Davis, Taylor, & Furniss, 2001). There exists a notion that domestic violence is only physical. This is wrong as there as several forms of domestic violence. Domestic violence is defined as coercive control by one partner against the other using emotional, sexual and physically abusive behaviors to ensure power control (Hart,

According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men have been victim of (some form of) physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime. This statement is staggering! While once a completely lifeless topic among society, abuse is finally starting to receive some light by appearing in media such as movies, commercials, music, and television shows. As depicted in the film Safe Haven, abuse is traumatic and demoralizing whether it be verbal or physical, subtle or blatant; it is a part of many men and women's lives, but it is commonly overlooked by our society leading it to be a misunderstood and silenced issue.

This paper will look at the different stakeholders which include primary stakeholders, secondary stakeholders, and key stakeholders and list some contacts and stakeholders that might be important for me to contact for getting a domestic shelter opened in the Gary, Indiana area or surrounding counties that need one. In addition, questions will be answered about what organizations that I may collaborate with for my proposal on a domestic violence shelter and people that could part of the action plan. Furthermore, this paper will discuss who should be the leader of the group and if an advisory council or task force may be formed and how one might be established.

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) often seek help from emergency shelters like Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC), and the clients of these emergency shelters are generally in need of temporary housing, counseling, transportation, and/or advocacy (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence [NCAVD], 2015). The overriding problem for these shelters is lack of space (NCAVD, 2015). In 2015, a one-day census conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence found over 40,000 adults and children seeking refuge from IPV through the use of emergency shelters, with an additional 30,000 individuals receiving other services like counseling, transportation, and legal advocacy (National Network to End Domestic Violence [NNEDV],

The United States has over 1,500 domestic violence shelters and programs for battered women. One acclaimed program that helps survivors of domestic violence and protects victims is the ‘National Coalition against Domestic Violence’. This organization collaborates with other national organizations to promote legislation and policies concerning domestic abuse (NCADV, 2016). The NCADV’s goal is, “To seek macro-level change in order to create a society in which domestic violence is never tolerated or minimized, in which victims and survivors are respected, and in which service providers have the resources to serve all victims and survivors” (NCADV, 2016).