The situation of the social problem
Nowadays, domestic and family violence is still considered as a severe and non-neglected social issue. It badly ruins the families. The cases of domestic violence have been dramatically increased during the past few years. Compared to 2009-2010, it is announced that the number of domestic violence occurred was double in 2013-2014 in Victoria alone. ABS also reported that the population of Australia who experienced domestic violence was about 100,000 in 2006 (St Vincent de Paul Society 2015). In most cases, the majority of domestic violence victims were women (nearly 87%) (Hill 2015). When those women were assaulted, their children may witness the violence at the same time, it could have a negative effect on their growth in the long run.
Generally speaking, women are forced to leave and become homeless along with their children because of continuous threats, physical and mental abuses. The most prevalent cases of homelessness due to domestic violence occur among children and women, it is reported that about 187,000 (mostly women and children) sought for housing services due to the family violence from 2011 to 2014, which account for 36% of the total demand for homelessness service (Lauder 2016). What’s more, domestic violence has destroyed the lifestyle of women belonging to lower economy. The women are helpless and are unable to earn or mange funds for their living. The domestic violence has made women and children suffer financially,
Statistic’s have suggested violence is perpetrated against women in almost half of all marriages (Domestic Violence).Statistic’s gathered from 1994 indicate domestic violence causes almost 100,000 days of hospitalization, 30,000 emergency room visits, 40,000 trips to the doctor every year, and 50% of all homeless woman and their children are fleeing domestic violence( Domestic Violence).
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.
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
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.
Woman and children will usually become homeless due to being victims of domestic violence. While men make up the majority of homeless, women and children make up 38%-50%. (Thompson. p. 4). Women who face domestic violence are usually young with little education and work experience. When they are forced to leave their homes, they have few skills to fall back on. Without family or friends to help them, they will end up staying on the street. Children also face varying levels of domestic trouble. When turning legal age, they are sometimes forced from their homes. Other Children face neglect and abuse and leave on their own hoping to find a better life. One third of these homeless youths will not finish school or earn a high school diploma by age 18 (Thompson. p. 6). Domestic trouble will put them on the street, with a limited education and job history, they will have few options to fix their
“Every year, in the United States there are over 3 million incidents of reported domestic violence. Every year, 4,000 victims of domestic violence are killed.” (Domestic Violence: Disturbing Facts about Domestic Violence). Domestic violence is a crime that is not just committed in the United States, but worldwide. This crime is committed every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. Anybody can be a victim or the abuser. This can happen to any child, man or woman. This is a horrific crime. Women are more likely to be the victim in domestic violence than men. “Forty-five percent of all violent attacks against female victims 12 years old and older by multiple
Domestic violence is a major issue with in the Australian society. Domestic violence is defined as a deviant behaviour by a person towards another person in a relevant relationship in any way that controls or dominates another person. (Domestic violence, 2014) ‘The Psychological of Criminal and Antisocial Behaviour’ state that, the primary form of domestic violence is classed as intentional violence. Intentional violence refers to the violent behaviours that are enacted with purpose, its occurs in domestic relationships, where there is a clear imbalance of power. (Mauro. P, 2017)
According to the National Coalition for the homeless, when a woman decides to leave an abusive relationship she often has nowhere to go and with the lack of affordable housing and long waiting lists for assisted housing means that many women and their children are forced to choose between abuse at home and life on the streets (National Coalition for the homeless, 2009). Majority of these women are force to face these circumstances because their husband or partners were the beard winners in the homes and most them were stay at home moms, which may hinder them from finding a job because they may not be qualified or simply do not have the resources. These women often have poor credit records and employment histories because of the violence they have experienced. National Coalition for the homeless also stated that landlords often discriminate against victims if they have a protection order or any other indicator of domestic violence and if violence occurs in the home, landlords can evict their tenants, resulting in a victim becoming homeless because she was abused (National Coalition for the homeless,
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 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).
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 typical sheltered family is compromised of a mother in her late twenties with two children. 84% of families experiencing homelessness are female-headed.” (Green Doors, 2011). There are many different factors that play a role in why single mothers are at a higher risk for being homeless including poverty, lack of education, lack of family support, substance abuse, and physical and emotional deprivation. One of the largest factors leading to homelessness among single mothers is related to violence or abuse. “1 of every 4 homeless women is homeless because of violence committed against her. Inadequate housing and shelter options, evictions, discrimination, poverty, and other factors contribute to the crisis of homelessness caused by family
Domestic Violence (DV) is a critical social issue that negatively impacts not only our own culture in America but as well as all other cultures around the world. Domestic Violence is a global issue reaching across national boundaries as well as socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions (Kaur & Garg 2008). Domestic Violence is a serious problem that can be seen around every society from families of both developed and underdeveloped countries and of different backgrounds. Although there are various cases of domestic violence against men, children and the elderly; women account for the majority percentage of victims of Domestic Violence. This violence can take the form of physical assault, psychological abuse, financial abuse or sexual assault (Kaur & Garg 2008). Domestic Violence is a trend that is on the rise and will continue to plague our society if nothing is done on time to address this social issue.
Many women stay with an abusive partner for five main reasons: social background, financial problems, lack of family support, traditions and values (Gharaibeh & Oweis, 2009). Violence against women is a severe problem that creates a negative environment. As a result, other individuals living in the family are also negatively affected when there are sudden changes in a household. Moreover, society needs to acknowledge these negative impacts that occur within the household against women. When violence is perpetuated within families, children often observe their parents and thus reflect violent characteristics in their behaviours; thereby, such features can be passed on for generations. In addition, a positive environment must be enforced for families that are affected by domestic violence; understanding the negative effects is the first
Throughout society there are a multitude of social problems ranging from micro to macro scales. Social problems are considered something that negatively affects an individual’s state of being in a society. Unfortunately, there are a wide range of social problems that effect such a magtiude of people. Some examples of nationwide social problems: LGBT adoption rights, abortion, planned parenthood funding, transgender soldiers, death penalty, and many others.