Statistics on the Prevalence of Domestic Violence

Discuss about the Domestic Violence against Women in Australia.

Every culture has a way of celebrating the very core of the family establishment, peace, comfort and security that comes with homes. With reference to women, the home has turned out to be a place of pain and humiliation. Domestic violence against women by their male partners is common, wide-spread and has far-reaching effects on the women. For too long, violence against women has been hidden behind closed doors and avoided in public discourse; such violence can no longer be ignored as part of everyday life for millions of women.

Domestic violence has been an issue affecting Australian families for decades. According to World Health Organization (2013), it found that one-third of women around the world have suffered violence in one way or the other in the course of their life. And those people who violate them are close partners either in a marriage or engagement. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in Sandison, B. (2018), women are at greater risk of domestic violence than men. One out of 6 women in Australia, since the age of 15 years, has been subjected to violence. The report also establishes that 54% of women who have experienced violence from their current partner, experience it for that one incident. Bryant & Bricknell (2017) found that, in 2014-2015, eight women were hospitalized each day after being assaulted by their partners. Also, about one woman a week in 2013-2014 was killed as a result of violence from either previous or current partner. According to ABS (2017b), 1 in every four women has experienced emotional abuse from current or previous partner since the age of 15 years. Still, 1 in every five women most likely experienced sexual abuse from previous or current partner since the age of 15 years. The study further asserts that in 2016, the police recorded an average of 52 sexual assaults each day against women.

However, the majority of women are still suffering in silence. The victims of violence don’t want people to know their predicaments. This has escalated challenges of mitigation efforts against women violence. Australia is recording high number violence rate against women. This violence mostly takes place in the form of sexual harassment, domestic violence conducted by partners or relatives, violence in or around residential and working areas and also cyberbullying. This briefing paper will explain the following concerning the violence on women:

1. How domestic violence has impacted on the lives of the abused women
2. The barriers that prevent women from disclosing abuse and seeking help outside.
3. The need of the abused women to provide support.

Causes and Reasons Behind Domestic Violence

There has been a belief that partners who abuse their women feel the need to take control and domineer to inflate their low self-esteem. Majority do not have control of their and they are emotionally unstable. Some even resort to violence because they feel inferior to their partners in education and social economic background and extreme jealousy. Some partners are extremists in traditional beliefs and use them irrationally to feel they have controlling power over their partners, because the belief women are inferior to men. Others may be suffering from an undiagnosed personality problems or psychosocial disorders. Still, others may have been raised from a family setup where domestic violence was taken as normal incidents. When these children grow up they may take that behaviour into their life.

According to Bryant & Bricknell (2017), partner’s domination or control may be in form of sexual, emotional or physical abuse. Researches have established how interaction of situational and individual factors often leads to violent behaviours. That means most abusive partners learn their behaviours from the people in the community, their family and other cultural influences in their life. Some are victims of violent families or have seen violence often in their life. According to the studies some abusers have ever been abused in their early life.

Most abusers of women are either alcohol or drug abusers. Most of them lack control of their emotions and violence impulses toward their partners. Due to this uncontrollable behaviour majority of women suffer recurrent violence in their families. It has been proved that keeping substances and alcohol abuse at minimum helped reduce domestic violence significantly. Regardless of the cause of abuse or what the abuser is undergoing and which circumstances, domestic violence is not a justifiable act whatsoever. The research on the causes of domestic violence is to better understand the reason behind physical, psychological and emotional violence in the families.

WHO Report (2013) established that there had not been much research on the health effects to the women who have undergone domestic violence. Women suffer different health problems which encompass physical, health, sexual, reproductive, and mental health. There has been a significant health problem due to physical and psychological impacts.

Together with both physical and emotional effects of violence on women, the overall quality of their life is also affected negatively, which in turn result to negatively impacting how they participate and engage in life and society activities. How these violence acts affect women individually and the act of violence, have ripple effects on the society in general (World Health Organization 2011). For instance, loss of productivity and output from the workers, while informal roles that the women take part in the society will also suffer (Reeves and O’Leary-Kelly 2007). Another major impact is the costs associated with domestic violence against women. The victims of violent crime require a well delivered, well maintained and the proper  social and justice related services. To achieve this, an inflated costs has to be pumped and utilized. In addition to that, litigation costs are oftenly incurred as a criminal justice response  to victims of the violence (Bouhours & Broadhurst, 2015). It is critical to note that the impact of violent crime on women can be far-reaching. Incidences of violent crime may lead to stigmatization where other people from the community view themselves as potential victims of victimization. This may lead to an increase on the overall levels of fear (Bouhours & Broadhurst, 2015).

Impacts of Domestic Violence on Women’s Health

Other impacts of domestic violence on women as follow:

1. Hearing loss
2. Vision loss

• Infection with sexually transmitted diseases

1. Murder
2. Alcoholism
3. Insomnia

• Gastro-intestinal disorders
• Depression

1. Drug and substance abuse
2. Anxiety
3. Severe headaches

• Gynaecological problems

Most women who have undergone humiliation and suffering due to domestic violence have not been able to disclose most of their predicament seeking help. They opt to stay privy to their problems hoping that things will change for the better. This problem is rooted in the society. The cultural practices and beliefs make most women not to report their family issues. The belief that family affairs should be dealt with privately has resulted to most women not to report but rather opt for other mechanisms like village elders and parents. This form of intervention from their side has proven not an effective way to solve the recurring violence. Most abusers take advantage of this to continue with their domineering tendencies which end in family violence.

Other women fear that the abuse will continue as an act of revenge if they report the issue to the authorities. Most women are threatened by their spouses not to report but to give a room for consensus which mostly ends up not productive in the long run. They end up repeating the act and the woman will continue to suffer. Some cultural practices still hold male chauvinism high. They do not recognize the equality of spouses in the family set up. Men are considered the heads of the family, and therefore a woman is taken inferior to the man. Therefore, reporting abuse is likely to shift the blamed to the woman for the occurrence of violence. She may end up being embarrassed to the family members as a woman who cannot keep her family. As a result, most women choose to keep quiet to avoid blame and embarrassment.

Still, some women fear to lose their family because of the society they live in and value attached to it. They want to build a family and stay with the husband. This has made many women who are undergoing violence to continue suffering in silence. These women may have attached too much importance to family and want to maintain the family loyalty. And no matter how they are mistreated they choose not to break the family hoping to change things for the better.

1. Religious beliefs concerning a family
2. Loss of touch with once children

• Fear of beginning a new life alone

1. Lack of means to get away from home to report the abuse
2. Accepting abuse as once way of life
3. Lack of financial resources to begin a new life alone

• Marriage vows to remain together for life

Women suffering from abuse need the support system that will assist them to get out of the abusive relationship, to heal from injuries of abuse both physically and emotionally, to adapt to their new status of being a single mother, and psychological support to forget the past. Balancing all these has never been easy to these women, that why they need to be supported through for any policy meant to benefit them to work.

Negative Impacts of Domestic Violence on Society

For this support system to work the following approaches to their needs will prove to be effective:

1. Women group support system – most women, participate in group welfares for their financial support and welfare programs. Women use these groups to access fast and soft loans to attend to the immediate needs of their family. They have support programs where women are able to assist one another in case of unexpected and unusual problem affect one of them. Extension services on guidance and counselling reaching out to these women in their small groups will make them aware of their rights and how they can access assistance when they undergo domestic violence (Morel, Palier, and Palme, 2015).
2. Financial independence – most of the abused women choose to stay in abusive relationships because of financial dependence on their partners. Most are housewives who depend on their husband entirely. To them leaving their husband to be free just because they have been abused mean more suffering, they end up staying for social security and other basic needs. Empowering them to be financially dependent is a step towards their freedom from being captives of abusive families. This can be done by making loans with low-interest rates available and accessible to them is a better way which has been proven effective in empowering women.

• Free family advocates – the victims of abuse lack a way to hold their abusers accountable for their actions, mainly because getting a representative to challenge the abuser in the court of law is neither affordable nor accessible to them. Providing free legal representation services to the victims of domestic violence is a way ensuring those abusers are held responsible for their actions.

1. Women forums and seminars – having seminars and open forum will go a notch higher in sensitizing the victims of family violence of their rights as women and how they can get assistance for their predicaments. These forums give them a platform to express themselves and share their experiences with other women who have undergone similar situations. They will also have chances to learn from their peers and gain the courage to disclose what they undergo in their families.
2. Employment vacancies to the vulnerable women – most women, are poor and depend on their partners for most basic needs together with their children. These make them vulnerable to violence from their partners. In such circumstances, when they are abused, they are left with no choice but to stay and hope thing will be better. Their partners use this to justify their ego and domineering tendencies which mostly leads to violence. Providing equal employment opportunities and also giving priorities to these women will empower them financially and hence freedom from depending on their partners.
3. Free health services to the victims of domestic abuse – most women suffer physical and psychological injuries. And because of the societal values and believes they may choose to stay indoors to avoid being seen and be embarrassed. Still, they suffer emotional injuries which require medical attention. Some may not afford these services and therefore making them free to them will be helpful.

It is so unfortunate that over 1.6 million women in Australia still suffer from domestic violence in this century. This trend exists regardless of the interventional policies which have been enacted by the government to mitigate the situation. The slow response has been attributed to the societal setups which put the woman under the rule of the man and the high expectations on them to build better families.

ABS Personal Safety Survey (2005) has the best indicator of the violence on women which updates information about women’s experiences of violence collected in the 1996 ABS Women Safety Survey. Comparing the two surveys on violence, we can say that there has been a small fall in violence against women in previous 12 months from 2005 report compared to 1996 survey report. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013), one of the three women has expressed physical and sexual violence perpetrated by someone known and close to them. And that one in five women over 18 years have been stalked during their lifetime.

Chan, A & Payne, J (2013) found that over 12 months on average, one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner. AIHW (2013) established that family violence is the principal cause of homelessness for women and their children. The government has established mechanisms to reduce domestic violence against women. To accomplish the following measures has been operational:

This is national plan run for twelve years starting 2010-2022. It involves coordinated actions to find solutions and correctional measures to the perennial problem which has been eating the entire Australian society. This plan aimed at achieving the six national outcomes:

1. Relationships are respectful – the plan aims to build successful relationships where partners respect one another.
2. Services to meet the needs of women and their children experiencing violence
3. Indigenous communities are strengthened.
4. Communities are safe and free from violence.
5. Make sure the abusers are held accountable and are corrected.
6. To have a responsive justice system.

Women require supports policy measures to avert and end domestic violence. Though it has proven to be a difficult goal to face, it is achievable with proper actions by the government and the society (Guo and Gilbert, 2012). The main aim should be to reduce and eventually end domestic violence against women using the best measures possible. To achieve this, this paper briefing outline recommendations which will by far ensure domestic violence is eradicated and the people committing violence held accountable for their actions.

The government should ensure the justice system consider the plight of violence victim s and ensure that justice is not delayed for them. As it generally said that, justice delayed is justice denied. The court system should make sure the abusers serve as good examples to the others like them. This will set a precedent of justice to domestic violence and trust whereas more women will be encouraged to report and seek help.

Strategies for Supporting Women Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence

Strengthen institutions that are concerned with women empowerment programs. These bodies play important roles in creating programs for capacity building to women especial those vulnerable, and so they become enlightened and dependable in their communities. They need to be funded adequately and be given other facilitations to ensure they serve women appropriately.

The government needs to create awareness on building better and strong relationships by recognizing that family as the critical starting point of a better and successful country. People need to be taught the need to raise children in an environment that is peaceful and with good role models. The societal morals and ethics should be emphasized because they form the fabric of law and order of a country. They are from which a democratic sovereign country is built.

There should financial grants and aids to the vulnerable women in the society. They should be easily accessible and affordable in terms of interest rates and repayments. The purpose of this financial assistance is to create financial freedom for these women living in abusive families. They will be able to meet their basic needs and that of their children, which is the beginning of their freedom from dependent and being abused just because they cannot provide for themselves.

References

ABS 2013e. Personal Safety Survey 2012. ABS cat. no. 4906.0. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2017b. Personal Safety Survey 2016. ABS cat. no. 4906.0. Canberra: ABS.

AIHW 2016c. Domestic and family violence and homelessness 2011–12 to 2013–14. Canberra: AIHW.  Available at <https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/domestic-family-violence-homelessness-2011-12-to-2013-14/contents/summary>. [Viewed 17 May 2018]

Bouhours, B., & Broadhurst, R. (2015). Violence Against Women in Hong Kong. Violence Against Women, 21(11), 1311-1329. doi: 10.1177/1077801215593646

Bryant & Bricknell, (2017). Homicide in Australia 2012–13 to 2013–14: National Homicide Monitoring Program Report. Canberra: AIC.

Chan, A & Payne, J (2013). Homicide in Australia: 2008-09 to 2009-10. National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report. Canberra, Australia: Australia Institute of Criminology.

Guo, J. and Gilbert, N. (2012). Public Attitudes and Gender Policy Regimes: Coherence and Stability in Hard Times. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, XXXIX (2), pp.163 -181.

McPhail, B. (2015). Feminist Framework Plus. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 17(3), pp.314-329.

Morel, N., Palier, B. and Palme, J. (2015). Towards a social investment welfare state? 1st ed. Bristol: Policy Press.

Reeves, C., & O’Leary-Kelly, A. (2007). The Effects and Costs of Intimate Partner Violence for Work Organizations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(3), 327-344. doi: 10.1177/0886260506295382

Sandison, B. (2018). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Impact, 2018(2), 80-81. doi: 10.21820/23987073.2018.2.80

WHO | World Health Statistics 2011]. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2011/en/ [Accessed 17^th May 2018]

WHO | World Health Statistics 2013. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2013/en/ (Accessed 17^th April 2018