SPS303 Family and Domestic Violence

Introduction

Domestic violence is the act of being physically abusive and violent towards another person who is co-habiting in domestic living conditions and or a close proximity. This is a multifaceted pattern of behavior which apart from condemning the indulgence in physical violence also includes emotional and sexual abuse (Cattaneo & Goodman, 2015). People who suffer the abuse of a partner go through an extensive emotional, psychological and physical damage ( Hearn, 2013). In Australia, around 1 in 6 ( 1.5 million) women and about 1 in 9 (992,000) men have endured physical and or sexual abuse before the age of 15, Around 1.6 million women and 0.5 men have also experienced sexual and or physical abuse on the hands of cohabiting partner (AIHW,2021). When I look at these numbers, I feel horrified knowing that these are the ones that are officially reported. If you look at the world’s statistics the number given by the World Heath Organization is 1 in every 3 women have been a victim of crime behind closed doors (WHO, 2021). It is exhausting knowing that so many people in the country and throughout the planet are not safe even in their own homes. In this essay I will draw a reflective light on the heinous crime of domestic violence, discover the country’s and global statistics, then analyze the factors that lead to the awful situations such as the one being discussed, the present scenario with the institutional  and human rights, the legal, psychological, social, cultural and emotional aspect of being a abuser and victim and finally the then coping mechanisms and development of resilience and finding the ways to mitigate the act of violence.

I have seen that the concepts of battering, violence and abuse have interchangeable meanings. When looking at the social demographic studies of domestic violence it usually means the abuse caused by an intimate partner over the course of time. The more generalized perceived version is considered of heterosexual couple with the male partner being abusive; however domestic violence among couples has been seen in all the forms of social complexes with all the genders being the abuser or victim who are in relationship with partner of different or same sex (Donovan & Hester, 2014). In Australia, this term exclusively means the violence committed by a heterosexual partner and covers indecent behavior, engaging in aversive behavior without consent, intimidation, physical injury, serious harassment or threating to commit any of these actions. I have observed that it is an alarming social situation and has negatively impacted the lives of the survivors and their loved ones. These acts are not only illegal, they are socially condemned and culturally damaging. The psychological effects of the victims are life long and requires a very patient approach and several psychological techniques to get back at healthy living (Howard, Feder & Agnew-Davies ,2013).

I have often seen that in a domestic situation without any intimate partners, the term domestic violence is also used to refer to Family violence, here the abuse occurs amongst any relationship in the household. This refers to the abuse of children, siblings, parents and elders. Even in these situations women are most likely the victim of abuse from their family members. Domestic violence practiced in whatever situation it might have been, is a clear abuse of power; it is a slow and deliberate process of victimizing a person in their own house, condemning to coercion and domination through physical, emotional and sexual means (Anderson et al,2012). The kinds of abuse that are being outlined by The Australian Medical Association are; Physical abuse, verbal abuse, economic abuse and social abuse. The physical abuse consists of causing injury and pain, denying, nutrition, warmth, sleep or medical care and attention, sexual assault and acts of violence towards one’s property or animal, disablement and murder. The verbal abuse consists of degrading, demeaning, intimidating, subjugating and threatening with a plight of physical violence publically or in a private setting. The economic abuse means depriving a person of their basic amenities and necessities such as unreasonable denial of the means necessary for participating in social life and seizure of income or assets. Social abuse the abuse developed through isolation and obtaining control over one’s all the social activity, depriving liberty and independence (Myhill, 2017).

Looking it at through the biological and health lookout, at a rate of continuous abuse as most of these cases are, it is categorized as a chronic syndrome as it also includes the emotional and psychological abuses. These forms of abuses are meant by the abuser to have control of the victim conscious and have a narrative that is false justifications for their actions. The victims are often gas lighted into believing that it is their fault and that they deserve the repercussions of their supposed actions(Anderson et al,2012). The doctors, health practitioners and counselors have often come across the instances of abuse victims where they have confessed to the physical violence being the least destruction they have undergone as the real threat to their wellbeing and the prospect or a better life is the restless endured psychological abuse that cripples the sprites and isolated the person’s will power (Trevillion et al, 2012).

Australian statistics draws a painful image about the condition of human conscious that have led us to this stage as the crime survey report that about a third of all assaults done on women are done by their respective partners. Each year about 20,000 women seek shelter in the women refuges and get involved in seeking out a protection order. The figures of Victorian public hospitals show that 1.3 percent of women and about 0.14 percent of men that are admitted in emergency department are due to the physical injury inflicted upon them by their own partners (AIHW,2021). The most high risk people and group in Australia under the domestic abuse bracket are the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, young women, pregnant women, women with disabilities, women experiencing diffulties with finances, women and men who have experienced or observed the tragedy of domestic violence as children (Howard, Feder & Agnew-Davies ,2013).  Noteworthy, through the risk doesn’t predict the occurrence of a domestic assault it’s just the probability of these above mentioned groups to report it or seek help. There are also several data gaps in the population graphs that are difficult to estimate like the children’s attitudes, experiences, prevalence, severity, frequency and outcomes and impacts through this violence. Some of the at risk population groups like the indigenous, people with disability, the LGTBQ, have been very limitedly resourced. The effects of the factors such as socioeconomic status, employment, geographical location and income are still momentary based upon the very few intensive studies (Anderberg et al, 2016).

Children who are exposed to or are victim to the domestic or family violence have shown considerable developmental decrements in their lives.There is a growing graphical line for the number of children who have or will be separated from their families and houses because they were victims of abusive crimes as a consequence around 55,600 children were placed in out of home care in 2016, it is a eye-opener for us all. The mentions and presence of sexual crimes creates a disfigured image about sex and relationships that they are unable to form sable and healthy concepts o them later in life. In Australia alone, the cause for homelessness by 72,000 women, 34,000 children and 9,000 men was the domestic or family violence situation. It was estimated that it costs about $22 billion to develop and implement rehabilitation services, legal procedures and clinical diagnostics as a result of the harm caused by violence against women and children (AIHW,2021). 

The 2020 global pandemic has brought a lot of ugly image of the society in front of our eyes and one that are surprising were the extend of rise in the domestic violence cases in Australia as well throughout the world. This was the period that humanity vowed to come together to fight the common enemy, we were send back to our houses from the hustle and bustle of life and were told to calm down. It’s repulsive to know that in this safety of the house, in the times of crises the domestic violence cases were on all time high since the last 15 years! (Anurudran et.al, 2020). There was a record of about 10 percent women of the total female population have to ensure the domestic abuse without having a chance of escape as the country was in total lockdown (Kennedy, 2020).

The incidents of domestic violence are so common that relatively very easy to come in contact with an abuser or victim even in one’s close family proximity. It is a very gut wrenching feeling to discover that one of your friend, family member and or close acquaintances were a victim of past abuse or worse was the abuser (Douglas, 2015). Domestic violence is as much as a crime as much are the people who are silent about the suffering of others or not reporting the crimes of their own kin or friends. As being one side of the close human relation it is everyone’s moral responsibility to look out for people who are in need of help and or seems suspicious about engaging in violence. There has been growing instances for the crime against women, children and elderly in the households. It’s very important that the common media picks up on it as it will at least reinforce the knowledge that these practices are wrong and aggressively illegal (Hearn, 2013). There is an immediate need for the media to include the consequences and repercussions of any human right violation crime instead of just showing shiny and angsts filled versions of it or worse romanticizing it. The way media portrays and condemns the acts of violence are very intimidating and influential for the general audience. It intentionally or intentionally get embraced in their lifestyles excusing certain behaviors as inspiration from big blockbuster it can’t be wrong. The way media has harmfully impacted the toxicity in relationships it is no surprise that the one who are looking for an excuse for validation of their unlawful activities also get influenced to perform these acts on the people who are dependent on them or are at least sharing the same home atmosphere.

In conclusion domestic violence means an act of engaging in violent or abusive behavior towards another person who is co-habiting in domestic living conditions and or a close proximity. It ranges from physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse. In Australia, around 1 in 6 ( 1.5 million) women and about 1 in 9 (992,000) men have endured physical and or sexual abuse before the age of 15, Around 1.6 million women and 0.5 men have also experienced sexual and or physical abuse on the hands of cohabiting partner. The global statistics given by the World Health Organization states that 1 in every 3 women have been a victim of crime behind closed doors. Looking it at through the biological and health lookout at a rate of continuous abuse as most of these cases are it categorically is termed as a chronic syndrome as it also includes the emotional and psychological abuses. These forms of abuses are meant by the abuser to have control of the victim conscious and have a narrative that is false justifications for their actions. During the 2020 global pandemic induced lockdown it was  repulsive to know that in this safety of the house, in the times of crises- the domestic violence cases were on all time high since the last 15 years!  There is an immediate need for the media to include the consequences and repercussions of any human right violation crime instead of just showing shiny and angsts versions of it or worse romanticizing it. The way media has harmfully impacted the toxicity in relationships it is no surprise that the one who are looking for an excuse for validation of their unlawful activities also get influenced to perform these acts on the people who are dependent on them or are at least sharing the same home atmosphere It is everybody’s moral responsibility to look out for people who are in need of help and or be alert about people who seems suspicious about engaging in violence. Domestic violence is as much as a crime as much are the people who are silent about the suffering of others or not reporting the crimes of their own kin or friends.

References

AIHW. (2021). Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, 2018, Summary - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved 24 April 2021, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-in-australia-2018/summary. 

Anderberg, D., Rainer, H., Wadsworth, J., & Wilson, T. (2016). Unemployment and domestic violence: Theory and evidence. The Economic Journal, 126(597), 1947-1979. 

Anderson, K. M., Renner, L. M., & Danis, F. S. (2012). Recovery: Resilience and growth in the aftermath of domestic violence. Violence against women, 18(11), 1279-1299.

Anurudran, A., Yared, L., Comrie, C., Harrison, K., & Burke, T. (2020). Domestic violence amid COVID‐19. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 150(2), 255-256.

Cattaneo, L. B., & Goodman, L. A. (2015). What is empowerment anyway? A model for domestic violence practice, research, and evaluation.Psychology of Violence, 5(1), 84. 

Donovan, C., & Hester, M. (2015). Domestic violence and sexuality: what's love got to do with it?. Bristol University Press. 

Douglas, H. (2015). Do we need a specific domestic violence offence. Melb. UL Rev., 39, 434. 

Drijber, B. C., Reijnders, U. J., & Ceelen, M. (2013). Male victims of domestic violence. Journal of family violence, 28(2), 173-178. 

Goodmark, L. (2017). Should domestic violence be decriminalized. Harvard’s Women's LJ, 40, 53. 

Hearn, J. (2013). The sociological significance of domestic violence: Tensions, paradoxes and implications. Current sociology, 61(2), 152-170. 

Howard, L., Feder, G., & Agnew-Davies, R. (2013). Domestic violence and mental health. RCPsych Publications 

Kennedy, E. (2020). 'The worst year': domestic violence soars in Australia during Covid-19. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/01/the-worst-year-domestic-violence-soars-in-australia-during-covid-19

Myhill, A. (2017). Measuring domestic violence: Context is everything. Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 1(1), 33-44. 

Trevillion, K., Oram, S., Feder, G., & Howard, L. M. (2012). Experiences of domestic violence and mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one, 7(12), e51740. 

 WHO. (2021).World Health Organization: fact sheets: Violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-womenv

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