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Definition:
Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviours used by one person in a
relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married;
heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating.
name-calling or putdowns
withholding money
sexual assault
stalking
intimidation
ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM! Victims can be of any age, sex, race, culture,
religion, education, employment or marital status. Although both men and
women can be abused, most victims are women. Children in homes where there is
domestic violence are more likely to be abused and/or neglected. Most children
in these homes know about the violence. Even if a child is not physically
harmed, they may have emotional and behaviour problems.
Financial Abuse:
The abuser usually controls the finances, so the abused has no money to be able to escape,
they have no leg to stand on and so are forced to stay in the situation.
Emotional Abuse/Psychological Abuse:
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Emotional Abuse also known as Psychological abuse, the abuser usually subjects the person
to point of psychological trauma, such as anxiety, chronic depression or post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Spiritual Abuse:
Most spiritual abuse is inflicted by Christians who are very sincere, who believe they are
obeying the Bible in sharing Christ with others, and who often believe that they are being led
by the Holy Spirit.
Law:
In Australia, domestic violence is defined by Family Law Act 1975 as "violent, threatening or
other behaviour by a person that coerces or controls a member of the person's family, or
causes the family member to be fearful".
Domestic violence against women was socially accepted and was often look upon with
humour. Limited services were available for victims until the 1970`s when domestic violence
started to become a public issue due to the feminist movements around the world. For
example, the Battered Womens Liberation Movement exposed the law and medical neglect
towards the millions of domestic violence victims. The Womens Liberation opened the first
womens Australian shelter in Sydney in 1974.
In the early years of domestic violence becoming a public problem it was only being physical
abuse between married couples, the meaning of domestic violence has evolved over the
decades as it not just physical abuse, just to name a few emotional and financial abuse
between any kind of relationship is considered domestic violence.
Culture- How culture impacts our lives
Unlike in the 1950`s and 1969`s when domestic violence was culturally accepted in Australia
by all, decades of protests have ensured that the perpetrators of domestic violence will be
punished accordingly.
Although domestic violence is punishable in Australia in Indigenous communities domestic
violence statistics are still high. According to Fitzpatric, 2016 almost one quarter of
Indigenous Australians over the age of 15 reported they had been victims of physical or
threated violence in 2015 to 2016, Indigenous females were 32 times more likely to be
hospitalised than non-indigenous women in 2011 and 2013, indigenous males were 8 times
more likely to be hospitalised for assaults, and 23 28 in 1000 indigenous Australians in
remote communities were to be hospitalised compared to 4 in 1000 in major cities.
Many indigenous governments, men and women explain these statistics as a matter of
culture. The Australian Government in the past has proposed a plan to encourage a
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behaviour change but still a separate justice system can be seen in some Indigenous
communities.
The results of domestic violence or abuse can be extremely long lasting. Causing people who
are abused to have sleeping problems, depression, anxiety attacks, low self-esteem. Not being
able to trust others, feeling of being abandoned, anger, unable to work, sensitive to rejection,
diminished mental and physical health, poor relationships with those close to them including
their children. In many cases the domestic violence and abuse can lead to death
Children and teens growing up in a domestic violent house hold are more likely to use
violence at school or in the community, attempt suicide, use drugs, commit crimes
especially sexual assault, use violence to enhance reputation/ self-esteem more likely to have
eating disorders, teenage pregnancy, leave school early and become abusers in their own
relationships later in life. 42 per cent of Indigenous children reporting that they witnessed
violence against their mother or stepmother, compared with 23 per cent of all children.
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These common triggers that can set off an abuser are only to help us understand why an
abuser believes it is acceptable to abuse not to justify the actions of an abuser.
Who abuses: characteristics and diagnosis:
Abusers usually have a difficulty toleration injury, entitlement, lack of empathy,
accountability and unaddressed trauma. A few of the frequent characteristics an abuser may
have are that they blow up in anger over small things, are extremely jealous, like to isolate
others, have poor self-image and are highly insecure.
They cannot or refuse to take ownership of their own mistakes, are very manipulative, abuse
alcohol and or drugs, may have a family history of violence, may be cruel to animals or other
children, have a fascination with weapons, solve conflicts with violence, uses physical force
in arguments, verbal threats, hold rigid stereotypes when it comes to the roles of men and
women, are very controlling and have unrealistic expectations of their partner.
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The abuser blames their violence on other factors such as alcohol or stress and promises
never to be violent again. Their behaviour would change completely as they would be
attentive towards the victim including buying gifts or helping around the house. This would
make the victim confused but relieved that the violence is over.
6th Phase: Honeymoon
The severity of the abuse and violence in the relationship may be in denial by both people
which leads to an increase in intimacy where both feel happy and want the relationship to
continue which results in ignoring the possibility that the violence could happen again.
However, over time, this phase passes and the cycle may begin again.
Social Effects:
Domestic violence can have serious impacts on the way a person think and interacts with the
world around them as they may produce a temporary or permanent change in their physical
health and emotional state if they are exposed to violence within their immediate social
environment. This would affect their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, significantly
impacting on their mental stability. It could also change ones worldview and outlook on life.
This may be resulted from feelings of hopelessness due to being in a situation where they are
being controlled by another. This may cause the victim to develop a negative outlook in
which they may feel damaged or unworthy of a better life. Domestic violence can also strip a
persons sense of safety and security which influences their ability to trust others where they
might feel unmotivated, empty or reaching out is not worth the effort.
Additionally, many victims of abuse also find it difficult to function in their daily lives
because of the effects caused by domestic violence. This may be resultant from absence from
work due to injuries or doctor visits, often causing them to lose their jobs, making it difficult
to leave their abusive situations. Victims of abuse may withdraw from social activities,
friends and/or family where they would lose their network or social support. This isolation
may be resulted from many factors including: the abuser using threats or manipulations, a
desire to keep the abusive nature of the relationship a secret and/or shame of the situation.
Another reason to avoid activities and social situations are due to avoid coming into contact
with the former abusive partner if they have left the relationship.
Structural- Organisations
There are many organisations to help protect victims of domestic violence. Organisations
such as:
1800 Respect provides a confidential phone and online counselling support service for people
at risk of domestic violence. The organisation was created in October 2010and is the only
national service of its kind. Only employing counsellors with a minimum of a three-year
tertiary degree in relevant fields, as well as a minimum of two years of counselling
experience. 80 % of the calls are answered within an estimated 20 seconds and a Quick Exit
button is also displayed at the top of each page which goes straight back to a blank google
home page. 1800 Respect also offers an app called Daisy.
Daisy is a free app that connects Australians to Australian support services. The services
include the information including phone numbers, opening hours, and websites of 237
support services Australian wide, send an SMS alert to chosen friends and directly contact the
police, just to name a few.
Aurora is another free app available that can send individual or groups messages to friends.
The SMS options include Call Me- which lets a friend know to call you as for an example
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an interruption. Come Pick Me Up- for when someone meeds to be taken out of a situation.
Call the Police for Me- which lets friends know that you need the police but cannot call
000 so they can call for you, Custom Message- which sends a message to friends that you
write that could be a code that you need help, and is also calls emergency services.
White Ribbon which is global movement operating in 57 countries, working with men and
boys to stop violence against women. White Ribbon holds an annual event to raise awareness
from November 25 to December 6, they engage men to make women`s safety a mens issue
and men speak to other men regarding keeping women safe.
It is necessary to establish strategies to overcome these barriers to ensure that victims can
access support services to reduce the risk of violence. Some approaches to preventing
domestic violence that are effective include: social marketing and awareness campaigns,
early childhood and family based prevention, school-based programs, regulations on the
portrayal of violence in the media, interventions to reduce the availability of alcohol and its
misuse and criminal justice responses.
However, there are many factors that need to be considered in addressing future domestic
violence initiatives. Some main areas involve, ensuring adequate long term funding for
domestic violence services and that service systems are sufficiently integrated to address the
complex needs of victims.
It is also suggested that individuals who are connected to school or peer networks and have
links with supportive adult family members, experience lower rates or violence.
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References
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14 May 2017, from http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/parents,-carers-and-
families/domestic-and-family-violence/effects-of-domestic-violence
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May 2017, from http://www.cdvs.com.au/about-3/about-domestic-violence/cycle-of-
domestic-violence/
Cycle of violence in domestic violence and abusive relationships. (2017). White Ribbon.
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violence/what-is-domestic-violence/cycle-of-violence/
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Our History (n.d.). Retrieved May 13, 2017, from the Central Domestic Violence Service
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