Domestic Violence in Australia
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Hi everyone! My name is Teneale, I’ve recently joined the Amnesty International Australia NSW Legal Network team and this is my first official blog post! I am deaf with a cochlear implant in my left ear and I am studying law at the University of New South Wales. I am very passionate about human rights, specifically in relation to refugees and discrimination.
March 8th is International Women’s Day; on this day we celebrate all of the AMAZING achievements made for and by women. It is also a time to reflect and consider some of the many issues women still face today. Therefore for my first blog, I thought it would be a good idea to address one of the most significant issues facing women both in Australia and around the world... Domestic Violence. It’s not something people necessarily want to talk about but it’s a conversation that we need to have.
Around “1 in 3 (35%) women, worldwide, have experienced either, physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime”.[1] Furthermore, on average one woman is killed every week in Australia as a result of domestic violence.[2] Studies also show that women in Australia are “less likely to perceive an event as criminal if the perpetrator is known to them”.[3] This means that many women who have been abused, physically or emotionally, by a family member or friend, won’t consider such conduct to be criminal and thus not report it to legal authorities. Further to that, it is important to acknowledge that the decision not to report occasions involving domestic violence is influenced by various factors including, economic dependency,[4] fear of reprisals, and a misplaced assumption that the incident is too trivial or unimportant.[5]
It should also be noted that “women with disabilities are more likely to be subjected to abuse or violence”.[6] Research indicates that a woman with a disability is 40% more likely to become a victim of domestic violence in comparison to another woman who does not have a disability.[7] This increased likelihood is further exacerbated by the fact that many individuals with disabilities cannot access the various policies and programs introduced by various government bodies set up to address the issue of domestic violence.[8]
There also various myths surrounding the nature of domestic violence, such as the assumption that domestic violence occurs within lower socio-economic or rural communities. Domestic violence is in fact a classless phenomenon nor is it restricted to any social group. As the 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has highlighted, anyone can be a victim of domestic matter, “no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are”.
I personally find the reality of domestic violence in Australia very confronting. Fortunately, we have many individuals, such as Rosie Batty, who work tirelessly in spreading awareness about domestic violence and striving for change. Various recommendations have been made to address domestic violence in Australia. Such recommendations include: improving interactions between victims and various legal bodies such as police, lawyers and courts,[9] ensuring services are available and accessible to all,[10] and community education programs.[11]
Please feel free to send through any comments, and let us know if there are any aspects of this blog that you would like the Legal Network to delve into further.
[1] World Health Organisation, Violence Against Women: Intimate partner and sexual violence against women (January 2016) <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/>.
[2] Jason Thomas and Biwa Kwan, ‘’One death too many’: calls to reduce domestic violence deaths on White Ribbon Day’, SBS News (online) 25 November 2015 <http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/11/23/one-death-too-many-calls-reduce-domestic-violence-deaths-white-ribbon-day>.
[3] Joe Clare and Frank Morgan ‘Factors affecting perceived criminality: evidence from victims of assault’ (Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice no. 376, Australian Institute of Criminology, June 2009) in David Brown et al, Criminal Laws: Materials and Commentary on Criminal Law and Process in NSW (Federation Press, 6th ed, 2015) 589.
[4] Russell Hogg & David Brown, Rethinking Law and Order (1998) in David Brown et al, Criminal Laws: Materials and Commentary on Criminal Law and Process in NSW (Federation Press, 6th ed, 2015) 585.
[5] New South Wales Health, Focus Topic: Under Reporting of Domestic Violence Assaults, Research Report (2013) 161.
[6] Sue Salthouse and Carolyn Frohmader, Double the Odds’ - Domestic Violence and Women with Disabilities (7 September 2004) Women With Disabilities Australia <http://wwda.org.au/issues/viol/viol2001/odds/>.
[7] Carolyn Frohmader, Leanne Dowse and Dr. Aminath Didi ‘Preventing Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities: Integrating a Human Rights Perspective’ (Research Paper, Women with Disabilities Australia, 2015) 14.
[8] Salthouse and Frohmader, above n 7.
[9] David Brown et al, Criminal Laws: Materials and Commentary on Criminal Law and Process in NSW (Federation Press, 6th ed, 2015) 561-654.
[10] Salthouse and Frohmader, above n 7.
[11] Jerica Noneli, 16 ways to stop Domestic Violence in Your Community (4 December 2013) The Pixel Project’s “16 for 16” Campaign <http://16days.thepixelproject.net/16-ways-to-stop-domestic-violence-in-your-community/>.
