Statistics like these outlines the severity and seriousness of the domestic epidemic in Canada. This is an epidemic with dramatic and negative effects not only affecting individuals, but communities as a whole, it is a crime that knows no economic, racial, ethnic or religious limits. “At some point in their lives, more than forty percent of women will experience violence, and in most cases this violence is in the hands of a man.” Although research may suggest that these statistics may be under-reported as many of these assaults go unrecorded, this is largely due to society’s refusal to recognize such violence as an infringement on women’s human rights. The violence Canada has experienced against women can be attributed to the result of a power structure that exist in society. While there has been a widespread recognition of this type of violence, it remains the case, that there are many areas of society where women are still subjected to this type of violence and in some way are seen as responsible for the man’s behaviour.
Unfortunately, it has taken legislators too long to recognize domestic violence as a devastating situation that affects millions of people. Canada’s legal system until very recently has refused to admit the realities of the violence epidemic. Socially, there has been a predisposition to treat the family unit as a “private sphere” being reluctant to intervene in all but the most serious of cases. Despite the policy around violence against women that others have documented over the past decade, it remains a systematic problem of considerable dimension. There have been significant changes in the way in which Canada’s not only social but legal system responds to domestic abuse in both its criminal and family law p...
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...be made restraining a person from molesting, annoying or harassing the applicant or child in their care.” These types of civil orders are part of the civil process, and generally sought after if the applicant is also seeking other civil remedies such as support or custody of their children.
A civil order is comparable to that of a recognize in a criminal proceeding, a part that a civil (restraining) order is obtained as part of a civil action in family law proceedings by a victim or their lawyer. “If there is a concern about police reluctance to enforce a civil order, it may be more useful to obtain a recognize under the Criminal Code s.810, which only requires an applicant to establish ‘reasonable grounds’ for a fear of injury to the victim or the victim’s children.” Police officers may be more willing to enforce such Criminal Code orders than mere civil orders.
Currently the state of California requires all domestic violence offenders to take court order classes as a form of reprimand and in part to educate offenders. This approached has been successful in the prosecution thousands of offenders while enhancing women’s power relative to that of abusive men (Messing, Ward-Lasher, Bagwell-Gray,2015). Social workers must be proactive in advocating for those at risk and by familiarizing themselves with all the DV policies, services and laws (Messing, Ward-Lasher, Bagwell-Gra...
Violence has become prevalent within society; it is something the western world has learned to accept. With every minute that passes Canadians come face to face with certain acts of violence they may not have previously encountered (citation). Although, violence is not a subject that one can escape, women and children have unfortunately become the prime victims of violent acts. The media glorifies violence in other countries around the world it fails to address the presence of violence within Canada. Although violence is usually associated with gangs and guns, Canada experiences more violence related to bullying, sexual, verbal, cyber and domestic abuse (citation). Amidst the changing societal views towards treating women equally and eliminating objectification, of all these types of violence and abuse in our society, the most common still happens to be domestic abuse, which is mainly targeted at women and affects children. Domestic abuse is described as a form of abuse that takes place in the confines of the household (Citation). Though 51% of Canadians have said to have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse only 20% of those cases related to domestic violence are ever reported (citation). Domestic abuse has become more prevalent in modern society; however, it is an issue that is left un-noticed simply because its effects are invisible outside the walls of ones home. In reality the effects of domestic violence have severe negative effects on women, children and the social structure of today’s society. Without any notification of domestic violence the re precautions of this abuse can be dire. When an individual thinks of domestic abuse, their ideas quickly relate back to women, simply because women are the usual and most common victims of domestic violence. And therefore is an issue that must be resolved rather than ignored.
Intimate partner violence has been a significant issue for centuries in all countries. "Since 1974, nearly 2,600 spousal homicides have been recorded in Canada" (Bunge, 2002). Of these homicides, more than three-quarters have been against women. Although through feminism and the women's liberation movement, there has been a slight improvement in the incidences of violence against women, there has also been a drastic change in the perception of the issue by society. After reviewing the most recent literature on violence against women and victimization through intimate partners, it has become prevalent that there are now two crucial stances that are taken. The first position is that of the women being victimized as the main issue, including prevention, causes and incidences. The second position is that of women becoming more 'aggressive' and the issue of violence against both men and women. "Wife battering- the original problem constituted by the 1970s feminists- has morphed into 'domestic violence' and then into 'husband abuse'" (Minaker, 2006). This literature review will examine the background information on intimate partner violence including different arguments and perspectives, theories, and methodologies as well as discuss the major findings and future directions of research.
The statistics available on violence against women are startling. Domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for European women ages 16 to 44 and accounts for more deaths and injuries than automobile accidents and cancer. The Russian government estimates that over 14,000 women were killed by family members in 1999, but there is still no legislation that specifically addresses domestic violence. In South Africa, more women are shot in the home by relatives than are shot on the streets or by intruders (web.amnesty.org).
Canada is one of the developed countries of the world to adapt to progress and embrace change but this does not limit the great nation to a perfect country. Problems are still eminent and need to be resolved. Over the course of previous decades, Women in Canada and the rest of the world, started to voice out their opinions. They demanded a complete change of the way the system negatively targeted and exploited women. These were brought on by the fact that female living in Canada, were forced to endure terrible conditions before the 1960s. Some of these issues were patriarchy, rape, abortion, childcare, and discrimination of women at work places and violence against women. These were all issues that were doing harm to women in the Canadian society but the most appalling of them all was violence against women.
Recent amendments to Queensland and Federal Legislation have not solved the problem of domestic violence in Queensland, let alone Australia. Domestic violence involves both physical and emotional behaviour with the patterns of this behaviour centred on power and control for the abuser. Legislation involved in protecting women and men in a domestic violence relationship has been amended to better protect victims. On the other hand, there is an escalating social and legal issues with domestic violence within Australia. Recommendations need to be done to amend Australia legislation, to add protection to victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is growing rapidly within Queensland and Australia and needs further change to legalisation
...t to providing the child with protection when determining what is in the child’s best interests. The risk of violence within the home is considered when contemplating on parenting orders, so the child is not exposed to what is considered an unacceptable risk.
In a 1999, a national survey was conduct on the domestic violence of women in Canada . The study concluded that the highest prevalence of abuse was found in the homes of immigrants from developing countries. This study shows that most immigrant women internalize and hide the crimes due to social stigma, shame, cultural/religious constraints and lack of community resources (Preisser, 1999).
In the single year of 2009, there were 460,000 reported incidents of sexual assault against women in Canada (“Criminal Victimization in Canada” 1). Amnesty International once stated that aggression against women “is so deeply embedded in society that it often fails to garner public censure and outrage.” This is evidenced by the fact that only roughly 10% of all sexual assaults are revealed, and to exacerbate the circumstances, women are frequently repudiated, blamed, and dispensed apathetic or cruel manipulation (“Violence Against Women Information” 1). Women’s rights are constantly defiled through domestic violence, and yet it is still abounding and ubiquitous in developed countries. Indeed, every six days, a woman in Canada is brutally killed by the one whom she considered her loving male partner. With every year that passes, approximately 362,000 children are witness to violent parental episodes in Canada. Witnessing violence can disturb the development of children and can eventuate in
One of the most important human rights issues facing Canadians today is the high rate of sexual assault against women. Sexual assault against women acts as a barrier to gender equality and stands in the way of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Sexual assault can be any unwanted physical contact or menacing of a sexual nature or in a sexual situation, done intentionally or recklessly without permission. It includes attempts and threats of unwanted sexual contact. Sexual assault can cover actions range from kissing or sexual touching to sexual act. Sexual assault is a criminal offense even though the victim does not have any physical injuries. Sexual assault in Canada is gendered and socially-patterned. Women are more likely to experience
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a type of abuse that occurs between people who are involved in a close relationship. “Intimate partner” is a term that is used to include both current and former spouses as well as dating partners. IPV exists along a continuum that ranges from a single episode of violence through ongoing battering.
Just under half a million Australian women reported that they had experienced physical or sexual violence or sexual assault. Women that are personally victimized by domestic violence become emotionally unstable and they are unable to cope with certain situations. Many think that it is their fault because they think they’ve done something wrong to cause their spouse attack them. However, women aren’t the only victims when it comes to domestic violence; men are victims too. The majority of violence against men is committed by other men. Of men who reported that they had experienced physical violence, 73.7% said that the perpetrator was a male, but that doesn’t mean women don’t abuse males just as much. Women are much more sympathised than men when it comes to domestic violence. People just assume that if a male is getting physically or emotionally abused, they’re a wimp and can’t fight for themselves. Whereas if a women was the victim, people automatically blame the abuser. At least one in three victims of some type of domestic violence is
Domestic abuse, also known as domestic violence, can occur between two people in an intimate relationship. The abuser is not always the man; it can also be the woman. Domestic abuse can happen between a woman and a man, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. Domestic abuse shows no preference. If one partner feels abusive, it does not matter their sexual orientation, eventually the actions they are feeling will come out towards their partner.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is historically referred to as domestic violence. It describes a pattern of coercive and assaultive behavior that may include psychological abuse, progressive isolation, sexual assault, physical injury, stalking, intimidation, deprivation, and reproductive coercion among partners (The Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), 1999). IPV leads to lifelong consequences such as lasting physical impairment, emotional trauma, chronic health problems, and even death. It is an issue effecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003). More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2012). Thirty to sixty percent of perpetrators tend to also abuse children in the household (Edelson, 1999). Witnessing violence between parents or caretakers is considered the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next (Break the Cycle, 2006).
Domestic violence is not just fighting, hitting or an occasional argument. It’s a chronic abuse of power. The abuser of domestic violence, controls and tortures the victim of threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of violence in America. The abusers are not only men, women can be abusers as well. Women make up the vast majority of domestic violence. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), 90-95% of domestic violence victims are females and 70% of intimidating homicides are females. Domestic violence is a serious crime and everyone needs to be aware of its effects. This essay presents and explains the evidence supporting the major risk factors for intimate partner homicides.