Of the 100,930 defendants prosecuted (in 2015- 2016), 92,851 defendants were male, 7,992 were female and in 87 cases the gender of defendants was not recorded. Where the gender of the defendant was recorded, 92.1% were male and 7.9% female (Crown Prosecution Service, 2016)
For the purpose of this essay, the Government’s definition of domestic abuse will be used, which states that “Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality” (Home office, 2016) is classified as domestic abuse. This therefore includes physical, psychological, sexual, financial and emotional abuse.
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It is a major cause of biases in the system which makes it an issue for convictions, as well as it being an issue for victims who may believe that their gender means that they cannot be abused, which is not true. On the other hand, gender does not play a vital role in domestic abuse convictions as people of any gender can be abused and can be convicted of abuse, therefore gender is not the issue, stereotypes and engrained ideas of masculinity and femininity are. The extreme male statistical prevalence as perpetrators of abuse reinforces the idea that men abuse women and women do not abuse men, which creates a vicious cycle of unfounded beliefs relying on the idea that women are weaker and less capable than men. Personally I believe that the idea of gender in domestic abuse cases does extend beyond the vast number of men accused of abuse, as abuse is not directly linked with gender it is not possible for the only factor to be gender, there must be other external factors which contribute to abusive behaviour. Perhaps there are tendencies which are more prevalent in men than women which make abuse a more likely occurrence, or perhaps abuse is something that a person learns from their parents or surroundings and men are simply more likely to copy the actions of their parents than women. Gender is a part of our society that people seem fixated with, even though it does not define a person’s actions, it is a structure that we are taught from birth with different coloured clothes and different toys to play with. This obsession with gender has influenced domestic abuse and made gender pivotal to it, but there is no reason that it should be. Gender is not a definable or quantifiable thing, it is a concept and concepts can not be the cause of a tendency, they need other influences. In the case of abuse these ‘other influences’ come in the form of power complexes and addictive
Parameswari, B. (2015). Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(2), 56-59. Retrieved from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue2/Version-3/I020235659.pdf
In this paper I will be telling you many different forms of domestic violence. I will include the physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, social abuse, and emotional abuse. I will also describe the "cycle of violence", teen dating violence, and why women stay with an abusive partner.
The law regarding Domestic and Family abuse states that an Act to provide for protection of a person against violence committed or threatened by someone else if a relevant relationship exists between the persons, and to make amendments to the Criminal Code, the Evidence Act 1977, the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 and the Police Powers and Responsibilities Regulation 2000 for particular purposes, and to make minor or consequential amendments to this Act and other legislation as stated in a schedule which was assented on 17 February 2012. In division 2 of the Domestic and Family Violence Act 2012 Section 8, Domestic Violence is defined as behaviour by a first person (the first person) towards another person (the second person) with whom the first person is in a relevant relationship that –
Domestic violence can often go unnoticed, unreported and undeterred before it’s too late. Unfortunately, recent awareness efforts have gathered traction only when public outcry for high profile cases are magnified through the media. Despite this post-measured reality, a general response to domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) by the majority of the public is in line with what most consider unacceptable and also with what the law considers legally wrong. Consider by many, more than just a social discrepancy, the Center of Diseases Control and Prevention currently classifies IPV and DV as a social health problem (CDC, 2014).
Gender-based violence has been recognized as a large public health problem as well as a violation of human rights worldwide. One out of three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in another way at least once in her life (www.infoforhealth.org). The abuser is usually a member of the family, introducing the difficult problem in that the abuse usually happens behind closed doors, and is often viewed by cultural norms and legal systems as a family matter rather than a crime.
The Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2011 (Cth) will significantly improve protection for children and families at risk of violence and abuse. The amendments were made to the previous Act of 2006 to help people within the family law system to better understand violence and abuse and ensure it is reported and responded to more effectively. Relevant research will be assessed to provide background information on reforms of the Family Law Act, and how these changes have helped lead to the Amendment Act of 2011. This essay will evaluate the changes that were made in 2011 and whether these changes have led to improving the protection for children and families at risk of violence and abuse.
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship that is used by one partner to achieve and maintain power and also to gain control over another partner. It can be emotional physical or even sexual. Domestic violence can happen anywhere and to anyone but certain factors increase the risk, these include the mother’s age, poverty, unemployment, and alcohol and drug abuse . A study done in Canada found that women who lived with heavy drinkers were five times more likely to be assaulted by their partners than those who lived with non-drinkers. “Rodgers, K. ‘Wife assault: the findings of a national survey” Children who live in a home where domestic violence takes place will face many challenges that could last through out their whole lives. Studies have shown that a third of all children who see their mothers being hurt develop emotional problems and boys who see their fathers beating their mothers are ten times more likely to be abusers in their future relationships. “Clarkprosecutor.org domestic violence in families” Children also living in these home are more likely to experience aggression and antiso...
Domestic violence consists of verbal, financial, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse within the household, generally involving partners and families. This occurrence of violence is acted to gain and maintain control over somebody. Abusers have the tendency to enforce fear, guilt, shame and intimidation to brainwash and maintain power. The...
Most people in society are one sided when it comes to domestic violence. Most people automatically think domestic violence as men abusing women. Most people believe domestic violence is associated with gender. For instance, some people associate men with violent, destructive, and belligerent behavior. While women are often seen as innocent, fragile, and vulnerable. For many years men were the ones showing violent behavior, so most people believe men are usually the aggressor. Many people believe men should never abuse a woman, and if he does he will charged and most likely serve jail time. Although, women are not viewed the same way. Over the years women have become just as aggressive and violent as men have been portrayed. Many women who are violent are given a pass if they abuse a man. More simply, their behavior is overlooked, because they are not seen as a threat to society, so they will most likely not be jailed or punished for their behavior. In addition, there are many resources to help women get out of domestic violence situations. For instance, there are hotlines they can call, shelters they can visit, and support
Many people are uneducated when it comes to domestic violence, sexual violence, and teen dating violence. “Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence” (Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts). The statistics of domestic violence are alarming. “1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime”
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.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Barron et. al. 1992 WAFE Evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee Enquiry into Domestic Violence Bristol: WAFE Woman’s Aid Federation (England) Report 1992 Hague & Malos 1995 Against Domestic Violence: Inter Agency Initiatives Bristol SAUS Punching Judy BBC Television Programme 1989 Domestic Violence – Report of an Inter Agency Working Party 1992 Mooney J 1994 The Hidden Figures: Domestic Violence in North London London Islington Police & Crime Unit Inter-Agency Circular; Inter Agency Co-Ordination to Tackle Domestic Violence Home Office, 1995 Grace S 1995 Policing Domestic Violence in the 1990’s Home Office Research Study British Crime Survey 1996 The Home Office Dobash/Dobash/Cavanagh/Lewis 1996 Research Evaluation of Programmes for violent Men Scottish Office Central Research Unit Dobash/Dobash/Cavangh/Lewis 1996 Re-Education Programmes for Violent men – an Evaluation Home Office Research Findings No 46 Domestic Violence & Repeat Victimisation Home Office Police Research Briefing Note No 1/98 The Family Law Act Part IV 1996
But we don 't really know why men choose to be violent towards women. A study of the mothers of child abuse victims shows that battering is the most common context for child abuse, that the battering male is the typical child abuser. Feminist theory in domestic violence emphasizes gender and power inequality in opposite-sex relationships. Feminist theory also has to do with gender equalities and how men still believe that they are the superior sex.
Domestic violence is the willful intimidation of power and control by an intimate partner against another. It doesn’t always look the same because every relationship is different. It can happen to any sex, age, race, gender, or religion group. Abusive relationships come in different forms including physical abuse, sexual abuse and even emotional abuses, but in all cases you find one partner controlling another. It can result in physical injuries, emotional trauma and sometimes death. All of these can affect a victim’s life for a long period of time. There are many different signs of domestic violence and many people wonder why an abused victims stay with their partner.
“Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States” (Jones 87). Every twelve seconds, a woman is beaten by a man (Jones 6). Every nine days, a woman is murdered by her husband or boyfriend (Jones 7). Statistics like these outline the severity and seriousness of the domestic violence epidemic in this country. Unfortunately, it has taken lawmakers too long to recognize domestic violence as a devastating situation that affects millions of people both physically and emotionally. Domestic violence affects not just people, but businesses as well. Domestic violence results in high turnover and absenteeism at work, extended sick leave, and losses in productivity (Jones 12). The financial cost of domestic violence on business productivity helped facilitate government intervention towards addressing domestic violence, and encouraged laws protecting victims of this type of abuse.