Domestic Violence in Rural Australia and Social Abuse (Essay Sample)

Domestic Violence in Rural Australia
Name
Institution
Domestic Violence in Rural Australia
Introduction
Domestic violence refers to a type of cruelty occurring between individuals who at some point have had an intimate association occurring in local settings. In these contexts, the victim may suffer various forms of abuses including but not limited to sexual, psychological/emotional, economic and physical injuries. Australian communities show diverse intimate, family associations and community structures which make it difficult to define precisely various forms of violence, their culprits, and victims. Research shows that, on this continent, the perpetrators of domestic violence are men while women are its victims. Although at a lower scale, domestic violence is also recorded in same-sex marriages (Mathews, 2006).
Moreover, studies have shown that some men find themselves on the receiving end of violence perpetrated by their female partners. According to “The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and Children (NCRVWC)”, domestic violence is characterized by a continuous endeavor aimed at showing power over a partner. Tools used to perpetrate violence in the home setting include threats and physical assault as the perpetrator tries to dominate over their victim. Such violence can either be criminal or non-criminal in nature. This paper seeks to interrogate physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial deprivation as well as social and cultural isolation as health issues occasioned by domestic violence in rural Australia (Mathews, 2006).
Discussion
Physical abuse as a health problem occasioned by domestic violence may include acts such as choking, slapping, kicking and punching. Through the use of these tools, the perpetrator ends up inflicting a degree of physical injury on the victim. Moreover, physical abuse can involve other behaviors such as careless driving, vandalism, torture of domestic animals and sleep deprivation (Mitchell, 2011; Bagshaw & Chung, 2000). Sexual assault as a health issue in families witnessing domestic violence involves rape, coerced exposure to pornography and inhuman crimes. The perpetrator results in the use of these tools with the aim of keeping dominance over the victim. Domestic violence also occasions psychological or emotional abuse. The dominating partner, in this case, may blame their partner for the troubles experienced by the family (Mazza et al., 2001). Additionally, verbal attacks directed towards the intelligence of the partner may be employed. The culprit can also ridicule the body looks and sexuality of their mate with the aim of demeaning them. Sometimes, threats may be used towards the family members of the victim. Further, abusive partners can mistreat family pets before their partner to hurt them (Hegarty et al., 1999; Mathews, 2006).
Social abuse as a health issue characterizing domestic violence involves ostracizing the victim to the effect that they do not get the opportunity to visit their family, friends, worship centers and social agencies. Studies have described economic abuse as a form of abuse which involves the denial of various family resources such as property, goods and cash to the victim by the culprit. Perpetrators in certain cases go to the extent of denying their victims access to fundamental needs such as food and water. In other incidences, the perpetrators of domestic violence have ended up making use of harassment and stalking as weapons aimed at establishing dominance over the victim. Here, the victim is constantly threatened via the use of phone calls or letters. Unwelcome photographs have also been used to provoke the targeted partner (Flood, 2009).
In the year 2013, the World Health Organization established that more than a third of all women in the world had undergone a form of domestic violence and that such violence had assumed epidemic proportions hence a health issue of grave concern. Australia then had domestic violence as the most common form of violence experienced by women according to the report (Dunkley & Phillips, 2015). Here, ladies are more likely to be assaulted by their male partners than by other people (Flood, 2009). This form of violence occurs across all cultures and socio-economic echelons in Australia. According to Australia’s National Research Organization for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), one in every six women undergoes physical or sexual assault from either a current partner or from an ex-partner. Moreover, one in every nineteen men experiences these forms of violence either from an existing or an ex-partner. This trend shows that women are more affected by domestic violence than men in this country. Additionally, according to the report, one in every four women experiences emotional assault in Australia. This abuse can either be from an existing or a former mate. Further, the report by "ANROWS" indicates that one in every seven men in Australia experiences emotional assault from a partner or an ex-partner (Dunkley & Phillips, 2015).
In a survey carried out in the year 2005, close to 500, 000 women in Australia had experienced sexual or physical abuse within a span of twelve months. been exposed to either physical or sexual abuse by their male partners by the time they were 15 years old. 37.8% of those surveyed attributed the violence to a current or previous male mate while 34.4% of them pointed to a male friend or relative as the perpetrator. Further, 19.1% of those surveyed had already been subjected to sexual abuse since they were 15 years old while 33.3% of them had suffered a physical abuse since this age. Cases of domestic violence in New South Wales increased by 1.5% between 2008 and 2013 with 28, 291 incidences recorded in the year 2013. In Victoria, these cases increased by 72.8% between 2004 and 2005. The rate here increased by 82.2% between 2011 and 2012. These figures clearly show that the rate of domestic violence in Australia has been on an upward trend (Dunkley & Phillips, 2015).
Violence is more prevalent among young women aged between 18 to 24 years. Women aged between 55 to 69 years are the least likely to suffer abuses. Moreover, violence is more prevalent among Indigenous women compared to the non-indigenous ones. Additionally, women whose background is a non-English speaking one are less likely to be abused compared to those from English speaking backgrounds. Research further shows that women from very remote areas are more liable to be assaulted compared to those living in other sectors (Menjívar & Salcido, 2002; Laing, 2000)).
There are various social health determinants which predispose women to violence. Firstly, women who live in communities characterized by skewed gender distribution of power are more likely to be abused. Moreover, ladies in societies which do not sanction gender-based violence are more vulnerable to various forms of abuses. Additionally, those whose communities have set rigid gender roles are more susceptible to assaults. There are certain communities in rural Australia, which practice a culture which condones violent ways of addressing disputes. Women living in such areas are more prone to abuses. Aboriginal communities expose their wives to higher levels of violations. This high rate is majorly attributable to factors such as cultural dispossession and colonization. Further, communities in rural Australia tend to encourage family privacy. Women here can, therefore, be abused with no response to stop it (Zubrick et al., 2010; Varcoe et al., 2011).
Men living in rural Australia are more likely to have lower levels of income compared to those staying in the metropolitan area. Such men have been realized to seek comfort in alcohol and other drugs, and this increases their violence towards their partners. According to Marcus & Braaf (2007), women whose husbands consume alcohol at excessive levels are more likely to suffer assault. Alcohol reduces inhibition and ability to resolve disputes soberly hence escalating simple differences to violent confrontations. Moreover, low academic achievement is a predisposing factor for domestic violence in rural Australia. Additionally, men in this area are excluded from the labor market, and this increases their frustrations hence making them more likely to abuse their mates (Zubrick et al., 2010; Marmot, 2011).
Legal reforms undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s empowered police to handle cases of domestic violence more effectively. Police in this country rely on arrests as the key deterrence to violence. Sufficient evidence of crime occurrence is necessary for arrests. Collaborations between police and other community agencies have also proven to be an effective weapon against family violence. The ACT family violence is an intervention program known to be primarily proactive hence capable of preventing the occurrence of violence in families (Seddon, 1993).
Some ethical issues emerge in the investigation and prosecution of the culprits of domestic violence. Firstly, such studies put the safety of the victim at a significant risk given that they still stay with their abusers. Moreover, the issue of confidentiality breach is a sensitive one as it can lead to more attacks. Ensuring that interviews aimed at unearthing this menace remain safe is, therefore, a significant challenge. Justification of the risks only comes if the collected data serves to raise awareness and enhance the services available to women who are victims of the vice. Dangers are lower with when a detailed comprehension of the potential risks, ethical concerns, and practical realities. With such assurances, women can be more willing to disclose relevant and correct information. When this happens, policy makers can quickly come up with a framework to enable women to receive feedback and the required services (Ellsberg et al., 2001...