Domestic Violence: The Case Of Australia

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Our nation is under constant attack with a silent, cold war raging, costing thousands of innocent Australian’ s their lives every 12 months, with 90% of these cases being a victim to more than 6 counts. But less than 15 % of these reports confess to being a victim. Up to half the homicide-related deaths are a result of this underlying killer. These appear to be statistics accumulated through mass homicides or terrorism. When in fact they are not. These are statistics from Domestic Violence. This cold war is evident through the exposure through the media, the acceptance of this violence through the lens of mental illness, and the call to action to act upon this controversial issue that our society overlooks in the fear of appearing weak.

Hannah Clarke was one of the many women who unfortunately lost her life in an attempt to escape her abusive relationship. There are many controversial statements as to whether her husband’s, Rowan Baxter, heinous actions can be understood as male entitlement, through a lens of mental illness or he was just simply ‘driven too far’ by one of his victims. Baxter did not only claim the life of his wife but also the lives of his three children, Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey. When the media first exposed this story to the public, they had only accumulated a little amount of information that was given to them through police and witnesses. And therefore, they framed this tragedy as a ‘car fire’ and left Baxter to walk free of any allegations. Rowan’s actions were condoned as he was alluded by the media to be a ‘Man to the children. Ultimately indicating to him and the rest of the public that he was an innocent man. When the public was exposed to this story in the media, there was an uproar in responses to the case, leading to the appropriate response of an emotional whiplash as they were to believe that safety in the home was an illusory concept. The women who experience domestic violence experience a form of Stockholm Syndrome, in this they a treated as a hostage developing a psychological alliance with their captor or in this case their partner and adverts them from actively seeking help. The violence of this form is unfortunately accepted as a form of affection in our modern society and is disregarded and subjected as an adequate social norm.

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Violence can be understood as acts of physical violence towards others and the term mental illness can be referred to as non-substance related disorders. This behavior is often driven by a desire to assert control, dominate and oppress the other person, with the ultimate desire to cause fear. There is some circumstance in which Domestic violence is condoned through the lens of mental illness. It can be understood that there is a clear relationship between psychiatric illness and criminality as is most believed that people who suffer from a mental illness are more prone to commit acts of violence and aggression. The public perception of psychiatric patients as dangerous individuals which then portrays them as ‘crazy’. This is indicating to the wider public and generation that acts of violence can be disregarded through the lens of perceived mental illness. Perpetrators taking advantage of their mental illness as stated by Dr. Angelina Sabin Fernbacher, The women’s mental health consultant with the Northern Area Mental Health, concluded that perpetrators use existing mental health concerns to take advantage of their actions towards their partners and condoning their behavior as a form of affection. However, on the other hand Fernbacher also stated that she recalled cases where perpetrators were in seek of ultimate control. They would control the time of the day that their partner could take their medication for the mental illness, leaving them rendering to function and susceptible to being controlled. They would also attend their victim’s psychiatric meetings and monitor those sessions. The violence towards the victim is most likely to occur when the victim starts to regain control. This issue can essentially relate to the Park Avenue film as both of these situations indicate an unequal position in power and ultimately demonstrates how the government is turning a blind eye to the issue and doing the bare minimum to change it.

On average at least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner in Australia. One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15. One in four Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. One in four Australian women have experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner. http://www.domesticviolence.com.au/pages/domestic-violence-statistics.php) As these statistics continue to rise the call to action is of higher demand. Fortunately, there are numerous organisations to support women to get out and seek help. One of these organisations is the white ribbon campaign. The white ribbon campaign is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence towards women. As the youth of this nation and as human beings it is left to us to help change this disgrace and expose domestic violence for the vile problem it is and claim social justice for our women.

In the time that I have taken to deliver this speech to you, 4 Australian women have experienced an act of Domestic Violence. If this statistic doesn’t scare you, I’m unsure what will. Remember a bruise will last a week, a cut a month but the effects of domestic violence that will last a lifetime. The safety of our nation’s future depends on us, Australia’s youth, to whether we stop this silent war now or we wait until someone who has enough courage to do so. So, I ask you this, as Australia’s youth, are you strong enough to put an end to this war? If so we are one person closer to ending domestic violence.

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