Domestic Violence: A Global Public Health Issue

Domestic violence occurs away from the public eye and remains hidden from us. But,
unfortunately it is a common form of violence and is now recognised as a global public health
issue. It is an insidious form of violence and violates human rights. The impact on health and
wellbeing of the victims is enormous and the economic implications for nations and
communities are immense. The socioeconomic reasons for domestic violence include
crowded homes, low education, poverty, unemployment, alcohol abuse and cultural biases
that consider women to be the weaker gender. The psychological impact of domestic violence
on women and children is enormous. Depression, anxiety, low self esteem and delayed
cognitive development are often deleterious consequences. Even in affluent societies where
male dominance is prevalent domestic violence is a problem.
The problem of domestic violence has been recognised as a public health issue all
over the world. Victims include women and children but men may also suffer from violence
at home. Also called intimate partner violence, 35% of women around the world have
experienced violence in homes. Such women are twice as likely to suffer from depression
than women who have not experienced domestic violence. And over 50% of women have not
been able to seek help from formal services. (WHO). Violence in homes occurs across age
groups and across social groups. The consequences on the mental health, physical health of
the victims are detrimental.
Socioeconomic factors
Studies have reported that there may be some impact of the socioeconomic
background on the extent of domestic violence. Unemployment and low per capita income in
a neighbourhood increase the risk of domestic violence. Lower household income, poverty,
education, households with larger number of children are also known to increase the risk of
intimate partner violence (Beyer, Wallis, & Hamberger, 2015). In a Vietnamese study, ageing

population, better economic level and building awareness against domestic violence have
changed attitudes towards domestic violence, but a lot remains to be done (Trinh, Oh, Choi,
To, & & Van Do, 2016). The impact of patriarchal ideology discourages women to report the
incidence of violence by the husbands because they must cover-up his misdeeds in order to fit
the role of a 'good wife'.
An Australian study found that people who are socially disadvantaged, economically
dependent on their partners, belong to Asian or African ethnicities and young, are more likely
to encounter domestic violence. Social norms also shape a person's attitude towards the
incidence of violence at home. Support for gender equality is more likely among migrants to
Australia if they are of European descent rather than Asian descent. In Asian culture the
dominance of the male gender, and status of men as the head of the household makes them
more likely to be perpetrators of violence. And sadly, domestic violence is a recognised but
accepted form of violence (Vichealth, 2013). In many cultures in Asia, the belief systems of
practising harmony and self-restraint by women actually facilitate intimate partner violence
rather than discourage. Women are perceived as submissive and vulnerable and this leads to
both genders treating violence in homes against women as legitimate action (Do, Weiss, &
Pollack, 2013).
In Australia, domestic violence among the indigenous community is high. In a study the
correlation between high degree of alcohol consumption followed by violence in homes.
Alcohol related domestic abuse is also a cause of homicides in indigenous people's homes
and a high incidence of domestic violence is reported as compared to that in urban areas
(Ramamoorthy, Jayraj, Notaras, & Thomas, 2014). The women and children in indigenous
homes bear the brunt of alcohol consumption induced violence and trauma. More than 1800
hospital admissions per 100,000 women were reported from among indigenous women in the
Northern Territory because they were assaulted by drunk husbands. The rate of violence

against these women is 40 times higher than non-indigenous women. Overcrowding of
women and children often makes them easy targets of domestic violence. Reporting by the
victims is rare because of their social value systems.
The prevalence of economic abuse in Australia and elsewhere is also a form of violence that
severely impacts the wellbeing of women. It is easy to hide economic abuse because there is
a smaller chance of finding evidence (Kutin, Russell, & Reid, 2017). It usually involves
taking away the partner's earnings or savings and not providing money for household
expenses. Those with low levels of education and without employment are more likely to be
victims due to their economic dependence (Mahenge, Stöckl, Abubakari, Mbwambo, & Jahn,
2016). A multicountry review agrees that while physical, emotional and mental abuse are
widely recognised, the recognition of economic or financial abuse is still in its infancy, but its
deleterious effects on the health of victims are being widely recognised and understood
(Postmus, Hoge, Breckenridge, Sharp-Jeffs, & Chung, 2018).
Psychological effect on the victims of domestic violence
When the violence perpetrated is sexual in nature, the victims suffer from depression,
anxiety, low self-esteem and are more likely to attempt suicide. Depression is consequence
of physical emotional and economic abuse also but the victims of sexual intimate partner
violence are more depressed (Trinh, Oh, Choi, To, & & Van Do, 2016). Even minor incidents
of violence, such as pushing or shoving impact mental health and the victims can become
depressed Depression is known to reduce appetite, causes low energy and a reduced ability to
function. Inability to sleep well is also common (Karakurt, Smith, & Whiting, 2014). 34.7%
battered women suffered from depression, 27.3% of them were anxious and 10.7% of them
had suicide ideation (Dillon, Hussain, Loxton, & Rahman, 2013). Many women display
symptoms of major depressive disorder. Social stigma and the inability to report violence or