Domestic and Family Violence in Australia

Running head: FAMILY VIOLENCE
DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................2
DISCUSS:........................................................................................................................................2
Domestic violence: significance and impact:..............................................................................2
Critical analysis:..........................................................................................................................4
Abuse against right:.....................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION:..............................................................................................................................6
RECOMMENDATION:..................................................................................................................7
Reference:........................................................................................................................................9

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INTRODUCTION:
The subject matter of the case is based on the domestic and family violence in Australia.
Family Law Act 1975 has given a clear definition regarding the term. According to this Act,
when an individual put another member of the same family on fear to cause harm to that person,
it causes domestic violence. Under this offence, criminal violence can be observed between the
people who have intimate relationship. The provision of domestic violence will apply on the
same sex person. According to the “Fact file: Domestic Violence in Australia” (2016), it has
been observed that one in three women and one in five men in Australia are experiencing family
abuse from their spouses or family members1. Further, it has been reported in “One in Three
Campaign: Infographic” (2016), “every ten days, a male Australian died between the year 2010
and 2012”2. In this report, the significance, impact and frequency of family violence have been
discussed. Further, a critical analysis regarding the facts of the case has been stated.
DISCUSS:
Domestic violence: significance and impact:
The crime related to the domestic violence is a societal curse. It weakens the relation
bond among family members. According to the report submitted by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics, most of the family members who are suffering from family violence could not file
their case or make any complaint before the police station and this mentality provokes the
offender. It has been reported in 2016 in Melbourne that almost 21% of the family violence have
1 Fact file: Domestic violence in Australia". 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
2 "One in Three Campaign - Infographic". www.oneinthree.com.au. Retrieved 2016-09-05

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involved alcohol cases3. More critically, a major part of the victim is below the age of fifteen
years and they are facing physical and sexual abuse from their family members. According to the
police report of 2016, Victoria leads the filing domestic violence cases in Australia4. Therefore, it
can be stated that in Australia, the offence related to the domestic violence is significant in nature
and it creates great impact on the society. the violence against the Australian women were for the
first time reported in the year 1996 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and according to this
report, most of the women are ill-treated by their families and the members are coerced them so
that they could not file any allegation against them. Considering the vehement nature of the
offence, the then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard had taken many steps to resolve the
issues. A program named ‘Partnerships against Domestic Violence' had been promoted to
identify the sources of the offence and steps had been taken to mitigate the problem. In the year
2001, an initiative against the sexual assault has been taken and the organization succeeds to
resolve the dispute to certain extent. Many divorce cases have been filed due to the excessive
family violence and in the year 2009, certain initiatives have been taken by the government to
generate certain cost to the victim. A program has been promoted named in 2009 named 'The
Cost of Violence against Women and their Children' to estimate certain cost to the affected
persons5. However, even after so many steps taken by the government, it has been observed that
the scope of the offence could not be mitigated and the rate of offence has been increased. The
offence related to the family violence has been occurred invariably in Victoria that reflects the
inability of respective state to curb the offence6. However, the government has taken certain
3 Family violence, alcohol consumption and the likelihood of criminal offences(PDF). Melbourne, Victoria,
Australia: Crime Statistics Agency. December 2016. p. 4. ISSN 2205-6378
4 "Australian police deal with domestic violence every two minutes". 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-08-24
5 "The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children" (PDF). Department of Social Services. March 2009.
Retrieved 2 Sep 2016
6 "EXPERIMENTAL FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 23
Sep 2015. Retrieved 2 Sep 2016