Domestic Violence Problem in Indigenous Community

Running Head: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROBLEM IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY
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Media portfolio: Collection and analysis of an Indigenous health and wellbeing issue
Topic: Domestic Violence in Indigenous Communities
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROBLEM IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY
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Introduction
Family and domestic violence, as well as other forms of violence such as sexual
violence, are the main issues affecting health development. These types of violence happen
across all socioeconomic groups and demographics (Briskman, 2014). The most affected by
violence are women and children. Domestic violence among Indigenous people has been on
the rise in recent times. This is common among Indigenous women, especially women who
are young and those who are expectant (Lonne & Parton, 2014). There are higher chances of
domestic violence happening to the Indigenous community than those that are non-
Indigenous.
Across the world, victims of domestic violence are mostly women; they tend to
experience more severe kinds of violence, for instance, emotional and physical abuse. It is
shocking to see that in some places, domestic violence is regularly perceived as justified and
legally allowed, mostly in situations of real and alleged adultery on the side of the woman.
Domestic violence, however, is amongst the top under-reported crimes globally for both male
and female victims (Sherman, 2014). Because of stigmas in society concerning male
victimization, all of the male victims face an increased probability of being ignored or
disregarded by healthcare givers.
The problems faced due to domestic violence provide the reasons why domestic abuse
needs to be stopped, and those protection laws should be implemented to prevent further
instances of abuse. The design used in this study relied on the quantitative method of
research, as the research is based on the statistical analysis that shows the number of victims
and the amount of money used in respect to domestic violence. The significant findings that

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have been similar in most countries are the financial loss, poor child development, and
reduced workforce (Othman, 2014).
Source (Othman, 2014)
Domestic violence in Australia is quite common, since the number of women who
meet the criteria of domestic violence victims makes up over 30 percent of the population of
women in the country. Under the said estimate, these women would have been abused
physically by the spouses or partners at some point in their lives (Kitzmann, 2013). As a

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result, it is clear that domestic violence has led to various problems which are being faced by
Australian society. One of the significant issues which have resulted from domestic violence
is the imminent public health problem which exists in the country (Hague, 2015). Domestic
violence is regarded as a crime that will result in public health problems. Most of the victims
of this form of abuse will have a higher risk of suffering from mental health issues, infections
and various diseases since the domestic violence will affect them physically or mentally
(Hague, 2015).
Media article one
Disadvantage, trauma causing high rates of Indigenous family violence
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2018/02/28/disadvantage-trauma-causing-
high-rates-indigenous-family-violence
Article summary and reflection
The article starts by singling out disadvantage as well as trauma that are
intergenerational, as major factors that contribute to family violence in the communities that
are indigenous at alarming rates. Those that experience rates of family that are high are the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A report by the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare indicated that the Indigenous Australians have multiple factors that increase the
risk of family violence. The factors include stressors that are social, overcrowding,
unemployment, poor housing, and financial difficulties.
A group of Indigenous peoples of Australia comprises of the Torres Strait Islander
and the Aboriginals who are original inhabitants of Australia. With the arrival of European
settlers, there emerged several changes in the lifestyle of Indigenous groups. The onset of
these problems started with the displacement of the Indigenous groups from their original
areas of residence and commencement of civilization. Health inequality mainly emerges
when an individual community lacks access to healthcare services, and yet they are availed to