We know the holidays present different experiences for everyone. Some find it relaxing and fun, others may find it a stressful, lonely, and even dangerous time.
Preventing family violence begins with addressing inequalities at home, in relationships, in families, and in communities.
This year, we’ve all taken steps to support and care for each other during a difficult time – and we must take the same approach when it comes to stopping family violence before it starts.
Gender based violence:
Refers to violence that is specifically ‘directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately’.
Intimate Partner Violence:
Refers to any behaviour by a man or a woman in an intimate relationship (including current or past marriages, domestic partnerships, familial relations, or people who share accommodation) that causes physical, sexualised, emotional, psychological, spiritual, technological or financial abuse to those in the relationship. Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women.
The welfare of the son depends on the mother. It is because of the love of the mother that the son becomes great and eminent. So, the foremost duty of the son is to be grateful to his mother, respect her and serve her. The gift of life is immanent in every being. But who is responsible for this gift of life within? It is the mother alone! The mother, who bears you for nine months with many difficulties, is ready to sacrifice even her life for your welfare. You owe your existence to your mother.
Treat every woman as your Mother, as your sister, with full respect. Else, you spit on the gift of life you have been given.
Violence against women is now recognised to be a serious and widespread problem in Australia, with enormous individual and community impacts and social costs… … However this significant social problem is also ultimately preventable.
But to prevent violence against women we first need to understand it.
The following basic statistics help demonstrate the prevalence and severity of violence against women:
The Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe, Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence), defines violence against women as falling under four key forms: physical, sexual, psychological and economic.
The European Institute of Gender Equality has produced and uses uniform definitions of these forms of violence, which encourage comprehensive understanding of what falls under the scope of gender-based violence.
Any act which causes physical harm as a result of unlawful physical force. Physical violence can take the form of, among others, serious and minor assault, deprivation of liberty and manslaughter.
Any sexual act performed on an individual without their consent. Sexual violence can take the form of rape or sexual assault.
Any act which causes psychological harm to an individual. Psychological violence can take the form of, for example, coercion, defamation, verbal insult or harassment.
Any act or behaviour which causes economic harm to an individual. Economic violence can take the form of, for example, property damage, restricting access to financial resources, education or the labour market, or not complying with economic responsibilities, such as alimony.
It is also important to recognise that gender-based violence may be normalised and reproduced due to structural inequalities, such as societal norms, attitudes and stereotypes around gender generally and violence against women specifically. Keeping silent in the face of gender-based violence normalises and accepts violence. Therefore it is important to acknowledge structural or institutional violence, which can be defined as the subordination of women in economic, social and political life, when attempting to explain the prevalence of violence against women within our societies.
“There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.” – Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General
We all have a responsibility to end violence against women and girls. Here are few simple and important things that we can all do to promote safety of women and girls.
Violence against women and girls remains pervasive across the world, despite significant efforts being made to recognise, eliminate, and prevent it in all its forms. Eliminating violence against women and girls is pivotal to achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Elimination can only be done through prevention. Successful prevention requires:
Elder abuse is a form of family violence and it is unacceptable.
Elder abuse is any act occurring within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which results in harm to an older person. Elder abuse may be physical, sexual, financial, psychological, social and/or neglect.
Elder abuse that occurs in aged care facilities and nursing homes has received a lot of media coverage, particularly in the wake of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, with a final report expected by 30 April 2020. This form of abuse violates human rights and is both illegal and abhorrent.
This campaign refers to violence and elder abuse that occurs in a family context that is perpetrated by either a relative, friend or known and trusted associate (such as a carer).
Research shows that up to 14 per cent of older people may be experiencing elder abuse. Yet the real number is estimated to be much higher than this because elder abuse is often under reported.
When is a crisis response needed?
When a woman and her children need support to stay safe from someone using family violence against them. This may be when the woman is still in the relationship, is planning to leave, or when she has already left.
Why is it important?
The risks to victims of family violence are high and can be fatal. In the first instance, a crisis response is important because it prevents harm and saves lives. As well as that, with the right support, women and children can recover and thrive after family violence.
After the New York Times and The New Yorker exposés ousted Harvey Weinstein from a seemingly impenetrable Hollywood throne, unveiling his true nature as a sexual predator, the floodgates opened. One by one, women who had lived in silence about their own experiences of sexual harassment and assault — whether due to negative career repercussions, fear of not being believed, shame, NDAs, and other reasons — began to share their stories, adding voices to a booming chorus under the hashtag #MeToo. They demanded that widespread behavior of intimidation and abuse of power, and the normalization of it, come to an end.
