Cycle Of Domestic Violence Essay

This paper is written based on the issues raised in the article ‘Anna’s Story’. It will discuss the ‘cycle of violence’ and the reasons both psychological and physical why victims of domestic violence (DV) may resist leaving their situation. Key services that victims (Anna) require access to due to the situation will also be discussed, including the role of police beyond their task of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVO) and convicting perpetrators.

The definition of DV is stated in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act, 2007, Section 11, “domestic violence offence means a personal violence offence committed by a person against another person with whom the person who commits the offence has or has had a domestic relationship”.

The first meaning is centred on the opinion that children who live with domestic violence will learn that abuse is tolerable and suggests that abuse is normal within relationships. The trend for these children suggests as they grow up they have a tendency to become either perpetrators of abuse or victims. This generally is depending on whether they are male or female (ADPP, 2017). Witnessing parental domestic violence has appeared as the strongest predictor responsible for violence in young people’s own intimate relationships. Up to one-quarter of young non-Aboriginal people in Australia have witnessed an event of physical or DV against their mother, stepmother or father, stepfather from and towards each other. Indigenous youth were considerably more likely to have experienced physical DV amongst their parents or parents’ partners. In the case of male to female violence, the rate was 42 per cent and for female to male violence the rate was 33 per cent (D Indermaur,

This cycle trend is for the abuse to progressively worsen which may include; increasing tension, harassment and arguments. This leads to the aggressor standing over the other person to ‘Increase of Control’, which instils fear into the victim. As this builds, the aggressor will ultimately reach a point where he/she will burst into a rage involving extreme abuse, property damage, physical or sexual violence and controlling behaviours. This is then followed by remorse and pleas for forgiveness, justifying or minimizing their actions and blaming the victim. At that stage, the abuser is likely to blame their actions on other factors, e.g. substance abuse or work pressure promise never to repeat the violence. However, according to this model, the presure slowly builds up again to a further amount of abuse. The ‘cycle of violence’ can fluctuate in terms of periods of time, but is inclined to speed up the longer the relationship lasts (ADPP, 2017 & ADPP, 2016). This cycle continues over and over, and may help explain why victims stay in abusive relationships. The violence may be horrible, but the promises and generosity of the offender during the honeymoon phase give the victim the false belief that everything will be all