Domestic Violence In Australia Essay

It is evident that in today’s contemporary society, there has been a prevalent and dangerous rise in the issue of domestic violence, and consequently, law reform has been a vital element in ensuring the safety and protection of those involved. Domestic violence has never been regarded as an issue of the public or legal system as implied by the name, but rather it has been kept behind closed doors within the family unit only. As a result of the plummeting figures, both the legal system, government bodies and rising campaigns have felt the need to intervene by introducing new laws to effectively meet the needs of this issue. This response will further explore the law reform issue in Australian society, the conditions that give rise to the need

It is an issue that impacts all parties involved but predominantly women and children . Domestic violence is simply ‘violence, abuse and intimidation between people who are or have been in an intimate relationship.’ Its most common form is violence by a husband against a wife, however in its rarest form it can be violence against a husband or child against parent. This violence can be manifested in various ways; emotionally, physically, verbally, financially and psychologically. In a dysfunctional relationship where domestic violence occurs, the victims are usually isolated and deliberately deprived of social and support networks. Many question why victims remain in a dangerous relationship as such and the most common reason is the fear of reprisal on the part of the perpetrator, hence why many victims did not report matters to the police. When domestic violence was known as a ‘private family matter’ police simply did not intervene with this issue, forcing the victim to deal with it themselves. When referring to violence against women, there are various reasons as to why men inflict violence on women; it is a result of gender norms and inequality within society. Men usually feel pressured to be dominant and powerful in a relationship because the fact of the matter is that men often have more power and a higher status than women