The Problem of Family Violence - Essay Example

GENDER & SEXUAL STUDIES By: Gender Family violence is a menace that has continued for a number of decades in various parts of the globe more so in relation to women and children. Even though some would never imagine that Australia would be in this list, the facts reveal otherwise. However, it is worth understanding that it is not an issue spreading across the entire country. Family violence especially in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait people is prevalent, and various organizations have been in the fore to address it with an aim to eradicate it. Sadly, a number of women have lost their lives because of these cases, and pressure has been mounting for the government to address the issue more adequately. The Australian media have also been vocal in fighting this vice with The Australian reporting that “violence against women and children here is as bad as ever” (The Australian 2014). While the issue here is a focus on Australia, this paper will delve further into analyzing the gender issues facing women globally, and how feminism has developed, and the complexities faced. Often, the issue of Aboriginal violence is seen as one for the affected community- Aboriginal to be precise. However, unless it is dealt with effectively, "Aboriginal women and children will continue to be victims of sexual violence, and communities will suffer” (Keel 2004). Additionally, it has repeatedly been asserted that men ought to be involved in the fight against oppression of women by playing a role model to the children (OKeefe 2014). Besides these recommendations, the social feminism movement could be greatly accredited for an unrelenting spirit to ensure these cases are dealt with decisively. According to Genovese (2006) the rise of feminism has somewhat reduced the case though there is still a lot to do. At this point, it is important to understand that the violence-related cases exerted on women and children in the areas mentioned above include battery and even rape (Jeffries and Bond 2014)). In the news item, it was reported that women and children had suffered unimaginable atrocities. Again, in the late 80s the rate of intra-racial rape in the Aborigines was heartbreaking meaning this is a persisted problem (Bell and Nelson 1988). Notwithstanding this fact, the emergence of women movement groups has been pivotal in lowering these cases especially with the support of the media (Jeffries and Bond 2014). In addition, the fact that these organizations involve everybody has helped in ensuring this is not seen as one gender versus the other. For instance, in 1988 Dr. John Boffa was among the individuals who called upon the government to abolish strip shows and pornographic materials in the Tennant Creek. This was just one instance where women’s power was evident; recently, this voice has become even more powerful after joining forces with other like-minded organs. It has been reported that for the last 15 years voices emanating from the indigenous and non-indigenous women have been quite loud in demanding an end to these violent cases (Nancarrow 2006).Consequently, the awareness has been created which has resulted in a reduction of these cases save for few regions. It is imperative to understand here that even though the cases were attributed mainly to the Aboriginals they were still occurring elsewhere (Jeffries and Bond 2014). However due to the impetus and tenacity exhibited by these feminists group, a decline has been evident, albeit in a sluggish manner. Since the focus is on Australia, there is a possibility of interpreting it as a problem faced by women in the said country only. However, other countries have suffered as well with South Africa and even Canada reporting cases of violence against women. For instance, in 2013 the number of murdered Aboriginal women in Canada stood at 1,017 for a period between 1980 and 2012. More disheartening it was reported the indigenous women were three times more likely to victims of violence than any others (Kays 2015) were. Similarly, the situation in South Africa was not any better with Komane (2014) reporting that even though the cases were on the decline, the statistics were still worrying. In 1999, there was one woman- death for every six hours caused by a partner; in 2009, the statistics showed two women died every eight hours at the hands of their partners. The decline was greatly attributed to the vigorous campaigns by women activists and legislation. Evidently, the social movements have played a crucial role in eradicating this vice not only in Australia but also other places in the world. One thing that is clear about feminism groups is that when they are actively involved any problem can be overcome. More so if there is involvement of other stakeholders in the fight to avoid portraying it as a fight against the men. Instead, the best way to overcome any vice would be to involve others as this ensures the whole focus is on the menace itself (Cheer 2006). Clearly, the Australian activists have been instrumental in fighting violence, and their near-success could be greatly attributed to the decision to have even men on board. As reported, when the problem faced by the Aboriginals was treated as theirs alone, the other non-aboriginals joined forces and sought to deal with it together. Even though there is a tendency for a majority of people to attribute violence against women to disagreements, there are more gender issues within. The cases of violence are only the result, and disagreements are not the catalysts. Instead, stereotyping, racism, sexism, and colonization are the real issues facing women (Nancarrow 2006). It was earlier reported that the Aborigines in Canada are more vulnerable to violence that others meaning this vice is connected to racism. Why would other women in the said country be somewhat hard to target than the ones viewed as weak? The reason is that their attackers perceive them as nonentities in comparison to the other group (Jeffries and Bond 2014). While many groups have relentlessly sought to annihilate this issue from the society, the women groups have faced a myriad of challenges. First, there is the issue of cultures paying an obstacle role where people’s beliefs make it somehow complex hard to intervene (Jeffries and Bond 2014). For instance, upon writing an article about the issues facing the Aboriginal women, Bell received some letters from some women from the same community expressing displeasure at the article’s content. While the letter was meant to address the manner in which the Aboriginal issues were handled, the latter felt offended (Bell and Nelson, 1989). For this reason, gender issues are sometimes complicated because the people concerned may be held up to their cultural beliefs that are in essence hurdles In conclusion, the issue of gender violence especially against women is one that requires participation from all organs. As clearly stated a woman is an important person to the society, and any tendency to mistreat them ought to be resisted vehemently. Irrespective of the background, beliefs, or cultural practices, the significance of a woman is imperative. With the same token, the children have to be accorded humane treatment. The Aboriginals in Australia are only one portion of a large group of women who, for various reasons, have endured insurmountable atrocities. In order to win this vicious war, concerted efforts with other players like the media, government and men, in general, are imperative. The concerned group has to resist the temptation to view and fight this vice as one gender issue. On the contrary, since not all men are violent, involving them will prove critical in these matters. Bibliography Cheers, B. (2006). Family violence: An Australian Indigenous community tells its story. International Social Work, 49(1), pp.51-63. Genovese, A. (2006). FAMILY HISTORIES. Australian Feminist Studies, 21(50), pp.173-174 Jeffries, S. and Bond, C. (2014). Taking the problem seriously? Sentencing Indigenous and non- Indigenous domestic violence offenders. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology. Kays, D. (2015). Honouring our indigenous sisters today - Letter to editor - The Guardian. [online] Theguardian.pe.ca. Available at: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Opinion/Letter-to-editor/2014-12-06/article-3964365/Honouring-our-indigenous-sisters-today/1 [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. Keel, M. (2004). Family violence and sexual assault in Indigenous communities (Briefing 4) – Sexual Violence Research. [online] Aifs.gov.au. Available at: http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/briefing/b4.html [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. Komane, T. (2014). Violence against women in South Africa is a disturbing trend | The New Age Online. [online] Thenewage.co.za. Available at: http://www.thenewage.co.za/123425-1007-53-Violence_against_women_in_South_Africa_is_a [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. OKeefe, A. (2014). The questions men need to ask themselves about how they treat women. [online] Daily Life. Available at: http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-questions-men-need-to-ask-themselves-about-how-they-treat-women-20140724-3ch23.html [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. Nancarrow, H. (2006). In search of justice for domestic and family violence: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian womens perspectives. Theoretical Criminology, 10(1), pp.87 TheAustralian, (2014). Blues panther’s fight to stem the violence. [online] Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/...violence/story-e6frg8pf-1226946280226 [Accessed 22 Jan. 2015]. Read More