Domestic Violence in the United Kingdom - Coursework Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Human Resource Development Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 TASK ONE Domestic violence in United Kingdom Definition Domestic violence is any act of violence and abuse physically, emotionally, sexually, psychologically and financially between partners who are or have been intimately involved, or between members of a family with disregards to sexuality and gender. It is also the misuse of power where the victim is controlled and tortured by intimidation, threats, and violence. The role of domestic violence unit is to assist the victims reach a source of assistance as well as tackle the aggravating trend of domestic violence (Michel, 1999). Domestic violence occurs across all ages, racial, religious, economic, and ethnical backgrounds with the majority of the causes being mental illness, desire for control, drug addiction and abuse, power relations and also attitudes. The violence takes many forms like, sexual violence, psychological violence, physical violence, and economic control. Victims of domestic violence often have lesser control and power than the perpetrators hence they remain submissive to the whims of the perpetrators .the victims can be categorized in to two, the ones that suffer directly and who the violence is being perpetrated on, like women and domestic workers, and the ones who suffer indirectly and as a result of the perpetrators’ violence on their victim who mostly are children and the relatives (Geffner, 1997). Statistics A lot of people have been silently undergoing a series of domestic violence in United Kingdom and hence this was the most underreported criminal case; however since 1980 there has been transparency among the victims, with a projected increase in the reporting of the violence cases to the police department. In 1992 relationship records, 1 out of 4 women were experiencing violence with their men (Women's Aid Federation, 1992). In five percent of the marriages there has been systematic and severe violence. 45 percent of the women murdered were as a result of their men’s violence. It is the second common crime and constitutes 25 percent of violent crimes that get reported to the police. A great number of children and women, 30,000, seek refuge every year as a result of the violence with 100, 000 seeking medical services every year because of domestic violence. Domestic violence has far reaching impacts both directly and indirectly. Directly Domestic violence has been associated with divorces, loss of body parts, complete immobility, increased mortality and other complicated illness among the victims, the victims mostly suffering from inferiority complex and social as well as economic problems. The perpetrators ,who may sometimes have done that under the influence of drugs, attitude, misjudgment or wrong information always end up in courts hence may be jailed, this may also lead to loss of jobs as well as rejection by both families and the community. On some terms they may also be forced to meet the medical and other expenses of their victims, some end up single parents. They often regret their actions later. Rape victims may often get sexual diseases as well as having unwanted pregnancies, with psychological and genital complications. Indirectly The children deeply suffer in such situations with some being admitted to refuges. They do underperform in their education and form tendencies of either one of their parents. The relatives of both the victims and the perpetrators have also felt severe losses due to death of the victims, jailing or death of perpetrators and also demand for compensations (Richard, 1999). Government planning The government is faced with increased demand for refuges for children and women hence 20 percent of the refuges do not receive full time staff. This also has major implications on the government’s budgetary allocations, since the demand for social services and housing by the victims of violence has grown to double that of the 1970 and is fast growing. Criminal justice role The criminal justice is taking appropriate measures to stem down the number of cases of domestic violence some of the ways it is dealing with these problems include. The crown prosecution service, the service for public prosecution in England and Wales, has been responsible for authorization of charges for domestic violence cases. Its roles involve putting perpetrators to justice with victim’s safety as its priority. . Solutions Domestic violence is a chronic behavior and if measures are not taken to curb this, it may change the social situation in United Kingdom, hence crucial steps include: Holding rallies and campaigns against the violence, sensitizing the community about their rights and how they can protect themselves against cases of domestic violence, reaching out to the disabled like the dumb and lame who often are victims, putting security services nearer to the people, and also punishing of the perpetrators according to justice. It is also good to encourage the victims to report, give them any social assistance like counseling as well as making them reach out to other victims and share with them the experience, knowledge and assistance they get. Conclusion This is the fastest growing type of violence in United Kingdom hence domestic violence is deteriorating the social and economical situation here and therefore any measure that can directly reduce this number is highly recommended. Bibliography Michel, H, 1999, Assessment of Family Violence, New York, Johns Wiley & Sons Inc. Richard, E, 1999, Domestic Violence and Children, CA, David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Geffner, R, 1997, Violence and Sexual Abuse at Home, NY, Haworth Press. TASK TWO Examining domestic violence in UK There various forms of domestic violence that are witnessed in UK. They include psychological, economical, physical, and sexual violence. Formerly the men were the most common perpetrators of this kind of violence; however this has greatly changed and taken a dramatic turn with a greater proportion of perpetrators as women, with over 835000 men being battered by their wives but remaining silent. Effects of Domestic Violence The effects of domestic violence are diverse with health complications, death of victims and psychological problem. The government is also greatly affected as it has to provide the citizens with adequate protection from all kinds of harms and violence. Health planning is as well tempered with because of the increasing number of patients due to the violence, for instance, in 2000 the number of the violence in U.K. was 514 while in 200-2002 the number shifted to 635. The increase in demand for refuge centres is a pointer towards the escalating trend of domestic insecurity in U.K. the statistical survey proves that it could soon be the leading form of crime with marriages facing consecutive domestic violence. About 100,000 women per year need medical attention while 45% of all women murdered are due to domestic violence. Women in heterosexual relationships suffer the most, with the majority being of younger ages, the different ethnics who are considered non-British also undergo the suffering with the majority not being able to access the support services. Children constitute a larger proportion in the refuges compared to women and yet that number represents a smaller margin of the total number out there who is experiencing similar problems. The children have also the tendency of keeping quiet when such violence occur, sometimes they get involved, or even cause the death of a parent while trying to intervene. Hence it is always harder for them to take a phone call for any assistance, or may be reluctant to inform the nearby assistance due to the notion that their information will be disregarded. Sometimes children witness one of their parents getting murdered by the other, which leads to automatic mental trauma, this could last the entire life of the child. As a result of the factors highlighted the justice system has allowed for the formation of multi -agencies to help deal with the domestic problems. They include the probation, home and office and the police services. Effectiveness of the multi- agency approaches in the criminal justice system Multi-agency approaches came about in 1986 when the ministerial group for crime prevention highlighted the importance of politics in crime prevention. The struggle to get a more effective way of dealing with the criminal cases has led to constant changes in the strategies applied in crime prevention. Classically, there was focus on criminal offenses committed, and not the offender, this also changed the urban development and planning. However, it was not t all that effective in the criminal prevention (Patricia, 1998). There was the formation of a natural surveillance concept, this also wasn’t successful as the prisons were swelling and the criminal cases increasing hence there was a question on treatment parasitism’s efficacy, which led to considerations on the prevention through broader aspects of crime prevention. The setting up of home office working group which considered corporate management in relation to the theory of logics system, approached the situation differently by forming a situation model of crime prevention. It dealt with crime- researching, identification, and assessing of preventive measures and selection of the most effective measures. Though the criminal justice agencies may not consider this their exclusive preserve, there is an implication of close collaboration because sound information about crime is crucial in crime prevention. It was successful in politics and practice but seriously casting doubts on broader effectiveness of the police, with challenges in attitudes and procedures. Community Programme, which was a scheme for job creation for the people with long-term unemployment problem and which was administered centrally, employed people on their different projects, together with such other projects highlighted the importance of politics in the crime prevention. Effectiveness of recent legislation involving multi-agency approaches Due to the effects of the violence, some legislative measures have been adopted to deal with such criminal activities as well as giving guidelines pertaining to the functions of organizations involved in provision of services for the victims. The results have been felt across all ages, ethnic, religious, and economic diversity. Some of these legislative measures are: Police The police do attend to incidences of crimes, investigate assaults, identifying if the crime is committed and arresting perpetrators. They also respond to breaching of legal orders in relation to domestic abuse, the guidelines for them include providing safety to victims of the violence. Housing departments and housing associations Prompt provision of housing and facilities to homeless must be provided by the local council (Housing [Scotland] Act 1987) and Law Reform [Miscellaneous Provisions) [Scotland) Act 1990). In these acts, people are considered homeless when they cannot be in their home because of violence and threats and hence the local council has to provide them with accommodation. Extension of grounds on evictions were also brought by Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 with the local council being able to exercise their power in council tenancy transfer to victims of abuse, hence no evictions. The acts also cater for the anti-social behavior. Health services Health services become crucial in the treatment of injuries sustained during domestic violence; this includes provision of services like moral support and advice. They always aid in supporting legal actions against the perpetrators. Social work services Local authorities have a legal responsibility of promoting and safeguarding the needy children’s welfare as well as all services involved in the process. Children (Scotland) Act 1995 requires the local authorities to prepare detailed plans for children services, giving the relevant services, and publish that. As the services of social work may include supervisions due to children’s reporter’s referral, they offer advice to victims and the team of criminal justice to deal with the perpetrators. Specialist voluntary organizations Specialist organizations, mainly Victim Support and Women's Aid, including Rape Crisis, provide a great deal of support like housing, information, advice, and emotional support. Other organizations There are a range of legislative organizations that help in prevention, response, and dealing with criminal activities for example the Solicitors, Benefit agency, The International Convention on the Rights of the Child, The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, The European Convention on Human Rights and The Council of Europe. Strategies for reducing criminal behavior The emphases on the best methods of reducing the criminal behavior are increasingly applicable and effective. They include the following aspects; Firearms access These are the most common weapons always used in criminal activities; restrictions vary around different countries with U.S.A being the least and Britain being among the most restrictive. Restrictions to gun ownership has great impact on reduction in the level of criminal gangs’ access to firearms as well as reduction in cases of shootings ,this is also applicable in the cases of domestic violence where shootings are taking a downward trend (Margaret, 2000). Anti social behaviors are likely to cause assaults, harassments, and use of abusive language. The UK has developed a comprehensive legislation and resource dedication to deal with anti-social behaviors (Williamson, 2000) Providing employment The strategy of provision of employment of the long-term unemployed people as neighborhood watchers for criminal activities has reinforced the policing of different places as well as keeping the would-be criminals occupied. Drug control Most of the cases are caused by drug abuse and addiction and as a result there has been restrictive measures in place to control drug trafficking, alcohol use has also been regulated which helps in reducing cases of ill health and the related effects ( Smith, K,2003). Providing education Education provision is made to reach even the less fortunate and is also extended to cater for the perpetrators and society at large; this is enhancing the awareness on different criminal activities, how they could be avoided, and their consequences. Conclusion Just like other crimes, domestic violence need to be taken more seriously. UK government is doing a commendable job in dealing with domestic violence which threatens not only to break up families but also cause physical and mental health problems for the victims. Bibliography Margaret, P., 2000, The Role of Firearms in Domestic Violence, Edwin Mellen Press, NY. Patricia, A., 1998, Violence in Families, National Academy Press, Washington DC. Williamson, E., 2000, Domestic Violence and Health, Policy Press, Bristol. Smith, K, 2003, Gangs and delinquency in developmental perspective, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Read More