What Is Domestic Violence and What You Can Do About It?

What is Domestic Violence?

The violence started with the intention of revenge but gradually took a diversion resulting in attacking one of their kind. Soon the defensive mechanism for land and culture and one’s safety turned into a showcase of one’s authority over the other. Violence inside a home is called domestic violence. In simple terms, a person is subject to violence when threatened physically or emotionally or coercive control. The perpetrators can be of any relationships like de-facto relationships, marriage, foster relationships through adoption, kinfolk and siblings.

Domestic violence doesn’t happen to women alone but also to children and elderly people. The World Health Organisation(WHO) reported that almost 27%(one third) of women face domestic violence by intimate partners alone. The domestic violence rate in Parramatta is also on the rise now.

Abuse can be physical, emotional, financial, social isolation, verbal, cultural and religious, and sexual. Any activity which makes you insecure comes under this umbrella term abuse or domestic violence.

Physical Violence:

Any act performed against a woman with the intention of hurting them causing pain is physical violence. What starts with a push and pull eventually will lead to adverse effects. Most of the violence towards women is to showcase male dominance.

Emotional Violence:

Emotional violence: emotionally threatening a person using emotions to make them feel bad by constant remarks and threats. The subtle nature of this violence makes it hard to know whether this is violence or not until you lose your self-respect. Through isolation, discrediting and silencing the perpetrator controls the victim. The common examples are

• Jealous or possessive.

• Social isolation.

• Refraining you from working.

• Brainwashing.

• Neglecting.

• Humiliation.

• Bad-mouth.

Sexual Violence:

An unwelcome act of activity invading or disturbing a person’s personal space is considered sexual violence. Consenting due to threatening by violence, coerced, or blackmail doesn’t mean that the victim is willing with consent.

Economic Abuse:

Economic abuse: preventing someone from using financial resources for basic needs or making them dependent by gaining total control. Even they have to ask for permission every time to spend their own hard-earned money. This means that a person has to stay put at their home with no one else to visit.

Measures to be Followed:

Everybody deserves to live. It doesn’t matter if you are good or bad, you should have the courage. Don’t let someone shatter your self-confidence. Domestic Violence Safety Planning (DV safety planning) is essential to abolish this ingrained violence towards women.

Contact Emergency Services:

Contact emergency DV west service for the safety of your well being. You’ll be safe in their hands where they provide crisis accommodation, transitional housing and outreach support for women, children and women-identifying people. DV West’s commitment to the betterment of women and children encourages them to go further.

Ask for Help:

Seek help from your friend or family with whom you can rely on. Stay there until your fear wears off. Then plan on moving to some other place where you can start with your new life until things get back to normal.

It’s upsetting to see women and children facing domestic violence in this present time. The government should take measures and conduct awareness to save the victims from reaching the worst state and even death. It is necessary to teach our children about domestic violence to stop this from occurring. If this coercive behaviour is not under control, then the survival of women and children will be in doubt.

DV West’s vision is for a society free of violence against women and children; a society where women and children are safe in their homes and in their communities and have the support and resources they need to live active and fulfilling lives.