Aussie Newspaper Article on Domestic Violence
A global report showing that Australia has one of the lowest rates of violence against women is hardly a cause for celebration, according to social welfare groups. Domestic violence is becoming the “Greatest Social Epidemic”of our time. Below is an aussie newspaper article on Domestic Violence.
The World Health Organisation’s first international study into the prevalence of violence against women found that one in four women in high-income countries have been abused by their partners, compared with a third of women worldwide.
Karen Willis, executive officer at the NSW Rape Crisis Centre, described the findings as appalling, saying Australia’s ”ranking” was unacceptable. ”The report clearly shows that south-east Asia and the Middle East have the highest rates of physical and sexual assault in the world,” she said.
”The rate in Australia is lower but that is hardly something to be proud of. The rate of violence against women in Australia is not that much lower than the rates in developing countries and that’s not good enough.”
According to the report, 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence, most often perpetrated by a partner. Nearly 30 per cent of women worldwide have suffered physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their intimate partner.
Partner-perpetrated violence was highest in the south-east Asian region at 37.7 per cent, followed by the eastern Mediterranean (37 per cent), Africa (36.6 per cent), the Americas (29.8 per cent), Europe (25.4 per cent), Western Pacific (24.6 per cent) and high-income countries (23.2 per cent), which comprises Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, members of the European Union, Israel, South Korea and Japan.
Chief executive of the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service in Victoria Annette Gillespie said the figures were unlikely to show the true extent of violence against women.
”The report highlights the seriousness of the family violence but I suspect it’s a conservative report as we know that violence against women is grossly under reported,” she said.
”In many countries it’s not even regarded as a crime.”
Ms Gillespie said the report revealed that a large number of women were suffering abuse, regardless of their background. ”It highlights that the single most common experience women share across the world is family violence,” she said.
Domestic violence costs the Australian economy an estimated $13.6 billion a year, on top of the emotional suffering of those affected. ”I would see family violence as the greatest social epidemic of our time,” Ms Gillespie said.
”It is corroding the fabric of Australian society. The damage that it does to women’s ability to participate is enormous and I think many people don’t realise that.”
.
