Release of government blueprint prompts need for open debate to tackle scourge of domestic violence
THE release of a State Government blueprint on domestic violence has made clear the scale of the problem and we need a community debate on how to tackle it. Lauren Novak reports on the emerging solutions.
- PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HERE
- Horrifying figures show rise in domestic violence
- Police asked to include domestic violence data in crime statistics
SOMEWHERE in our community is a serial abuser who has breached court orders more than 40 times by continuing to harass their victims.
This anonymous offender is among the worst, but certainly not alone. Disrespect for the laws that are meant to protect victims runs deep among those who perpetrate family and domestic violence.
In fact, it is at the heart of the social scourge affecting too many of our women and children.
Now, the State Government is asking what we can do to break the cycle of this behaviour.
A discussion paper released by the Government, revealed in the Sunday Mail last week, shows almost 6000 charges for breaching a condition of an order have been laid over the past four and a half years.
About 1000 abusers have repeatedly breached orders put in place to protect such victims, including one brute who has been charged 40-plus times.
Early responses to the Government’s call to action support moves to make rehabilitation of family violence offenders mandatory.
“Serving a piece of paper to someone to keep them away doesn’t always work,” says Arman Abrahimzadeh, whose mother was killed by her estranged husband in 2010 — despite being subject to an intervention order.
“Unfortunately, my mother’s case is a prime example of that. Authorities need to make these rehabilitation programs mandatory for more perpetrators.
“For those that an intervention order works for, it should come with some sort of mandatory assistance or program (to change their behaviour).”
Rehabilitation is among eight topics identified by Government for public consultation. Others include a scheme to disclose the violent history of certain people, allowing the use of police videos as evidence in court cases, imposing time limits on intervention orders, better data collection and more emergency accommodation for victims.
The paper also paints the most up to date picture yet of how the problem affects tens of thousands of South Australians, using previously unpublished SA Police data.
Unfortunately, it warns the problem will appear to worsen before it improves as more victims report previously hidden abuse and authorities apply greater focus.
Frontline workers say the latest figures are just the tip of the iceberg.
Anglicare SA CEO Peter Sandeman said current statistics “do not come close to accurately reflecting how big the issue is”.
“We know that victims are often too scared to report incidents to authorities,” Mr Sandeman said. “Through our services alone we’re aware of no less than 2500 women who are experiencing domestic violence.”
Centacare Catholic Family Services director Dale West added that the statistics “don’t give due recognition to the complexity of domestic violence situations”.
“For example, the controlling aspect of DV when there’s no other visible sign a woman or child is at risk,” he said. “It becomes a whole of family issue which the data doesn’t necessarily capture. The children are brought into play ... and often grandparents are victims of abuse, too.”
About three-quarters of all domestic violence victims in 2015 were women or girls — be they wives, girlfriends, mothers or daughters.
Almost all violent relationships also involve elements of control, particularly over money.
Financial abuse is not specifically addressed in the Government’s latest document and banking institution People’s Choice Credit Union says it is “often overlooked”.
“Control of money is very effective in trapping victims of domestic violence so they literally cannot afford to escape the relationship,” says CEO Steve Laidlaw.
His organisation has undertaken White Ribbon accreditation to teach staff and clients about the use of financial abuse “as a tactic for perpetrators” and how to recognise the signs.
Research shows that people in rural or remote communities are more at risk, due to their isolation and sparse services. Certain cultural groups are disproportionately affected, too.
Aboriginal South Australians made up 15.6 per cent of domestic violence victims in 2014-15 — despite comprising only 2.3 per cent of the general population.
Mr Sandeman noted there was “little discussion” on curbing indigenous family violence in the Government’s strategy.
It does, however, acknowledge that much of the approach to this distressing social problem has so far focused on the victims of family violence.
“What must be achieved in moving forward is an increase in information obtained about its perpetrators,” it says.
“It is time for a greater focus on information collection about the perpetrators ... so we can (know) the rate at which they reoffend, whether treatment programs reduce the rate at which a person offends and whether perpetrators reoffend against the same victims, or not.”
Partners or ex-partners of victims are responsible for a staggering 94 per cent of all domestic violence-related offences.
Since the Government changed the law in late 2011 to make it easier to obtain an intervention order far more people are taking steps to protect themselves.
The number of these orders issued by police or the courts has skyrocketed from 198 a month in late 2011 to 424 at the end of last year.
However, reports of people breaching those orders have also soared, from 878 in 2011-12 to 3756 in 2014-15.
This could be for assaulting, harassing or intimidating a victim — in person or through phone calls, texting or online — following a victim, damaging their property or going to their home or workplace.
An intervention order may also include a condition that the offender participate in a treatment program focused on their behaviour or other factors, such as substance abuse or problem gambling.
About 15 per cent of breaches are for a failure to attend rehabilitation.
Courts data show less than half of perpetrators who start a program stay on to complete the course.
It is currently up to the courts whether an offender is assessed for rehabilitation and whether they are required to undertake a treatment program.
The Government is asking for feedback on whether it should be mandatory for everyone subject to an intervention order to be assessed to see if they would benefit from treatment.
The discussion paper also asks if an abuser should be made to participate in treatment if certain factors are present in their case.
Corrections Minister Peter Malinauskas said the Government piloted two programs last financial year — the Domestic and Family Violence Intervention Program and Living Without Violence — which would be expanded.
His department was also developing a rehabilitation program for sex offenders, he said.
The 2016-17 State Budget allocated $9 million for rehabilitation programs — for all types of offenders, not just domestic abusers — over the next four years.
Mr Malinauskas said the Domestic and Family Violence Intervention Program had been designed “to challenge the mindset of those with a history of domestic violence and increase attitudes which are supportive of loving, trusting, safe and respectful relationships”.
It also partners with Central Domestic Violence Services to provide counselling and support to partners and children of offenders who take part.
“The more we invest in rehabilitation, the less we will see repeat offenders and the safer our communities will be,” Mr Malinauskas said.
As the minister responsible for our jails, he conceded that domestic violence assaults have been a large contributor to growth in prisoner numbers.
The number of alleged offenders on remand who have breached an intervention order has spiked from just one in 50 in early 2008 to one in six now.
The proportion of sentenced prisoners who had breached an order has grown from less than 1 per cent to 5 per cent over the same period.
Advocates argue we could be doing more to change the behaviour of these criminals while they are part of a captive audience behind bars.
The Government’s call for solutions to this social ill should elicit a flood of opinions and proposals over the next five weeks.
The key will be turning the information and ideas into effective action.
“We have to move domestic violence from being a trendy discussion and horror story, with clever headlines, to a stage where the resources and system responses catch up with the rhetoric,” says Centacare’s Mr West.
“If it’s not a genuine commitment backed up by resources then it’s just another report that will sit on the shelf.”
Public submissions will be accepted until September 4.
To provide feedback visit www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/dvdiscussion
FOR ADVICE OR SUPPORT, PHONE:
Victim Support Service on:
8231 5626 OR 1800 182 368
DV Crisis Service on:
1300 782 200
DV Gateway Service:
1800 800 098 (24 hours)
In an emergency phone police on 000