Week 11 - Difficult Conversations - DV Flashcards
How many women experience physical or sexual violence, or emotional abuse by a current or formal partner?
1 in 4 women
How much more likely are women to experience domestic violence than men?
3 times more likely
What is the annual cost of violence against women and their children in 2015-2016?
22 billion
What is domestic violence?
Use of violent, threatening, or coercive behaviour to gain power. Can include physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse, can be a current or former partner
What are the two types of domestic violence?
Insecure reactors (simple domestic violence)
Coercive controllers (emotionally dependent, calculating manipulator)
What are the two types of coercive controllers?
Emotionally dependent
Calculating manipulator
What are insecure reactors?
Use emotional and physical violence to try to gain power in the relationship
Often in response to conflict -eg “settling” a verbal disagreement, lashing out because unable to effectively verbalise anger
Often associated with a sense of entitlement and frustration
Also the most likely to confront their own behaviours (anecdotally)
What is coercive control?
A formal regime of domination/subordination behind which [the perpetrator] can protect and extend their access to money, sex, leisure time, domestic service and other benefits. Stark (2012)
What are the tactics of coercive control?
Violence
Intimidation
Isolation
Deprivation, exploitation and regulation
What are some examples of intimidation tactics?
Designed to keep abuse secret, create dependence and compliance
- threats
- Surveillance/stalking
- Degradation
What is the first step that coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Establish love and trust
eg. “love bombing”
Showing intense interest and care, showering with gifts
What is the second step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Isolate
- geographically
- driving away friends/family
- collude with family where there is existing difficulties
- victims can self isolate or just pretend all is well out of shame/fear
- hiding car keys, intercepting calls/emails/ threatening others
What is the third step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Monopolise perception
- with no external supports, it is easier to lose perspective
- redirect attention from the perpetrator’s behaviour to victim’s behaviour - any abuse is due to her faults
- Alternatively, perpetrators can present as needing help
What is the fourth step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Induce debility and exhaustion
eg. gaslighting, stop the victim from getting regular sleeping, excessive work etc
What is the fifth step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Enforce trivial demands
- Often changing, and can be contradictory
- Leads to hypervigilance to avoid anger/punishment
What is the sixth step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Demonstrate omnipotence
Control over life or death - choking, strangulation are huge warning signs for homicide
Surveillance - particularly technology facilitated abuse
What is the seventh step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Alternative punishments with reward
- cycle of violence
What is the cycle of violence?
Explosion/violence > remorse and apology > promises and pursuit > false honeymoon > build up of tension > standover/threats > repeat
what is the eighth step coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Threats
- Used to prevent the victim from seeking help
- Threats of finding and punishment the victim
- Threats to harm self
- Risk of harm to children/family/friends/pets
What is step nine that coercive abusers use to control their victims?
Degradation
- Coerced into sexually degrading acts
- Forced to engage in other degrading acts (eg. eating dog food, sleeping on floor)
- Forced to neglect childrem
What are the most frequently reported reasons for homicide of either the victim or their family members?
Leaving or threatening to leave
Why don’t people leave abusive relationships?
Threats, surveillance, violence
Leaving or threatening to leave
No access to money or shelter
Interactions with police are not always ideal
There is a high chance that even where there are claims of abuse of children the perpetrator will be granted access
Trying to get a restraint order or other legal support is costly and risky
In the 1930s-1940s how did people view women who stayed with their abusive husbands?
Masochists
Freud’s penis envy theory included the idea that women unconsciously sought to be punished for being ‘less’ than men
What were the 3 core traits of femininity described by Helene Deutsch in 1944
Narcissism
Passivity
Masochism
As people shifted away from the view that women were masochists, what view formed instead?
Women being helpless
Why are some women less likely to get justice, and may even end up being seen as a perpetrator?
If she fights back, gets angry, uses substances or in some way does not meet the ‘standard’ of a victim
What factors can increase domestic violence?
First nations 35 time more likely to experience domestic/family violence
Exacerbated by isolation and small community units
Police/legal response can be biased
Poverty/literacy challenges
Intergenrational trauma
How many domestic violence victims have a disability?
Nearly half of female DV victims
How does disability affect women who experience domestic violence?
Perpetrator is often not just a partner, but also a carer
Increase risk of losing children
More ability to be controlled/assaulted/threatened
Challenges engaging with legal/support services
