Domestic violence
On March 21, Jean Lennon was shot by her ex-husband outside
the Family Court in Parramatta, Sydney. She died within hours
from bullet wounds to the head and abdomen.
The custody case regarding their four children was to be heard
that afternoon. Lennon had lived in seven or eight refuges in the
past year -- moving frequently to escape her ex-husband. This
tragic incident has brought to the fore the extent of domestic
violence in Australian society.
The domestic violence sector has been dealt a blow by the
Labor government in NSW. Last July, the Domestic Violence
Advocacy Council was abolished. DVAC was initially formed to
provide consultation and communication between community groups
and government agencies. It was abolished with the intention of
facilitating the consultation through the Department of Women.
This indicates a lack of commitment on behalf of the government
to giving adequate attention to the issue of domestic violence.
Women all around the world experience domestic violence;
largely it goes on unpunished because it happens behind closed
doors. Society has not yet found a way of dealing with the issue.
Stopping domestic violence at its foundations requires a
fundamental change in society and in the attitudes of
individuals. However, until that time, partial solutions need to
be sought. The discussion that has occurred around this incident
has remained addressed to the symptoms, not the underlying
causes.
The Sydney Morning Herald focused on gun law reform.
While it might be true that Jean Lennon would still be alive if
her ex-husband had not possessed a gun, gun law reform will not
end violence. Guns are not the only weapons that can be used to
injure or kill people.
A protest that was organised the week following Lennon's death
demanded that the NSW government reconvene DVAC. The other demand
was for the police force and the Family Court to strengthen
apprehended violence orders to provide better protection for
women. While these measures are a very important part of creating
safety and protection for women, we should not have any illusions
that this alone is going to stop violence against women or put an
end to women being killed by their husbands.
In considering long-term solutions, can we begin to address
issues like changing attitudes of people? It's not only men who
have to change: the empowerment of women is essential for
creating long-term change. Rather than constantly being treated
as and feeling like victims, women need to be able to take their
fate into their own hands.
In the 1970s, many feminists were involved in setting up
refuges, rape crisis centres, women's health centres -- the
services that we rely on today. They did so because governments
weren't living up to their responsibility to provide such
services.
While discussions now centre, understandably, on such
immediate aids, it's important not to lose sight of the long-term
goal of creating a society where women can live without fear. In
this respect, governments seem further than ever from fulfilling
their obligations to women.
Trish Corcoran
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