Jennifer Gartland

SOC102         Social Problems

Tutor:         John Warren

Domestic Violence

Student:        Jennifer Gartland

Student ID:        032805136

        Domestic Violence is defined by the Home Office as, ‘any violence between current and former partners in an intimate relationship, wherever and whenever the violence occurs.  The violence may include physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse’ (Home Office 2003, p. 6).  The Safety and Justice consultation paper also highlights that, ‘domestic violence occurs across society, regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, wealth and geography.  However, it is predominantly women who suffer as a result of it’ (Home Office 2003, p. 6).  Dallos (1993, p. 11) also points out that what constitutes as violence to one person is not to another.  For example in the use of, ‘threats, damaging property, energetic sexual behaviour or play fighting’, it is often down to the couple to agree on what level of behaviour is acceptable (Dallos and Foreman 1993, p. 11).  The solutions and policies on Domestic Violence stem from what is determined as the ‘cause’ or definition of the violence and this is investigated through a variety of discourses often delivering a different explanation (Radford 2001, pp. 70, 71).  This Essay will investigate some of the major policies undertaken by the government in addressing Domestic Violence.  It will also look into the discourses in which they were derived.  Firstly we will consider how Domestic Violence is a problem, how it is seen as a problem and whom it is a problem for.

        

        Domestic violence is a relatively recent term but the act itself it has been argued has always occurred (Muncie and McLaughlin 2001,p. 204).  The husband had almost total rights over his family and used forms of ‘domestic chastisement’ against his wife and children in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Dallos and Foreman 1993, p.8; Muncie and McLaughlin 2001, p. 206).  The first of the Matrimonial Causes Acts was introduced in 1878, through campaigning of early feminists such as Frances Power Cobbe, which aimed to control the amount of chastisement by the husband but still held it as legitimate (Dobash and Dobash 1992,p.156; Muncie and McLaughlin 2001,p. 205).  It was not until the feminist movements of the 1970s and 1980s when domestic violence was considered to be a social problem.

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        One of the reasons why domestic violence is considered a problem is the vast amount of people it affects.  Statistics from the Home Office (2003, pp. 8, 9) shows that domestic violence claims 150 lives each year, accounts for a quarter of all violent crime and has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average 35 assaults are committed before there is contact with the police).  It is also highlighted that domestic violence is highly under reported and a ‘hidden’ crime and according to the Crime in England and Wales 2001/2002 report, ‘under 35% of actual domestic violence ...

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