User:AndrewD/Notes on Domestic Violence Policy

Introduction
Given the recent history of my involvement in DV discussions around PPAU, I want to make something very clear up front.
 * I do NOT deny the seriousness of the issues of Male on Female DV. They are very real and very well documented.
 * I have never said anything like that, and I do not believe anything like that either, so I hope we can just move past any assumptions people may have about that.

However, on the assumption that there will already be a strong emphasis in this policy group on Male domestic violence against Females, I am going to address the other side.

Before I do though, a couple of other observations...

NSW Crime Map
Take a look at NSW Crime Map. If you click on the "Domestic Violence" offence category, the resulting map looks pretty much like a poverty map of Sydney. Domestic violence may not be restricted to just poor households, but of the cases that escalate to police in NSW, it definitely looks like a strong pattern.

Child Protection Services Australia Annual Report
In thinking about DV and children, an excellent from-the-coal-face source is the annual report from Child Protection Services.

In reference to: Child protection Australia report by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Canberra,
 * Refer to the table on Page 56 "Table A1.9: Substantiations of notifications received during 2010–11, by type of family in which the child was residing, states and territories"
 * This table, hidden away in the appendices and otherwise coping nary a mention, shows that the largest number of substantiated child protection notification by household, in practically every state in Australia, occurs in "Single Parent - Female" households, at 5,660, vs. 5,449 for "Two parent—intact" and 2,507 for "Two parent—step or blended" and 752 for "Single Parent - Male".
 * The reports for 2012 and 2013, if you can find them pretty much show the same thing.
 * Additionally, consider that 3236.0 - Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2011 to 2036 shows 818,773 "Female lone parent in a one-parent family" households vs. 5,424,524 "Partner in a couple family with children", that makes the rate of substantiated child protection notifications around 7 times as high in single mother households as for "Two parent—intact" households.
 * I'm not going to attempt an explanation at this time. No explanation is given in the document, but it seems important and the source is highly credible.

Female on Male Domestic Violence
The focal points where I may diverge from others opinions are likely to be:

Extent of Female on Male DV

 * I notice Frew linked 'One in Three' claim about male domestic violence victims is a myth, but failed to link the open letter of rebuttal: Open letter from 1IN3 to Jane Gilmore, Daily Life columnist and Candice Chung, Daily Life Editor
 * Original government source referenced: Australian Bureau of Statistics: PREVALENCE OF PARTNER VIOLENCE
 * In relation to severity of Female on Male DV, it's worth noting that in the Australian Government, Australian Institute of Criminology: Homicide in Australia, 2008–10 report, the figures of around 1 in 3 persist right up to the level of homicide.

Behavioural theories used to describe or explain why DV occurs

 * The feminist inspired patriarchal "Male Control Theory" seems to be a popular explanatory theory. Not surprisingly, I don't agree with this.
 * Here's a really well written paper refuting the theory: Testing Predictions From the Male Control Theory of Men’s Partner Violence, by Elizabeth A. Bates, Nicola Graham‐Kevan, and John Archer. It makes several very reasonable predictions based on the theory, then tests to see if they hold up (i.e. they did science).
 * The contrasting perspective, is that:
 * male and female interpersonal violence is similarly motivated, but is indeed about control
 * DV is a generational issue: abused children grow up to become abusers.
 * DV is also a mental health issue. Particularly amongst people with "Borderline Personality Disorder" and Depression.

Extent to which DV perpetrated against men is ignored (perhaps for fear of de-focus on womens issues)

 * For example: Western Australia Domestic Violence Helpline. This official government site has a number for women as victims and another number for men as perpetrators, and that's it.
 * In another example you may notice for yourself, if you front up as a female to a hospital emergency ward with injuries, you will be questioned intensely to determine whether it was caused by DV. Quite reasonably too IMO. However, if you front up as a male, no such questioning takes place. It's not policy.
 * There is very little research into the DV reporting rates by men.
 * ABS report in Tables 25,26 at: 4906.0 - Personal Safety, Australia, 2012 show men as about 40% less likely to report, even against an already low rate of reporting by women.
 * Some likely causes being that 1) Men are embarrassed about the situation, 2) Men assume they are likely to be blamed regardless, 3) Fear of losing access to their children if it ends in divorce.

Lack of DV support services that provide for men in Australia

 * At the same time, men account for the majority of homeless and have greater than 3 times the suicide rate of women.
 * Ref: 3303.0 - Causes of Death, Australia, 2013 shows 1885 men committed suicide in Australia in 2010 (about 36 per week), as compared to the still awful 637 women who killed themselves (about 12 per week).
 * What is even more startling about these numbers, is that they peak in the mid 30's age range (around the common age of divorce with kids involved - it's just correlation, I know - I haven't found any report yet that investigated it more closely)

Further Reading Sources
http://www.oneinthree.com.au/ suggest starting at: http://www.oneinthree.com.au/overview/