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New
Survey Again Proves that Women
Bear the Brunt of Domestic Violence.
The
results of the Personal Safety Survey undertaken by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics and released last week supported existing
evidence that Australian women are continuing to bear high levels of
violence in their intimate relationships. According to WESNET, the
national peak body for domestic and family violence services across
Australia
, this is completely unacceptable. “When is the Australian
Government going to finally treat violence against women as the
serious social issue it is?” asked Pauline Woodbridge,
National Chairperson of WESNET.
The
survey shows that for women aged 45 years and over, the proportion
that experienced physical violence in the 12 months prior to the
survey increased significantly in 2005 to 25% from 15% in 1996. Of
those women who were physically assaulted, 38% were physically
assaulted by their current or previous male partner. “These
statistics are alarming” said Ms Woodbridge.
More
women who experienced physical assault by a male perpetrator reported
it to the police in 2005 (36%) compared to 19% in 1996.
According to Ms Woodbridge, “this could reflect higher levels of
reporting, or higher levels of assaults, or both”.
31%
of all females in
Australia
who were physically assaulted in the last 12 months were assaulted by
a current or previous male partner, whilst 4.4% of all males
physically assaulted in the last 12 months were assaulted by a current
or previous female partner. Women are seven times more likely to be
assaulted by a partner or former partner than a male assault victim
is. “There is an increasing proportion of people in the
community who are saying that women are as violent as men”, said
Julie Oberin, Victorian WESNET representative, “despite all of
the evidence to the contrary. Propaganda from men's rights groups and
the federally funded Men's Line depicting women in a negative light
fuel these misconceptions. This survey again dispels that myth and
clearly shows that domestic violence is fundamentally and
unequivocally about male violence against women. Believing myths such
as that are unhelpful at best and dangerous at worst. Men in our
society have to take responsibility for the endemic levels of violence
against women. Women have a right to be free from harm, torture and
murder by men they know” she said.
“There
is no doubt that Australian men experience high levels of violence,
and this too is completely unacceptable”, said Ms Oberin, “however,
what is clear in the evidence is that the violence men experience is
overwhelmingly from other men. What is wrong with a society where both
men and women are at high and increased risk from violence from
violent and abusive men?” she asked.
For
media comment please contact:
Pauline Woodbridge, National Chairperson, 0419 739 774
Julie Oberin, Victorian Representative, 0419 539 346
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