Page 931 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 30 March 1993
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The act of violence against women is most frequently committed in the home or by a man who has at some stage had a close domestic relationship with the victim. These men can be fathers, de facto husbands, husbands, sons, brothers or acquaintances. The crimes are often sexually or emotionally violent and occasionally result in the death of the victim or victims. The act of violence against women by men who are not known to them that results in sexual assault or rape is a crime and is generally regarded as a crime in Australian society in the 1990s. However, the criminal justice system is not yet fully effective in protecting the victims or prosecuting and punishing the offenders.
The effect of both these forms of violence against women is the violation of basic human rights, which are, as the strategy states, the right to life; the right to liberty; the right to personal, mental and physical integrity; the right not to be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment; the right to equal protection before the law; and the right to equality within the family. In turn, the violation of these basic human rights results in the victims' inability to participate in, enjoy and contribute to the society that the rest of us take for granted. It results in the women's fear, hatred, loss of self-worth and confidence, shame, and physical and emotional breakdown.
What the Strategy on Violence Against Women has done is to look at how to ensure that women are safe, enjoy equality of opportunity and lifestyle, and have choice in their lives and relationships. We are all aware that women who are the victims of violence by men cannot enjoy any of the above. The five objectives of the strategy demonstrate how this can be done and give a blueprint for us all to follow. The objectives concentrate on changes in the criminal justice system, in general society, and in governments. If followed, women escaping violence will have access to immediate police intervention, safety in the short term, and support and services to ensure long-term independence free from violence.
Women will also have the benefit of more just and equitable responses by the criminal justice system. With more effective responses in this area, society will fully acknowledge the seriousness of the crime of violence against women. As this crime becomes less acceptable in society, so will the act become less common. Men who commit the act of violence against women are cowards. They commit the act only because they believe that women are weaker than them, emotionally, intellectually and physically, and they certainly believe that society considers them to be weaker and less important.
In this regard, the status of women in our society is vital. One of the objectives of the strategy is to ensure that the significant reforms in the area of the status of women continue and improve. When women are finally recognised as equal, violence against them will diminish. It is in this area that the otherwise innocent comments of individuals do send messages that violence against women is acceptable. We must all remain vigilant against such comments and behaviour. We cannot laugh off references to women which depict them in a degrading manner, whether intellectually or physically. Individuals must be made aware that these references are not innocent and can cause great harm.
Madam Speaker, the ACT Government has taken considerable steps towards addressing the problem of violence in our community. There have been a number of recent initiatives which demonstrate this fact and which complement the objectives of the National Strategy on Violence Against Women.
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