Definition of domestic abuse widened to include coercive control and under 18s

September 21, 2012 at 3:29 pm | Posted in Domestic Violence, Young People | 1 Comment

Home Secretary Theresa May has announced a shake-up of the definition of domestic abuse. Under the change, domestic abuse will now be widened in order to include a range of coercive and threatening behaviours. This will see people who bully their partners with verbal abuse, control of their finances or isolation from their loved ones being prosecuted alongside those who commit physical violence.

Under the new definition, victims of domestic abuse aged 16 and 17 will also be recognised for the first time. This change in the view of domestic abuse aims to increase awareness that young people do experience domestic violence. This follows on from the Teenage Relationship Abuse campaign, which we blogged about here.
The new definition of domestic violence and abuse now states:

“Any incident or patterns of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse – psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and emotional.”

This means that acts such as preventing partners from leaving the house, or demanding control of their finances, can now lead to prosecution. These changes, which will be implemented in March 2013, follow calls from local authorities, police and voluntary organisations.

However, it is important to note that domestic violence is still not a specific criminal offence. This will not change, but the new definition may avoid agencies making too narrow an interpretation of domestic abuse and letting some perpetrators go. One victim who spoke to the BBC anonymously said that had the new guidelines been in force while she was suffering, she may have sought help earlier, stating that “if I was more aware that I was suffering the psychological abuse and emotional abuse, I may have been more able to see what was going on and get the help I needed for me and the children much sooner”.
Whilst many think that these amendments are fundamental in helping to raise awareness and enable effective prevention,some lawyers and campaigners have questioned how effective these changes will be in bringing more cases to court. This is due to the fact that because domestic violence is not an offence in itself, the government are expecting the police to prosecute under the protection from harassment act which is already very much underused.

Corrie’s domestic abuse storyline

September 3, 2012 at 1:55 pm | Posted in Domestic Violence | Leave a comment
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Coronation Street is no stranger to controversial plots and Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs, has taken his recent storyline very seriously. In episodes aired over the spring and summer, Tyrone is assaulted and mentally abused by his girlfriend Kirsty.

Alan has played Tyrone Dobbs for fourteen years, with many storylines easy to relate to his own life. However, with this plot Halsall is at a loss and has done extensive research into the field to make up for it. The actor has taken advice from male domestic violence charities such as Mankind, aswell as meeting a male victim of domestic violence. Speaking of his feelings about the role, he said “when you get these stories to portray, you try to reference it to your own life in some way but there was nothing in this, nothing in my life whatsoever that I could hang it on to”.

Halsall said in an interview that meeting a victim of severe domestic abuse and hearing his story opened his eyes to how someone in such a situation might be feeling at different times. This has led to Halsall portraying Tyrone as reasonable as he usually is in the show, trying to understand why his partner is lashing out and blaming everything from her family circumstances to her pregnancy.

Admitting how the storyline has affected him, Halsall said “even in my wildest imagination, even having spoken to someone, it’s impossible to imagine myself in that position and to be honest, I don’t want to”.

Halsall’s biggest aim, he says, is to do the issue justice throughout the storyline and raise awareness. Male domestic violence is still seen as stigmatic with a certain taboo surrounding it. People are still shocked when those we see as immune to such issues are proven to be victims of abuse. However, one in six men will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime.

To find out more information, visit Mankind’s website.

Rihanna breaks silence over Chris Brown assault

September 3, 2012 at 10:19 am | Posted in Celebrities, Domestic Violence | Leave a comment
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Domestic violence is often referred to as a “hidden” crime, because of the personal setting in which it occurs. Many victims of abuse are unknown to the police, or even to their own friends and family. Though this is becoming a more frequently discussed topic in the public domain, particularly within politics and the media, many victims are still unknown to the public eye. This becomes very different, however, when that victim is a celebrity.

Never has a case of domestic violence been quite so publicly played out as that of Rihanna and Chris Brown. Not only was Rihanna attacked by her boyfriend of the time, she had also had her injuries spread across the internet within a fortnight. Even now almost three years on, every detail of her recovery process has been scrutinised across the media.

Rihanna recently gave an interview with Oprah Winfrey, aired on the 19th August that has seen her condemned widely by domestic violence charities. One charity went as far as to say she was “reducing savage attacks to the seriousness reserved for kiss-and-make-up stories in glossy magazines”. Another said she reflected the “sticking-plaster policies” in pop culture’s attitude towards abuse.

In the interview, Rihanna emotionally told Winfrey that she will “always love” Brown and declared that he was the one who needed help, saying “everybody’s gonna say he’s a monster without looking at the source, I was more concerned about him”. Rihanna’s comments were heavily criticised as playing a part in ‘normalizing’ domestic violence and sending a dangerous message to younger fans that roller-coaster relationships are edgy and exciting.

However Vivienne Hayes, the chief executive of the Women’s Resource Centre, has stated that Rihanna’s interview showed many of the complex characteristics of an abusive relationship. It is extremely common for those locked in this kind of relationships to blame themselves. However, her critics believe that Rihanna should be admitting that it was Brown’s choice to attack her, instead of shouldering the responsibility herself.

Brown has also been seen previously condemning domestic violence following a childhood of watching his mother being abused by her boyfriend.

What do you think, is Rihanna normalizing domestic violence in her comments about Brown’s abuse?

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