Domestic Violence - A Global Issue

Domestic violence is a global phenomenon which has, for decades, been a scourge in society. However, the fact that it has been in existence for ages can never make it acceptable. Instead, it places a greater responsibility on modern society to find new approaches to deal with the problem so that it can be eradicated or at the very least, significantly decreased. There are many agencies and organizations worldwide involved in the battle against domestic violence and it is hoped that their strong synergies will yield productive results in the very near future.

Domestic violence originates within the family which is the core unit of every society. It touches men, women, boys and girls with preponderance on women and girls. It has no respect for age or social status and transcends educational and cultural divides. It therefore affects society at every level and this makes it imperative that interventions be made at the family level if success is to be achieved in ridding society of this monstrous ill.

The men and women who endure life within a cycle of domestic violence nurture a lifetime of hurt within them. This is often manifested in antisocial behaviors which can have dangerous effects on the persons with whom they interact, both in the home and in the wider society. Persons who have been victims of domestic violence often become perpetrators themselves and so the vicious cycle continues. Also, children who grow up against a background of domestic violence carry lifelong scars. They may be rendered socially dysfunctional in ways which are not always evident, but which represent an even greater threat to society than those which are obvious and which can therefore be addressed. Such children may harbor a thirst for revenge which festers and grows transforming them into the types of monsters who open fire on innocent children at schools, attack and mutilate defenseless women and girls and commit other heinous crimes.

Domestic violence can be seriously gender-based. More often than not the victims are women and girls and the perpetrators are of the male gender. This is not to say that men do not get battered or that women are always victims. No, it is simply an acknowledgement of the fact that cases in which women are the victims by far outnumber cases where it is the other way around.

Advocacy on the part of responsible agencies and organizations have resulted in heightened awareness of this social plague. However, while public sensitization continues to be ongoing the impact is minimal and the fact remains that to successfully eradicate domestic violence one must start with the justice system. Certainly, much of the success of ongoing efforts to eradicate this social problem depends on the enactment and enforcement of appropriate legislation to deal with perpetrators. Once perpetrators can be made to understand through the imposition of heavy prison sentences that their actions will no longer be tolerated, there should be significant decreases in the incidence of domestic violence. However, if punishments are lenient or inconsistent; if there are loopholes through which perpetrators can avoid the course of justice; if justice can be viewed as being inapplicable to persons in high office or of high social standing then this social monster will prevail.

Additionally, victims of domestic violence must be given the confidence that there is appropriate redress for them within the justice system and through other social structures. Support and opportunities for rehabilitation must be made available for such persons to that the cycle is not perpetuated.

Because studies have confirmed that most perpetrators have been victims of domestic violence, it means that society also has a responsibility to assist in the rehabilitation of perpetrators so as to effectively tackle the problem at its root. Penalties for such persons should therefore, be two-pronged: remedial as well as punitive; for while perpetrators must certainly be made accountable for their actions, as one time victims, they do have a right to remediation.

In recent years the CARICOM Secretariat has developed new legislation which empowers the courts to order counselling for both perpetrators and victims of domestic violence. This legislation has, thus far, only been implemented in a few countries and it is hoped that in time it will be adopted throughout the Caribbean region and the rest of the world.

Every member of society has a responsibility to help in preserving the safety and well-being of his fellows. We are our brother’s keeper. We must all play our part in this fight against domestic violence in our communities and the wider world.