Domestic violence
On March 21, Jean Lennon was shot by her ex-husband outside the Family Court in Parramatta, Sydney. She died within hours from bullet wounds to the head and abdomen.
The custody case regarding their four children was to be heard that afternoon. Lennon had lived in seven or eight refuges in the past year — moving frequently to escape her ex-husband. This tragic incident has brought to the fore the extent of domestic violence in Australian society.
The domestic violence sector has been dealt a blow by the Labor government in NSW. Last July, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council was abolished. DVAC was initially formed to provide consultation and communication between community groups and government agencies. It was abolished with the intention of facilitating the consultation through the Department of Women. This indicates a lack of commitment on behalf of the government to giving adequate attention to the issue of domestic violence.
Women all around the world experience domestic violence; largely it goes on unpunished because it happens behind closed doors. Society has not yet found a way of dealing with the issue. Stopping domestic violence at its foundations requires a fundamental change in society and in the attitudes of individuals. However, until that time, partial solutions need to be sought. The discussion that has occurred around this incident has remained addressed to the symptoms, not the underlying causes.
The Sydney Morning Herald focused on gun law reform. While it might be true that Jean Lennon would still be alive if her ex-husband had not possessed a gun, gun law reform will not end violence. Guns are not the only weapons that can be used to injure or kill people.
A protest that was organised the week following Lennon's death demanded that the NSW government reconvene DVAC. The other demand was for the police force and the Family Court to strengthen apprehended violence orders to provide better protection for women. While these measures are a very important part of creating safety and protection for women, we should not have any illusions that this alone is going to stop violence against women or put an end to women being killed by their husbands.
In considering long-term solutions, can we begin to address issues like changing attitudes of people? It's not only men who have to change: the empowerment of women is essential for creating long-term change. Rather than constantly being treated as and feeling like victims, women need to be able to take their fate into their own hands.
In the 1970s, many feminists were involved in setting up refuges, rape crisis centres, women's health centres — the services that we rely on today. They did so because governments weren't living up to their responsibility to provide such services.
While discussions now centre, understandably, on such immediate aids, it's important not to lose sight of the long-term goal of creating a society where women can live without fear. In this respect, governments seem further than ever from fulfilling their obligations to women.
Trish Corcoran