60 Minutes Australia is currently pushing a dangerous agenda. They are sensationalising the story of a man who faced false accusations of domestic violence in a bid to increase viewership, but are putting hundreds of thousands of women at further risk in the process. 9/110,900 cases of domestic violence prosecutions were false accusations. That’s 0.008%. Meanwhile, 98.1% of domestic violence incidences result in perpetrators walking free.
Domestic Violence is gendered. Though we know men face violence too, and support men who face this often. But it is undeniable that the vast majority of suffering is faced by women, and their needs are very different to those of men who face violence, which is why we focus on this much larger, more complex issue. We know the challenges these women face, and deal with it every single day, and want to affect change to this pernicious issue which ultimately affects us all.
This doesn’t mean we accuse all men. Far from the opposite – we know and encourage action from men!
But it is still a fact, and needs to be acknowledged to affect real change.
Doctors Against Violence Towards Women is filled with passionate doctors of a wide array of specialties, from general physicians to psychiatrists. But we struggle to keep up. Fragmented, underfunded services, a lack of support services, a lack of understanding and acknowledgement of trauma as the pernicious agent it is, a legal system that fails women who take the brave step of standing up for their safety, and a society that thinks violence is normal makes providing care a challenge.
We believe that before major community, education and understanding of this needs to take place. To ensure suitable treatment and care of victims then acknowledgment of this needs to take place .
We will and shall advocate for the establishment of community public programs and treatment for victims of trauma.
We are already engaging with bodies like the AMA, future doctors through the Australian Medical Student Society, politicians, journalists, and affecting change in policy and working on projects to fund services directed at domestic violence, as well as advocating for law reform in issues that pertain to women.
And we will stand up for women who don’t feel safe in their own homes.
Join us in our movement:
And do also check us out on social media! Learn about these issues in depth by reading our blog, and stay updated via our email list above. We are submitting a submission to the Productivity Commission on Mental Health and the Victorian Royal Commission on Domestic Violence shortly, and releasing a press release and position statement on the government’s latest policy stances soon. For press releases, please contact info at davtw.org.
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