Women have low levels of Domestic Violence
The Campbell Live report on the Christchurch Health and Development Study findings that men and woman initiate domestic violence about equally missed an opportunity to inform New Zealanders about this important issue. Right from the opening sequence of photographs showing women with bruised arms and faces, followed by scenes from the recent Women’s Refuge fund-raising advertisements, the “spin” was obvious.
Campbell”s introduction:
“This year roughly 10,000 women and 7000 children will seek shelter in the Women’s Refuge — shelter from men.”
“In terms of violent domestic assaults, serious injury and sheer physical terror, the perpetrators are nearly always men and the victims are nearly always women and children.”
Campbell again, just before the reporter begins:
“Now lest we forget: men are bigger and stronger than woman and severe domestic violence is still overwhelmingly male to female. We ought to be stopping that.”
Campbell at the end:
“Let us remind ourselves that in terms of severe domestic violence men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators and woman are overwhelmingly the victims.”
And finally, a long advertisement for a Women’s Refuge sister organisation!
“The organisation Preventing Violence in the Home exists to help you. Do call – this is the number… we’ll put it on our website.”
The second thing that annoyed me, was that Campbell seemed very keen to push the idea that female violence is a new phenomenon, which is not at all true and not what the study reports. For example:
” At low levels men and woman are now equally violent towards the partners. In other words, rather than the culture of domestic violence diminishing in this country, men seemed to be keeping it up and at low levels woman appear to be joining in.”
“We seem to be creating a whole new template – that’s what this research suggests.”
“Violence seems to be jumping the gender gap. Children are now growing up in households where BOTH parents are violent.”
The program did contain interviews with women who had been violent, and some comments from Professor David Ferguson, the study’s lead author. They also included an interview with my wife Felicity – who incidentally has not been police doctor for some years now, despite the programme’s claim.
Some believe female aggression and the role that can play in the home is too frequently ignored.
Police Doctor Felicity Goodyear-Smith has dealt with many men and women caught up in domestic disputes. She says failure to recognise women as initiators of conflict is a failure to address a very real problem.
“In fact what happens is that she doesn’t get help. Her out-of-control behaviour, her anger isn’t being helped by situation where all violence is defined as male violence against women.”
“We have a double standard in this country in that we have a law that says ‘man assaults women’, but there is no equivalent law of ‘woman assaults man'”
“In one case I know of a man who call the police and his wife had stabbed him in the arm with a knife. When police arrived he was the one who was arrested!”
Felicity made the point that there exists a sexist law “Assault against a female” The sentence for this crime is considerable. A person who beats up on someone smaller is a bully, therefore if the intention of this law was to stop bullying why was it not written as, “assault by bullying” Many a man is beaten up by a much larger man or woman.
Family violence is repugnant to most of us whether we be male or female. Only a very small minority of our society perpetrate serious injury in a physical confrontation. My partner hit me with a vase and cut my wrist so deep I had to be rushed to hospital. I protected her by stating I fell over a glass coffee table….. One less for the stats. books
Warren Farrell, http://www.warrenfarrell.com/ in his book “Women Don’t Hear what Men don’t Say” gives a good case for mistrusting the gathering of stats. in this area. Statistics can produce the results that you desire.
Laws made for protecting people always sound attractive until you experience these laws being used against you with no just cause.
Comment by triassic — Wed 3rd May 2006 @ 11:38 pm
Thanks JP.
It’s good to know Campbell is being properly critiqued somewhere in NZ. The poor misguided sod’s got a mega dose of chivalry, and I supsect thinks he’s a right on savior. Still he’s only a young chap and has lots of growing up to do, so there’s hope for him yet I suppose.
I know I’ve said this before on this site, but I think it bears repeating – I’ll never forget how telling the cops, family court counsellors, lawyers, judges, friends and neighbors resulted in them all ignoring my plight as a husband being assaulted by my ex-wife (hot coffee, kitchen knife, fists, ornaments, screamming, namecalling, the works).
These things are etched on my mind to the point that I wouldn’t feel totally safe living in a house alone with a woman in NZ.
IMO the Domestic Violence industry in NZ has a lot to answer for in terms of alienating kids from fathers, and prats like Campbell betray kids and good dads further.
Shame on him.
Comment by Stephen — Thu 4th May 2006 @ 12:10 am
I got punched through a window by the ex and sustained a cut shoulder. Later she went over to boast about it to her two girl friends. She then told lies to cops and I was arrested for Male Assaults Female , threatening to kill…etc..etc…. however the day of the trial the ex’s two girl friends told the cops the truth ( I was a gentle & loving Dad ) and cops had to withdraw 17 charges ( Nov 23 -2001 ).The prison van went back over the hill to Ch Ch empty and the cops were livid.Sadly all the untruths had done irrevocable damage to my legal credibility as a good father and built the foundation of the 6 x sets of permanent Court protection orders. In the last month I have asked both a HC Justice and a FC Judge in the two different jurisdictions whether that was fair SIR !!! ??? I said Section 54 Care Of Children Bill makes it possible for vengeful & vindictive parent to destroy the other parent regarding a allegation of violence without ANY evidence!!!I said the cops have been backing the wrong horse!!! Both have reserved their decisions????? I sit here heartbroken & bitter- as I am still waiting see my daughters and no access is orgainized by the scum lawyers,evil-sick- psychologists & gravy train FC brothel which is just a orchestrated litany of corruption.My case has cost the Country well over a million $$$$$ and simply underlines a need for a full public inquiry but that would be impossible under the present hateful feminazi regime.Proud to be a kiwi -yeah right !!!!!
Comment by Peter Burns — Thu 4th May 2006 @ 8:40 am
I think we missed the point on this one. The male assault female law was a protection for women in the allegedly male dominated society. There is a simple answer here in an allegedly female dominated society. We reverse the law and have female assaults male, and institute a policy of arrest the female every time a man calls the police. Maybe then the law would protect the real victims of what domestic violence has become.
Comment by Bevan Berg — Thu 4th May 2006 @ 10:30 am
Hi Bevan
“institute a policy of arrest the female every time a man calls the police. Maybe then the law would protect the real victims of what domestic violence has become.”
Although this is the way to go… will it happen? Most likely this will be brushed under the carpet and the male will be blamed for god knows what else. the law does not take complaints like this seriously when made by men.
Comment by starr — Thu 4th May 2006 @ 3:05 pm
Women have low levels of domestic violence………………and pigs can fly too!!
Comment by Stephen — Fri 5th May 2006 @ 1:46 am
I would like to suggest most men have have been victims of female violence at some stage of their lives. Whenever this is discussed or observered, I always get the same response:
“what did you do?”
Comment by tonyf — Sat 6th May 2006 @ 8:24 pm