CRIME AND SOCIETY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNIT 5 CRIME AND SOCIETY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN INFORMATION BOX • The West Yorkshire Police alone took reports of 26,000 incidents of domestic violence in the year 2000. In 75% of the cases the complaint was withdrawn and the case terminated. • In Bucharest, of 500 violent incidents in 1999, 300 were domestic violence cases, and of 110 killings, 70 were victims at the hands of family members • 983 is the Romanian helpline for victims of domestic violence • Between January and October 2000, when a study was published, 350 had used the helpline number. • People throw around statistics saying that up to 70 or 80% of children of batterers are also abused. That statistic is wrong. EVERY child who witnesses abuse is a victim of abuse. • 4 million American women experience a serious assault by an intimate partner during an average 12-month period. Before reading the text, discuss with a partner what domestic violence really entails. Who commits it and why? Who are the victims and how can it be eradicated? Text A There is still a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about domestic violence – what it is, who suffers from it, who commits it and why. Violence or abuse suffered by women in their home which is carried out by their partner, ex-partner or anyone they are living with is known as domestic violence. Victims of domestic violence are usually women, but this is not always the case. Women experience domestic violence regardless of their social group, class, age, race, disability, sexuality and lifestyle. Violence and abuse can begin at any time – in the first year or after years of marriage or living together. Domestic violence can take a number of forms such as physical assault, sexual abuse, rape, and threats. In addition, it may include mental and verbal abuse and humiliation. Women experiencing domestic violence tend to play down rather than exaggerate the violence. For some, the decision to seek help, to leave the abuser, or get the abuser to leave is quickly and easily made. For many, the decision will be long and painful as they try to make the relationship work and stop the violence. Women who leave often return to their partners hoping for an improvement in the relationship or because of financial or social pressures. Men who are abusive to women do not necessarily abuse children, but it can happen. Children will react in different ways to being brought up in a home with a violent person. They may be affected by the tension or by witnessing arguments and assaults. They may feel that they are to blame, or feel insecure, alone, frightened or confused. Domestic violence is a crime which the police now deal with as a very serious matter. Most forces have specially trained and experienced officers that can arrange medical aid, transport and a safe place for the victims. There are several organisations that can give practical and emotional support to the victims. Refuges provide safe emergency and temporary accommodation, advice, information, support and a range of other services for women and children escaping violence. Women’s Aid is a key support agency for women and children experiencing domestic violence and runs a domestic violence helpline. Their services are confidential and completely free. The Samaritans offer confidential emotional support 24 hours a day by phone, face-to- face or by letter. There are over 200 branches in the UK and Eire staffed by trained volunteers. Activity 1 Match a line in A with a word/phrase in B and a line in C: A B C There is still a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about all the changes and upheavals. Women experience domestic violence because of they have left the relationship. Victims of domestic violence are usually women after women and children experiencing domestic violence. Domestic violence can take a number of forms regardless of a very serious matter. Victims should seek legal advice from a solicitor despite domestic violence. Women who experience domestic violence feel for this is not always the case. Women do have legal rights in relation to their children as their social group, class, age, race, disability, sexuality and lifestyle. Women’s Aid is a key support agency such as what their partners say. The police now deal with domestic violence that physical assault, sexual abuse, rape and threat. Women often experience depression and anxiety but they are concerned about their children. This may happen if they are to blame. Activity 2 Fill in the blanks with one of the following adverbs: completely, directly, effectively, aggressively, often x 2, necessarily, specially, financially, physically, sexually, emotionally, sympathetically, in silence, in fear, alone. a) Nobody has the right to assault anybody ……………………, ……………… or ………………………… b) Women don’t have to suffer ……………………… or live ……………………. c) The police will deal with the victims …………………………. d) The victims’ inquiry will be …………………………. confidential. e) The police is committed to ……………………………. improving the service offered to victims of domestic violence. f) It is not easy for the victims to accept that someone they love and have trusted can behave so ………………………………. towards them. g) Children are ……………… affected by the tension or by witnessing arguments and assaults. h) Men who are abusive to women do not ………………………………. abuse children, but it can happen. i) Most police forces have ………………………… trained and experienced officers to deal with domestic violence. j) Abused women …………………wonder how they will manage ………………………… if they leave home. k) Whatever abused women decide, they don’t have to suffer ……………………. l) Domestic violence victims can contact Victim Support offices ………………… or ask the police to put them in contact with their local group. Text B For over a year before she was murdered by her husband Avelino, Maria Teresa Macias pursued every possible avenue to escape his years of violence against herself and their three children. She reported to Child Protective Services, obtained restraining orders, cooperated with investigators, talked to friends, went to churches, attended counseling, brought her mother in from Mexico and her sister from Ireland, and tirelessly reported new incidents to authorities, verbally and in writing. In just the last three months of her life, between January and April 1996, Teresa and witnesses reported Avelino’s crimes against her to the Sheriff’s Department on at least 18 different occasions. Teresa’s struggle to be free of Avelino’s violence was relentless. And it was doomed. The help she reached for, failed her at every turn. After Child Protective Services took her children because she was unable to keep Avelino away from them, Teresa made a comment to her mother that seemed to describe the efforts of her entire last year. “Instead of helping me,” Teresa told her mother, “ they sank me even more”. On April 15, four days before she was going to take the final step of fleeing north with her kids, Avelino lay in wait at the Sonoma house she and her mother were due to clean. Avelino ended Teresa’s life with a bullet to the head, shot her mother through the legs, and then turned the gun on himself. In the last couple of weeks of her life, Teresa became enveloped by an ominous sense that Avelino would indeed succeed in his threats to kill her. If he did, she told her mother, she wanted the story told. “If I die, I don’t want other women to suffer what I am suffering”, she said, “I want them to be listened to.” Activity 3 Decide on the appropriate collocations: marriage form consent of adultery evidence violence extra marital relations domestic certificate change officer patrol in policy police service to produce help to grant a divorce to seek an organisation to take a decision to experience evidence to run abuse to express action to take concern Exercise 1 Put in the correct past participles of the verbs in brackets to complete the list: Women who experience “domestic abuse” could be . • (call)……………… names • (give) ………………. no money • (rape)……………… • (stop) ………………. from seeing family and friends • (punch)………………… • (tell)……………………. what to wear • (threaten)………………………… with worse violence • (strangle)………………………….or (choke) ……………….almost to death • (humiliate)……………………… • (not allow) ……………………to go out alone • (degrade) ………………………… Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with ONE suitable word. The first letter(s) is/are given. The problems (1) con ………………… with domestic violence are widely recognised, yet, only recently has the focus (2) sh………………… to helping the victims. As far as the police service is (3) con ……………………., it is essential that positive action is taken in all cases at the (4) sc…………………… of domestic violence. Consequently, wherever there is evidence of an (5) o…………………, in the first instance the arrest should be made (6) irr…………………. of the wishes of the victim. The wife’s, partner’s or girlfriend’s pleas of ‘Don’t lock him up’ or ‘Leave him alone’ to the (7) a…………………. officer may be purely for her (8) o……………… protection for when he returns home later. If there is (9) in……………………. evidence to make an arrest but problems are(10) ant …………………in the near future, then an arrest for breach of the (11) p……………………. is appropriate. This will effectively remove the victim from immediate (12) d………………………and provide time to (13) dis……………… …the circumstances in private. This process must be carried (14) o……………… without fail, despite previous instances of withdrawals of (15) com ……………… by the victim. Moreover, the quality of the files (16) rel………………… to DV assaults must be high, otherwise the CPS cannot do their (17) j……………… A large number of files are being withdrawn by the CPS on the (18) g…………………that the complainant no longer wishes to prosecute. So, the police service is reconsidering the situation to decide whether, even without such witness (19) st. ……………… and formal complaints, a prosecution should be (20) all.………………. to proceed. In addition to the role of the police and the CPS, the judiciary also has an important part to play and should (21) p………………… more custodial sentences. Locked away, the (22) per……………………………… would have time to consider his situation carefully. Concerted, long-term 23) str…………… , implemented by police, judiciary and the government are absolutely essential, while substantial financial (24)in ……………… must be continued for those agencies which are trying so (25) h………………. to help and rehabilitate. The time for fine words and good intentions has made way for action. Activity 4 Project work: Choose a topic from the following and make a project about crimes of domestic violence and associated punishments giving as many details as possible and using charts, pictures and photographs: a) Watch the news on TV and read newspapers to find out which crimes are reported and how many of them relate to domestic violence in a week b) Retell a case of domestic violence that you know or have heard of, either recently or in the past c) Is punishment for domestic violence effective or should it be changed? d) Conduct a survey on how people feel about domestic violence (Is it ever necessary … acceptable … not a case for concern?) e) Responsibility in the case of domestic violence f) The role of the police in preventing, detecting and solving Domestic Violence cases. See if the police in your town or sector have information leaflets related to Domestic Violence. Activity 5 A bit less serious! Paraphrase the following sentences to avoid the idioms. 1) A burglar got busted on the job last night just two blocks away from here 2) No lawyer can help him: the police caught him red-handed. 3) I’m tired of you throwing away money like that! 4) Paul, can you give me a hand with my report? 5) Fortunately, Mike gave me a lift this morning. 6) Please keep me posted about any further developments in the case. 7) His name rings a bell, but I have such a bad memory. 8) It was difficult for them to make both ends meet. 9) Could we invite Tom to the party? He’s always good at breaking the ice. 10) Homeless persons usually live from hand to mouth. Activity 6 Form the adverbs from the following adjectives: attentive, cautious, comfortable, cowardly, early, efficient, equal, fast, fatal, fearless, friendly, good, hard, hopeful, immediate, kind, late, lively, lucky, mental, near, noisy, poor, proud, simple, skilful, sudden, terrible, wrong. Exercise 3 Paraphrase the following sentences using an adverb in the place of the words in italics. 1. Our public order forces behaved like heroes in the riot. 2. The policeman left the room in a hurry. 3. One can often see homeless people in the streets looking with hunger at the people in restaurants. 4. The woman told the police she had hurt herself by accident. 5. The victims were beaten without mercy. 6. The chief constable spoke with pride about his force. 7. The demonstrators marched to the parliament building in peace. 8. The two policemen handcuffed the aggressors with ease. 9. The witness at the crime scene seemed unbalanced in his mind. 10. ‘We hope that we’ll bring the suspects in for interview by noon’, said the officer in charge. Activity 7 Remember that an adjective qualifies a noun while an adverb qualifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb! Decide which are the adjectives and which the adverbs in the following sentences: A B 1) I work late. I work late hours. 2) These are hard times. She tried hard to compile the weekly report. 3) I can hardly walk. They could hardly see a friendly face. 4) Why do you drive so fast? That was a fast movement. 5) He came home terribly early. There was a terrible storm outside. 6) He speaks English well. Get well soon! 7) That’s very kind of you! We kindly ask you to send us your offer. 8) The report was extremely badly written. 9) The increase in violent crime is surprisingly easily explained Grammar focus The verbs be, get, become, seem, look (=seem), taste (i.v.), feel (i.v.), smell (i.v.), etc always require an adjective if used to express a state or sense relationship. (i.v.) = intransitive verb Compare The soup tasted delicious (intransitive) The cook tasted the soup and said it needed more salt. (transitive usage) Exercise 4 Choose one of the variants (adjective or adverb) to complete the sentences. 1. The policeman remained calm/calmly in spite of the hard/hardly situation. 2. The officers gathered evidence cautious/cautiously. 3. The doctor felt the victim careful/carefully. 4. All is good/well that ends good/well. 5. The witness seemed happy/happily to see the victim alive. 6. ‘These doughnuts taste delicious/deliciously’, said the policeman. 7. It’s getting late/lately. 8. The body looks heavy/heavily. 9. The fire officer looked fearless/fearlessly through the clouds of dense smoke. 10. They could hard/hardly smell the cigarette smoke in the hall. Activity 8 Cercul vicios Adevărul despre violenţa în familie – un fenomen care ia amploare Translate into English Violenţa în familie reprezintă violenţa sau abuzul suferit de un membru al unei familii comise de către orice persoană care locuieşte cu el. Victimele sunt, în cele mai multe cazuri, femeile şi copiii, dar câteodată şi bătrânii sau soţii. Acţiuni de violenţă în familie sunt considerate violenţa fizică, ameninţarea, abuzul sexual, violul, abuzul psihic, umilirea şi crima, în cazul în care se înfăptuiesc în familie. Cum este normal, toate reclamaţiile ajung la poliţie. „În ultimii 10 ani, în Bucureşti, s-a înregistrat o creştere a infracţiunilor de acest gen. Ele reprezintă mai mult de jumătate din totalul actelor de violenţă”, a declarat col. G.R., de la Direcţia de ordine publică a Poliţiei Capitalei. Conform unui studiu efectuat de „Centrul de asistenţă şi protecţie a victimelor violenţei în familie”, femeile căsătorite sunt bătute, în medie, de 35 de ori până ca ele să solicite ajutorul poliţiei. Riscul unui atac violent în propriul lor cămin este mult mai mare decât cel cu care femeile se confruntă când merg singure pe stradă în timpul nopţii. Violenţa fizică şi cruzimea psihică în cadrul familiei sunt principalele cauze ale tendinţelor infracţionale şi violente la tinerii în prezenţa cărora se comit astfel de acte. Exercise 5 Domestic Violence Safety Plan The information below is taken from a leaflet with this title, published by the Women’s Center, Melbourne, Florida. Complete the text entitled Safety during an explosive incident 1. If an argument (seem) ________________ unavoidable, try to have it in a room or area with an exit and not in the kitchen, bathroom or anywhere near weapons. 2. Practise how to get out of your home safely. Identify which windows, elevator or stairs (be) ______________ best. 3. (have) __________________ a packed bag ready and keep it in a secret but accessible place so you can leave quickly. 4. Identify a neighbor you can tell about the violence and ask them to call the police if they (hear) _________________ a disturbance coming from your home. 5. Devise a code word to use with your children, family, friends and neighbors when you (need) _________________ the police. 6. Decide and plan where you (go) _________________ if you (leave) _____________ home ( even if you (not think) __________________ you (need) ______________ to). 7. If the situation (be) ________________ very dangerous, use your own instincts and judgements to keep yourself safe. Call the police as soon as it is safe to do so. Activity 9 The official position! This text is from the STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE in the same location as the Women’s Center. It is a three copy report (white, pink, yellow) and is entitled VICTIM’S NOTICE OF STATE ATTORNEY OFFICE APPOINTMENT As a result of your Domestic Violence Complaint you are required to meet with an Assistant State Attorney to talk about your case on ___________ at ______________. NOTICE OF LEGAL RIGHTS AND REMEDIES AVAILABLE AS A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, you may ask the State Attorney to file a criminal complaint. You also have the right to go to court and file a petition requesting an injunction for protection from domestic violence which may include, but need not be limited to, provisions which restrain the abuser from further acts of abuse; direct the abuser to leave your household; prevent the abuser from entering your residence, school, business, or place of employment; award you custody of your minor child or children and direct the abuser to pay support to you and the minor children if the abuser has a legal obligation to do so. Imagine a dialogue between a Spanish-American woman victim and a Florida policeman to deal with the procedure based on this form! Victim: Why can’t you lock him up straight away? Policeman: _____________________________________________ Victim: But I have reported the incident to the police already. Policeman: Yes, but you have to meet the Assistant State Attorney Victim: But my husband is at home ______________________ Policeman: Then you have to file ____________________________ Victim: How long _____________________________________ ? Policeman: Well, first you have this appointment __________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Victim: So, with this injunction, you can lock him up. Policeman: No, but ___________________________________________ Victim: He works in the same factory as me. Policeman: Then the injunction will order him to _____________________ ___________________________________________________ Victim: And what about money? I can’t support my 3 children on my salary. Policeman: ____________________________________________________ Victim: How exactly will you do that? Policeman: The injunction will instruct the employer ___________________ Victim: But we are paid cash and we have no social security card. Policeman: Oh, __________________________________________ ! Exercise 6 Listen to the report about cases of rape in England and Wales and complete the information. Clare Dyer, The Guardian Weekly, April 11-17 2002 Only one woman in _____________ reporting a rape will see her assailant convicted according to the first study to look at the investigation and prosecution of rape cases from start to finish. The report, produced jointly by __________________________________ and the CPS, the ____________________________________ , finds failures throughout the system and calls for a package of measures to ________________________________ Among key recommendations are more sensitive ______________________________ of rape complainants to increase their confidence in the system and ___________________ ________________________________ to handle rape cases. The report found that 7.35% of all cases reported to the police _____________________ ______________________________________. Home Office statistics show that the rate of conviction for rape _____________________________ from ______________ of reported cases in 1977 to ______________ in 1999. The study of 10 police forces and CPS areas found that only ________________ of cases reported to the police resulted in ____________________________________________ and only _______________ of cases referred to the CPS reached court. When cases reached court, the conviction rate (including guilty pleas) was 60.8% but ________________________________________________________________________ were acquitted. Key findings include: • the sensitive treatment of victims is the key to securing a conviction • better training and gudiance are needed for police, and _______________________ • all allegations of rape should ________________________________________ with specialist training • case review descisions by CPS lawyers, such as ____________________________ or____________________________ should be discussed with another specialist lawyer • prosecuting counsel should be _____________________________ to ensure that victims are not forced ________________________________________________ Stephen Wooler, chief inspector at the CPS inspectorate, said the figures were “ quite disturbing in relation to what is an awful crime, there being few crimes which have such a lasting effect on their victims.” [...]... ethnic integration Johanne Hildebrandt, Guardian Weekly, March 2002 For four years, Fadime Sahindal’s father threatened to kill her But last week, she took a risk and went to say goodbye to her mother and her sisters before leaving to study in Africa Just before 10 p.m., as they sat in her sister’s flat in the Swedish city of Uppsala, the doorbell rang Her father burst in and shot Fadime in the head She... but were turned down Sahindal moved to another town , only to be pursued and threatened by her brother The police simply advised her to stop talking to her family Instead she turned to the press, giving interviews about the conditions facing Kurdish girls in Sweden Single-handedly she started a debate about integration and double standards The police’s inaction in the face of her father’s threats infuriated... the wrong man and defying the patriarchal values of her culture Her father was an illiterate Kurdish farmer who moved to Sweden in 1980 His family arrived four years later when Fadime was seven Her parents discoraged her from speaking to Swedish children at school Instead she was told the important thing was to return to Turkey and get married She grew up under the control of her father and younger brother,... visit to Uppsala her father spotted her with Lindesjo He attacked her, spat in her face and screamed: “Bloody whore I will beat you to pieces.” She told police: “He said I was rejected from the family and was not allowed to come back to Uppsala If I did I would never leave the city alive.” Her father was charged and in 1998 was convicted of making unlawful threats Her brother, who had cursed her as... had lost her family She often said that she loved her father and that he understood no better way of treating her Then in June 1998, as the couple prepared to move into a flat together, Lindesjo was killed when his car crashed into a concrete pillar A police investigation, which found nothing suspicious, has now reopened Fadime carried on and in November 2001 spoke to the Swedish parliament about her... was told the important thing was to return to Turkey and get married She grew up under the control of her father and younger brother, who physically abused her During a computer course in 1996, she met and fell in love with a Swedish boy called Patrik Lindesjo Sahidal was under no illusion as to her father’s reaction She knew that he would think she was dishonouring the family They kept their relationship... November 2001 spoke to the Swedish parliament about her struggle for freedom Then last week, her father caught up with her He was arrested a couple of hours later In court, he called Fadime “the whore” and then confessed to having killed her He said that he had to protect the family’s honour The story has stirred deep emotions in Sweden The government has promised about US$170,000 to help girls in the... The legal age of marriage for foreigners will be raised from 15 to 18, on a par with the age for Swedes Six groups representing foreigners in Sweden want to turn Sahindal’s funeral into a demonstration against patriarchal cultures that allow “honour” killings Sahindal, who had said she did not want a funeral according to the rites of her native religion, may be laid to rest beside Lindesjo at Uppsala’s . for women and children escaping violence. Women s Aid is a key support agency for women and children experiencing domestic violence and runs a domestic violence. 5 CRIME AND SOCIETY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN INFORMATION BOX • The West Yorkshire Police alone took reports of 26,000 incidents of domestic