Topic > Legal studies on violence against women - 1874

Violence against women has been present throughout society since the dawn of time. It is difficult for the law to prevent this from happening because women are either too afraid to come forward or feel it is their fault and therefore deserve to be beaten. This type of violence is predominantly in homes and between families. In many ways it would be quite difficult for the legal system to stop it because not many people know it's happening. However, the legal system has done some work to stop violence against women. First, the police. Each local police station has a domestic violence liaison officer whose role is to exclusively help women experiencing domestic violence. (If the liaison officer is not available, the woman can call an emergency telephone line such as the Department of Community Services Domestic Violence Line, which is a 24-hour service.) Children can be protected by the police if they live in a violent family. Through police forces and their powers, the legal system has successfully responded to violence against women. In NSW, the best protection against domestic violence is an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) which falls under Part 15A of the Crimes Act. AVOs can focus on domestic violence, so an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO). They are used when there is a cohabitation relationship (a partner, an ex-partner, a relative, a spouse, a person living in the household, a person who had an intimate relationship with the victim or a person who depended on the assistance of the victim) between the victim and the accused. Basically an AVO protects people from acts of violence, both physical and emotional. This may be, for example, an order to the person to remain a certain distance from the...... center of the paper ......itute/pubs/fm1/fm37pe.html). This legislation means that the man breaks the law if he forces his wife to have sex with her. However, it is not one hundred percent effective because most men who assault don't care about the law anyway. Alastair Nicholson (former Chief Judge of the Family Court) in “Domestics Concern us All”, SMH, 27.3. 96 also stated: “It is a problem whose solutions can only be addressed through cooperation between lawyers, police, refugee workers, courts and legislators.” If the community can work together to get offenders to come forward, then it will be up to lawyers, police, shelter workers, courts and legislators to help the man with his problem and then give him the appropriate punishment . In Queensland and NSW, molesting a woman twice can result in a three-year sentence.