Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Indigenous Health

Indigenous health as an issue is an existing phenomenon that has attracted a lot of attention from all aspects of life. In this regard, domestic violence as an issue has been focused as a sensitive topic of discussion. As a factual thing, violence has been the order of the day in most nations all over the world. When we direct our eyes to Australia, we get to analyze matters concerning the same. The topic above has raised concern from a number of organizations in the world therefore making it a topic of discussion. Domestic violence in most regions of Australia is clearly evident in the aspects of gender, age and color (Atkinson,2013). For instance, research shows that women are faced by violence regularly. Children on the other hand who are indigenous desperately lack an adequate home care and system of Education.

This paper therefore seeks to come up with information from the various media items that enable us connect the incidences of violence with real life situations and other sources, hence analyzing the major causes occurrences and remedies to domestic violence in Australia and rest of the world. The target here is to end such inhuman issues like murder cases and racism.

Thorpe, N. (2018). Disadvantage and intergenerational trauma play a major role in the high rates of family violence in Indigenous communities. NITV. Retrieved from: https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2018/02/28/disadvantage-trauma-causing-high-rates-indigenous-family-violence

Thorpe (2018) revealed that aboriginal community are predisposed to risk factors associated with violence such as social stressors, poor housing, financial difficulties and unemployment. Citing the sources such as Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the report revealed that Aboriginal women are 32 times likely to be hospitalized because of family violence as compared to non-aboriginal women. Aboriginal men, on the other hand, are 23 times likely to be hospitalized compared to non-aboriginal men. 

Citing the work of Antoinette Braybrook, Thorpe (2018) revealed that the underlying causes of such violence include removal of land and cultural dispossession, which resulted in social, economic, physical and psychological problems for Aboriginals. The article also cited the need to understand intergenerational trauma.

There is a vast amount of literature that can help us link the violence among the aboriginal, cultural dispossession and intergenerational trauma. Polish sociologist Peter Shtompka defined cultural trauma as the consequence of clashes of cultural values ??of society with the” alien “and hostile environment that caused dysfunctional changes in social life.In other words, a cultural trauma can be understood as the pathological transformation of the historical memory of a group of people caught in the vortex stream of an event with a destructive potential. Just as space is born out of chaos, world history is constructed from a permanent stream of social trauma, and this gives reason to believe that, one way or another, their destructive power is not finite, but, in accordance with the laws of nature, initiates a new round of events , the consequences of which form the historical consciousness of the descendants of those who were involved in them. In this regard, can we consider the Kantian concept of antagonism – the unwholesome sociability of people, as a universal trigger of all benign disasters that fall to the share of humanity?

Causes and Occurrences of Domestic Violence in Australia

The source of intolerance between people is primarily their natural desire to expand the boundaries of personal freedom, the collision of the borders of freedom provokes conflict, but on a state scale such a clash provokes a global conflict that neutralizes internal strife according to the classical scheme of collective solidarity and consolidation against a common enemy (Calabria, Doran, Vos et al. 2010). Thus, we see that in any historical event, how horrifying and how deeply traumatic its consequences are, there is also the shadow side – the labyrinth of the subconscious, from where in the most difficult moments the divine essence of man finds its way – his desire for creation. (Austin, van den Heuvel  & Byard 2011). The way to address such trauma is not easy. Australian government has attempted but has not succeeded to date because the government fails to address the root causes. In order to combat the multiple inequalities and to “close the gap” between the natives and the rest of the population, the former Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, had defined in 2008 seven objectives to be achieved in the fields of education, health and employment. He had set a deadline of 2018 for the majority of them. On February 12, 2018, Conservative Leader Malcolm Turnbull presented the annual report to assess progress. Ten years after the implementation of this “Closing the Gap” strategy, none of the goals has been met and only three are “on track”. This clearly suggest that there is problem with the aboriginal and that the problems has deeper roots that cannot be solved easily unless holistic measures to address not only current needs but also historical injustices are addressed.

I believe that what the above article presents and the existing models captures the reality of situations facing the Aboriginal people. I agree that the reason why it is difficult to address the issue is because government fails to address the root cause of problem (Cutcliffe, 2006). Government cannot understand how cultural trauma is affecting aboriginal and perhaps they should adjust their policies and use participatory approaches (Sveticic, Milner ??& De Leo 2012). 

Heaney, C. (2018). NT Police have attended 27,352 alcohol related incidents and 12,192 domestic violence incidents in this year alone. Retrieved from: https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/nt-police-have-attended-27352-alcohol-related-incidents-and-12192-domestic-violence-incidents-in-this-year-alone/news-story/9c50bdda240041955699cf72f343ab14

The article reports high cases of drug abuse among the aboriginal. Different speakers included in the article admitted that they are worried about the high rate of alcohol abuse despite the fact that sale of alcohol is restricted in most days of the week. It can be inferred from the information from different speakers who contributed to the article that high alcohol intake can result in displacement effects and this may worsen the situation because most of the teenagers involved may not have a chance to go to school.  

Remedies to Domestic Violence in Australia

Alcohol abuse among Aboriginal is not a new issue (Morgan & Freeman 2009). Several studies have been conducted on this issue and there are a number of literature to shed light on the issue of alcohol abuse. Most of the studies agree on the fact that alcohol abuse is just a symptom of deeply ingrained traumas (Elias, Mignone, Hall et al. 2012). Alcohol abuse is a reflection of incomplete health. This is clearly evidenced in the study conducted by Whitbeck, Walls, Johnson et al. (2009). The survey was conducted in four villages located in the west of the northern part of the United States and in central Canada. Three villages were located in isolation, one village had a more developed infrastructure (Martin & Brady, 2004). After the analysis, it turned out that in a number of cases, adolescents even more often than adults thought about the consequences of a historical trauma (Qi, Tong & Hu 2009). So, daily thought about the loss of land 20, 5% of adolescents and 12.4% of adults. In general, more than 20% of the adolescents surveyed daily thought about the loss of land, native language, traditional culture and spirituality, loss of respect for elders, as well as human losses from alcoholism and premature death. In their content, these thoughts were very similar to those of adolescents, and their mothers / guardians (Adams, Halacas, Cincotta  et al. 2014). 

I believe that alcohol abuse is just but a symptom of underlying trauma causes by historical injustices such as stolen generation. First People have gone through numerous challenges, which has completely destroyed their identity, cultures and sense of belonging and hence youth and teenagers opt for alcohol abuse as a way of easing stress associated with lack of identity. First People had strong culture. Before the disaster of stolen generation, Aboriginals parents could guide their children and show them how to live. The stolen generation destabilized everything making it hard for young generation to have good bearing about life and hence they engage in alcohol as a way of hiding their pains (Pridmore & Fujiyama 2009).

Tomevska, S. (2018). Domestic violence prevention brings together Indigenous men and women in outback community. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-15/wilcannia-men-and-women-work-together-to-stop-domestic-violence/9985388

The article revealed one of the most interesting idea related to the violence among the Aboriginal people in Australia. According to Tomevska (2018), issues such as gambling or drug and alcohol abuse are just coping strategies developed by men as a way of filling their inadequacies. Tomevska (2018) reveals that men who feel that they cannot provide for their families often opt for other short cuts such as alcohol and drug abuse and violence. The article reveals that cases of violence is higher in regional and remote centres.

Cultural Trauma and Intergenerational Trauma among Aboriginal Communities

Two things clearly emerge from the article above. Firstly, it is clear that the issue of violence is just a coping strategy for men to cover up their inadequacies. Many literature support this point (Pridmore & Fujiyama 2009). Farrelly & Francis (2009) revealed that the cultural and historical traumas themselves do not possess an irreversibly crippling property, the natural striving for a happy healthy life is the best medicine, and the real threat lies in human inability or, worse, the unwillingness to disregard the terrible facts past, which autonomously could not affect the present and the future, but, penetrating into the historical consciousness of people, they worsen the quality of their life. Only freedom of choice, oriented to the future without the invisible presence of mistakes of the past, can help to overcome the consequences of injuries, while historical hypochondria nullifies life itself (De Leo, Milner, Sveticic, 2012). Many inmates of boarding schools making up the stolen generation carried the traumatic experience gained in childhood, for decades. They never discussed the issues of past humiliation and kept their pain inside. Many of them have not been able to receive the necessary help in a timely manner, and many will never be able to recover. Most of the inmates turned to alcohol as a means of salvation (Sveticic, Milner ??& De Leo 2012).  Soole R. et al. the cases of completed suicides among adolescents 10-14 years old, which occurred in the state of Queensland for the period 2000-2010, were analyzed. For a given period of time, 45 cases of suicide were registered, of which 21 suicides were committed by indigenous adolescents, 24 – non-indigenous. After the standardization of indicators, the level of suicide among indigenous adolescents was 12.6 times higher than among non-indigenous (10.15 and 0.8 per 100 thousand, respectively). Most of the indigenous adolescents lived apart from the family, in remote areas and more often consumed alcohol  (Soole, Kolves & De Leo, 2014). This clearly reflects what the article identified for this study talks about (Soole, Kolves  & De Leo 2014).

I agree with the fact that aboriginal men feel inadequate and opt for violence and drug abuse as a way of “solving” their problems. The current generation of aboriginal do not have firm foundations. Most of them are part of the children who had been separated from their parents. I can imagine how it is not to be with your parent who can teach you the cultures and ways of life. Such people have very unstable background and that is why they are engaging in violence and drug abuse (Hernández, Ruano, Marchal, San Sebastián, & Flores, 2017). This loss has disrupted the transfer of traditional experience and knowledge to succeeding generations. Stolen generation significantly hinder the ability of the First People to assimilate and learn more about the health care services. It causes a cultural trauma, which is the underlying causes of violence and drug abuse (Derek Cheung, Spittal, Williamson et al. 2014).

NACCHO (2018). NACCHO Aboriginal Woman’s Health: Silence over Aboriginal violence condones it. Retrieved from: https://nacchocommunique.com/2016/10/03/naccho-aboriginal-womans-health-silence-over-aboriginal-violence-condones-it/

The article reveals how aboriginal women are facing a lot of violence. To make the matter worst, the article reveals that women who are assaulted do not report the matter to the police. It also reveals how the children are neglected and that the attempt to address issue is hindered by poor leadership. That is why the article asserts that indigenous people, progressives, feminists and the media don’t want to talk about indigenous abuse. Commenting on the issue, Bess Nungarrayi revealed that when communities protect abusers they are complicit in abuse. Generally, the article focusses on structural obstacles towards the rights of the aboriginal women. 

The case highlighted in the article is one of the current issues being debated not only in Australia but also in the international platforms. For example, recent, the United Nations criticized the Australian authorities, accusing them of not being able to protect the indigenous population, especially women, from violence by the white majority of the country, which is getting worse due to economic inequality. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are at the bottom of the economic and social scale in Australia. “Indigenous women are 34 percent more likely to be hospitalized as a result of domestic violence, and they are up to 3.7 times more likely to be victims of sexual violence,” Dubravka Simonovic, special rapporteur for the UN on violence against women. The UN criticizes Australia for not protecting Aboriginal women from violence and discrimination (Soole, Kolves & De Leo 2014). Simonovic has explained that in most cases, Aboriginal women are caught in a cycle of violence, which begins in childhood. Indigenous children in Australia are seven times more likely to be victims of abuse or lack of care by their guardians than white children. On the other hand, they are up to 10 times more likely to spend for some time for social services.

Due to the harshness of their childhood, a disproportionate number of indigenous women are imprisoned during their adult life, a figure that increases dramatically due to government policies. The controversy over discrimination suffered by indigenous women in Australia was placed in the crosshairs of the country in 2014 after the death of a woman, known only by her last name, Dhu, while she was in police custody

In my view, indigenous women should break the silence and raise their issues. Media should be fair enough in addressing issues that face different women. Women in prison should also be fairly treated. I believe that aboriginal women carry a lot of burden because they are the victims of the circumstances and hence they need to be assisted. The responsible parties such as the feminists should walk their talk.

Conclusion

In conclusion, domestic violence as an indigenous health issue affecting aboriginal people is one of the deeply entrenched problem that requires concerted efforts of different players including the aboriginal representative. There is need to adopt holistic and participatory approach so as to identify and solve the root causes of the problem. The media items discussed have shown the various causes of domestic violence and impacts. The remedies and prevention measures are also there for implementation. Community based organizations and governments should come together to advocate for human rights to ensure equality in service provision. Hence, eradicating domestic violence as a great enemy to development 

References

Adams K., Halacas C., Cincotta M. et al. (2014). Mental health and Victorian Aboriginal people: what can data mining tell us? Aust. J. Prim. Health. 20(4): 350-355.

Austin A. E., van den Heuvel C. & Byard R. W. (2011). Causes of the community suicides among the indigenous South Australians. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 18(7): 299-301.

Calabria B., Doran CM, Vos T. et al. (2010). Epidemiology of alcohol-related burden of disease among Indigenous Australians. Aust. NZJ Public Health. 34 (1): 47-51.

Chartier K. G., Vaeth P. A. & Caetano R. (2013). Focus on: ethnicity and the social and health harms from drinking. Alcohol Res. 35 (2): 229-237.

Cutcliffe, T. (2006). Bureaucratic ego and Aboriginal unemployment. Institute Of Public Affairs Review, 58(2), 19-20.

De Leo, D., Milner, A, Sveticic, J. (2012). Mental disorders and communication of intent to die in indigenous suicide cases, Queensland, Australia. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 42 (2): 136-46.

Derek Cheung Y. T., Spittal M. J., Williamson M. K. et al. (2014). Predictors of suicides occurring within suicide clusters in Australia, 2004-2008. Soc. Sci. Med. 118: 135-142.

Elias B., Mignone J., Hall M. et al. (2012). Trauma and suicide behaviour histories among the Canadian indigenous population: an empirical exploration of the potential role of Canada’s residential school system. Soc. Sci. Med. 74 (10): 15601569.

Farrelly T., & Francis K. (2009). Definitions of suicide and self-harm behavior in the Australian aboriginal community. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 39 (2): 182-189.

Heaney, C. (2018). NT Police have attended 27,352 alcohol related incidents and 12,192 domestic violence incidents in this year alone. Retrieved from: https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/nt-police-have-attended-27352-alcohol-related-incidents-and-12192-domestic-violence-incidents-in-this-year-alone/news-story/9c50bdda240041955699cf72f343ab14

Hernández, A., Ruano, A. L., Marchal, B., San Sebastián, M., & Flores, W. (2017). Engaging with complexity to improve the health of indigenous people: a call for the use of systems thinking to tackle health inequity. International Journal for Equity in Health, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12939-017-0521-2

Hoare, P. (2014). Between a shameful past and a hopeful future. New Statesman, 143(5212), 15-16.

Martin, D., & Brady, M. (2004). Human rights, drinking rights? Alcohol policy and Indigenous Australians. Lancet, 364(9441), 1282-1283.

Morgan R., & Freeman L. (2009). The healing of our people: substance abuse and historical trauma. Subst. Use Misuse. 44(1): 84-98.

NACCHO (2018). NACCHO Aboriginal Woman’s Health: Silence over Aboriginal violence condones it. Retrieved from: https://nacchocommunique.com/2016/10/03/naccho-aboriginal-womans-health-silence-over-aboriginal-violence-condones-it/

Nagel, T. (2013). Improving Aboriginal health and well-being: a view from the north. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/improving-aboriginal-health-and-well-being-a-viewfrom-the-north-18522

Pridmore S., & Fujiyama H. ??(2009). Suicide in the Northern Territory, 2001-2006. Aust. NZJ Psychiatry. 43 (12): 1126-1130.

Whitbeck L. B., Walls M. L., Johnson K. D. et al. (2009). North American Indigenous adolescents // Am. Indian. Alsk. Native Ment. Health Res. 16 (3): 16-41.

Qi X., Tong S., & Hu W. (2009). Preliminary spatiotemporal analysis of the association between socio-environmental factors and suicide. Environ. Health. 1 (8): 46.

Soole R., Kolves K., De Leo D. (2014). Suicides in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: analysis of the Queensland Suicide Register. Aust. NZJ Public Health. 38 (6): 574-578.

Soole, R., Kolves, K., & De Leo, D. (2014). Factors related to childhood suicides: analysis of the Queensland. 35 (5): 292-300.

Storry, K. (2007). Bad Dreaming: Aboriginal Men’s Violence Against Women and Children. Policy, 23(2), 58-59.

Sveticic J., Milner A., ??& De Leo D. (2012). Contacts with mental health services before suicide: a comparison of Indigenous with non-Indigenous Australians. Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry. 34 (2): 185-191.

Thorpe, N. (2018). Disadvantage and intergenerational trauma play a major role in the high rates of family violence in Indigenous communities. NITV. Retrieved from: https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2018/02/28/disadvantage-trauma-causing-high-rates-indigenous-family-violence

Tomevska, S. (2018). Domestic violence prevention brings together Indigenous men and women in outback community. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-15/wilcannia-men-and-women-work-together-to-stop-domestic-violence/99853