Why Young People Need To Lead The Charge Against Domestic Violence

This isn’t an “adults only” issue.

Trigger warning: This article deals with violence against women and abusive relationships.

“Domestic violence refers to acts of violence that occur between people who have, or have had, an intimate relationship in domestic settings. These acts include physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse.” – Parliament of Australia

Sixty three women have been killed as a result of domestic violence this year in Australia. Statistics around the rate of abuse in Australia have been repeated – with disappointment and despair - for months on end, and yet the number keeps rising.

In a world obsessed only with what’s trending at any one moment, people only take notice for a limited time, and after hearing each week about another woman being killed, people have become so desensitised that domestic violence seems an unchangeable fact of life.

Movements such as the ‘black dot campaign’ fizzled out just as quickly as it started, but with the switch in Australian leadership, to our newest PM Malcolm Turnbull, it seems change will finally be made.

The $100m pledge to fight domestic violence announced by Mr. Turnbull comes with a declaration of intention to refuse a visa for R&B star and known domestic violence perpetrator Chris Brown, who plans on touring Australia in December. The Turnbull government certainly has the backing of the 14,000-plus people petitioning to keep Chris Brown out. (GetUp eventually took down the petition on account of its racial implications and the double standard of not similarly petitioning white artists with similar backgrounds of abuse.)

Chris Brown has the power to influence a lot of young people who look up to him, but will his influence bring awareness of domestic violence or encouragement? Already one in four young people are prepared to excuse domestic violence if the perpetrator regrets it afterwards.

Making the big changes through promises of money and banning perpetrators is excellent for helping current victims, but what about the young people who may be next? Education on domestic violence is necessary for young people to learn how to recognise the signs of an abusive relationship, before it gets to the stage of becoming another statistic.

We need to educate young people about respecting one another; unfortunately, it is primarily young men for whom the lessons are essential. As said by Mr Turnbull, “We as leaders, as a government must make it — and we will make it — a clear national objective of ours to ensure that Australia is more respecting of women.”

Young women are more likely to experience physical and sexual violence than any other age group, with partner violence being highest for those between the ages of 15 and 24.

Changing the views of young men, and also encouraging young men to be active bystanders – to challenge violence in their communities – will significantly decrease the cases of domestic violence, and especially those of our future generations.

If you are in an abusive situation please seek help:

Call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit Reachout.com

Sarah Bellis is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributors program.