The media in
Australia is currently highlighting the significant amount of domestic violence
within our society. Domestic violence
has always been present, but a number of high profile cases have brought
attention to something which has always been a “behind closed doors” issue.
It wasn’t that many
years ago that it was treated as a private issue. Husbands beat their wives and children, it
was just part of life. Technically under
the law, they were his property and he could treat them as he saw fit. Fortunately that attitude has mostly gone,
but as with many issues, the courts and government policy makers are lagging behind
the community.
Here are a few
stories, going back up to a decade, which have brought this issue to the
forefront of the community’s consciousness.
