“Domestic violence campaigns [should] include a focus on non-physical forms of domestic violence – such as emotional and verbal abuses – as these forms are often prevalent, more pervasive in their effects, and less likely to be considered violent and abusive by the community.”

(©1999 Reshaping Responses To Domestic Violence Research)

The Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Area Assistance Scheme Section, provided a two-year grant to develop the Hunter Domestic Violence Video Education Project.

The package was completed with the assistance of a team of professionals, consultants, community members, and women, in gaining the relevant information for the video topics, content, script, and production.

The project objective was to produce an innovative, generic, cost effective video package that could be used across the whole range of human services, education and business using creative facilitation to highlight specific group issues.

The current body of domestic violence enquiry provide informed views that underpin the video package and include:
 

• Domestic violence occurs across all ages, classes and cultures

• Domestic violence is a crime

• 97% of perpetrators who come to the attention of the law are men (1999 Northern Territory Research Statistics)

• Women are capable of abuse in heterosexual and same sex relationships

• The perpetrator is always responsible for all abuse

• Children living in an abusive household are often directly or indirectly affected by domestic violence ideas and actions

• Women living in violent relationships must be acknowledged for the strategies they develop to reduce the level of violence for themselves and their children

The Duluth Model of Power and Control underpins domestic violence

Goals

The resource is designed to address the basic non-physical dynamics of domestic violence with the goals of:
 

• Increasing the understanding; that emotional abuse can exist without physical violence. Conversely, emotional abuse is always a part of the power and control tactics in physical abuse.

• Demystifying and developing an understanding of the complex issues involved in the victims’ ability to leave abusive relationships, and the effects on children, and the intergenerational imparting of gender-based power and control attitudes that often lead to physical violence.

• Challenging negative and unhelpful social myths/ attitudes/ ideals of ‘family matters are private’, which impart, contribute to victims’ continued long term existence in domestic violence relationships.

• Increasing public awareness of the hidden aspects of domestic violence, and by providing referral information, assist victims, family members, and perpetrators, to identify and seek support to deal with relationship problems.

“Through New Eyes” – exploring the hidden emotional dynamics of Domestic Violence
© 2003 Carol Skye in association with the Hunter Women’s Centre