welcome

Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women Awareness Raising Trainers:- Kerry Herriott - Development Officer Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women Partnership Beth Mitchell - Child Protection Officer, Social Work Services

Emergency Arrangements Mobile Phones Self Care: Emotive Warning Housekeeping Emergency Arrangements Mobile Phones Self Care: Emotive Warning Toilets, Fire exit, fire alarm test, mobile phones off or on silent. Child protection can be an emotive subject. If you find anything discussed distressing/upsetting and wish to leave this session please do not leave the building. The trainer will source you to identify if you require further support.

Ground Rules Listen without interruption Have respect for the feelings, experiences and values of others Respect confidentiality Be responsible for your own learning Ask group to form their own over a couple of minutes. Show this slide.

Learning Objectives by the end of this course you will:- Understand the nature and context of domestic abuse Understand the impact of domestic abuse on the safety and welfare of children Understand domestic abuse and how this can impact on parenting capacity Have an awareness of local services to support women who have suffered domestic abuse Have an awareness of local services available to children who have experienced domestic abuse

Activity 1 What is Domestic Abuse? Using a flip chart ask the group to identify and define what they consider domestic abuse is or ins small groups using cards, place the cards in categories ‘abusive’ ‘not abusive’ or ‘not sure’

The National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland Domestic abuse ( as gender-based abuse) can be perpetrated by partners or ex-partners and can include Physical abuse - assault and physical attack involving a range of behaviour Sexual abuse - acts which degrade and humiliate women and are perpetrated against their will, including rape Mental and emotional abuse - such as threats, verbal abuse, racial abuse, withholding money and other types of controlling behaviour such as isolation from family or friends The National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland contains the following definition of domestic abuse

What is gender-based violence? “Violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman, or violence that affects women disproportionately. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.” (United Nations) Honour killings Forced marriages Female genital mutilation Child trafficking Child marriages

It encompasses Domestic abuse Rape Sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in the public sphere Commercial sexual exploitation Prostitution and trafficking Child sexual abuse Dowry related violence Female genital mutilation Forced and child marriages Honour crimes Children are witness to and subjected to much of this abuse and there is a correlation between domestic abuse and the mental, physical and sexual abuse of children Domestic abuse occurs in all social groups, is not caused by stress, unemployment, poverty, alcohol or menatl illness, nor by the women who experience the abuse

The context of Domestic Abuse A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE ! This section of the presentation sets the context of domestic abuse within gender and social inequality and imbalance of power and looks at a timeline from the 1600’s to the present day

1600 There were special crimes and punishments for women only Women found guilty of gossiping and quarrelling were forced to stand in public with a “branks” over their head A “branks” was made out of metal and had a mouth piece to hold down the tongue, keep the mouth open and keep the woman silent A “branks” was made out of metal and had a mouth piece to hold down the tongue, keep the mouth open and keep the woman silent

1782 Judge Buller ruled that a man could beat his with a stick as long as it was not thicker than his thumb. It was considered acceptable at this time that men would need to use violence to control and punish their wives The group may be aware of the saying “rule of thumb” this is the origin of this saying and it is interesting to note that it has become integrated into a normal part of our language

1800 Before a woman married, her father or nearest male relative would make decisions for her until she reached the age of 21 When she married, her husband made decisions for her A woman’s husband owned all her possessions up until 1870

1878 Women for the first time are ‘allowed’ to study for university degrees. This ‘privilege’ did not extend to the working classes

1909 Women, known as suffragettes, who had been campaigning for the right to vote for almost thirty years, began to take militant direct action Many went to jail for their actions Some went on hunger strike and were force-fed

1919 Nancy Astor became the first woman MP to take up her seat in the House of Commons. She was elected at a by- election

1928 All women over the age of 21 are able to vote Women struggled for almost 100 years for the right to vote at political elections

1970s The first refuges for women experiencing domestic violence were opened in Scotland and England

1989 Rape within marriage was recognised as a crime in Scotland The law was changed in England and Wales in 1991

1993 The first Zero Tolerance campaign was launched by the Women’s Committee of Edinburgh District Council It was taken up the local authorities across the UK Violence against women became a policy priority of the Scottish Parliament, established 1999

ACTIVITY 2 GENDER STEREOYPING Using 2 sheets of flipchart paper headed ’men are’ and ‘women are’ ask the group to call out what they would consider stereotype descriptions of men and women – this exercise is to enable participants to make the difference between biological ( sex) and social programming/construct ( gender)

Definition sex Refers to biological characteristics The system of reproductions which distinguish the human species as male or female It does not determine differences in behaviour status or qualities These are ascribed by the social situations in which men and women live What you are

Definition Gender Gender ascriptions are learned They determine how we are perceived and how we are expected to act It determines how we are expected to act It determines how we order societies Who you are

Coffee Break

Some Statistics In the context of domestic abuse, 40 to 60 percent of children and young people are also physically abused by the perpetrator (Mullender & Morley ( Eds), 1995) Inquiries into child killings in the UK indicate a context of domestic abuse in a large proportion of cases in which children have died as a result of physical abuse ((O’Hara, 1994 UK) These issues are particularly important when we think about child contact The best way to protect children is to support the non abusing parent National statistics Local statistics Findings from GIRFEC Domestic Abuse Pathfinder

The majority of children can describe incidents of domestic abuse in detail (Jaffe et al 1990) Children are in the same or next room in 90% of cases ( Hughes 1992) Women who experience violence have a 50% higher incidence of miscarriage ( Mooney 1993)

(from Pathfinder – based on Police Statistics 2007 2008 2009 TOTAL NUMBER OF DOMESTIC ABUSE (DA) INCIDENTS 1241 1146 1175 TOTAL NUMBER INCLUDING CHILDREN 649 609 629 TOTAL NUMBER EXCLUDING CHILDREN 592 537 546 TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN INVOLVED IN DA INCIDENTS 1131 1027 1061 TOTAL NUMBER DA INCIDENTS BY AREA 2007 2008 2009 NITHSDALE 607 525 549 ANNANDALE & ESKDALE 278 319 270 STEWARTRY 103 95 107 STRANRAER 250 191 223

GENDER 2007 2008 2009 MALE PERPETRATOR, FEMALE VICTIM 1077 996 1008 FEMALE PERPETRATOR, MALE VICTIM 159 140 149 FEMALE PERPETRATOR, FEMALE VICTIM 1 4 5 MALE PERPETRATOR, MALE VICTIM 6 13

Impact of Domestic Abuse on parenting Activity 3 Gaining Power and Control Using Scottish Women’s Aid training Toolkit Folder 2 activity 4 page 53 – 58 participants will be divided into small groups and will be asked to draw a profile of a mother experiencing domestic abuse by looking at different aspects of her life. The small groups will be given pre prepared flip chart sheets with different headings from the following list Isolation Disability/exhaustion Degradation Threats Displays of total power Enforcing trivial demands Occasional indulgences Distorted perspectives Using children to control women Making/forcing children to punish/abuse/control the woman by……… Allowing time for discussion and drawing out points on the systematic and planned nature of domestic abuse, how children can be involved by the perpetrator How the experience can impinge on the woman’s decision making and the strength needed to free themselves

“ why doesn’t she just leave?” Isolation Disability & Exhaustion Degradation and Humiliation Threats Displays of Total Power Enforcing Trivial Demands Occasional Indulgences Distorted Perspectives Isolation – locks you in the house, isolated from family and friends, makes you move away from your family, you avoid company because he humiliates you/makes things awkward for you /humiliates your friends Disability and exhaustion – physically beats and hurts you, permanently injured by violence, deprives you of sleep, you are hyper-vigilant, walking on eggshells – responding to his ever changing demands Degradation and humiliation – humiliates you in public, forces/chooses/refuses clothes and shoes, makes children humiliate you, makes you take part in degrading sex acts with him/others Threats – says he will maim/kill you if you ever leave/kill children, tells you he will get another women if you don’t do what he wants, will make sure your children are taken into care Displays of total power – keeps you locked up, takes all your money, takes away clothes & shoes, forces you to work in prostitution Enforces trivial demands – meals have to be exactly time he says, has to have clothes washed/ironed/folded in a certain way, decides what you watch on TV Occasional indulgences – buys you a present, cooks you meal, tells you you’re attractive/needs you/loves you, lets you go out with your friends Distorted perspectives – you begin to believe that you are stupid/deserve it/ are to blame because you can’t do anything right/don’t keep children quiet/aren’t a good cook/can’t manage money, it’s only verbal – not that bad, it’s only when he’s drunk

Consequences of Violence Against Women Goes far beyond immediate physical damage Erodes women’s self-esteem Inhibits her ability to defend herself/take action against the abuser Health implications – physical and mental Repercussions echo through family and society Highlight some of the consequences for women. These can include:- Health – long term mental and physical health problems. Women who experience abuse may be more likely to misuse drugs and or alcohol as a way of coping For 255 of women, the first time they experience abuse is during pregnancy – it is the biggest cause of problems and foetal morbidity – including pre- eclampsia Society – services including criminal justice, health, social work, housing. Loss to the economy due to time off work Under reporting – all forms of Violence against women are characteristically under-reported: feelings of shame, fear, scepticism, disbelief, further violence Definitions of abuse vary in different countries, often there is no reporting mechanism The failure to investigate and expose the extent of VAW allows Governments, agencies, families and communities to ignore their repsonsibilities

Activity 4 “Daddy be good” The group will be shown the DVD ‘Daddy be good’. The DVD can be stopped at several points to emphasise learning points This DVD will allow trainers to reinforce the link between domestic abuse and child protection – physical , sexual and emotional abuse, extremes of child homicide, increased risks during pregnancy and when the woman decides to leave

How children respond to Domestic Abuse Increased aggression School problems Anxiety Grief Insomnia Mental Health problems, psychological and/or behavioural difficulties Loss of confidence 1/3 of children try to intervene during attacks on their mother Children over the age of 5 years regularly call the police during an incident to seek help for their mother Studies have found that 40% of young women became homeless due to Sexual Abuse from a family member and that over 60% of them had also experienced Domestic Abuse Some North American studies have noted links between Domestic Abuse and forms of both physical and learning disabilities in children

What to do if you are concerned about a child Know who to report to in your own agency if you have concerns about a child Seek advice from the police tel. no.0845 600 5701 In an emergency always dial 999 Seek advice from Social Work Services tel. no 01387 260000 Out of Hours Social Work – 0800 811 505 Don’t delay

Local support services for children and women who have experienced Domestic Abuse Women’s Aid :Dumfriesshire and Stewartry Women’s Aid 01387 263052. 24 hr on –call 07710152772 Wigtownshire Women’s Aid 01776 703104 South West Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Centre – 01387 253113 Men’s Advice Line – 0808 801 0327 For perpetrators RESPECT – 0845 122 8609

Activity 5 Quiz 10 questions to evaluate the impact of the training/learning from the training – prizes all round

For your participation Thank you Evaluation questionnaire Certificate of attendance Power point can be sent by e mail – participants who would like the power point should leave their e mail details on the registration sheet