AVOs and domestic violence. The 'dark figure' of crime and it's newsworthiness.

Domestic violence is a category of crime for which official statistics are particularly plagued by the “dark figure”. First described in the 1830s by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician and sociologist (Berlinski, 2009), this figure refers to the gap between the actual amount of crime and what is recorded in statistics (Goldsmith, Israel & Daly, 2006). The reason for the under-reporting to police of domestic violence can be linked to victim’s lack of confidence in the justice system, which primarily stems from the media's negative portrayal of domestic related crime.

The Partnerships Against Domestic Violence Statement of Principles agreed by the Australian Heads of Government at the 1997 National Domestic Violence Summit included the following definition:

Domestic violence is an abuse of power perpetrated mainly (but not only) by men against women both in relationship and after separation. It occurs when one partner attempts physically or psychologically to dominate and control the other. Domestic violence takes a number of forms. The most commonly acknowledged forms are physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional and social abuse and economic deprivation. (Violence Against Women Specialist Unit & NSW Attorney General’s Department, 2003).

We can use Jewkes(2004) news values as a check list on domestic violence cases covered in the media, all of which somewhat would deter the public from reporting DV.

Jewkes list of values for the reporting of crime show the ideological lines which crime in the media is constructed. They consist of:

1. Threshold
2. Predictability
3. Simplification
4. Individualism
5. Risk
6. Sex
7. Celebrity
8. Violence
9. Spectacle
10. Children
11. Conservatism

A prime example is the case of Deanne Bridgland, a long term victim of domestic violence, who herself was charged and convicted, with 2 years gaol time, of conspiring to pervert the course of justice as she tried to help her husband and abuser in receiving a lesser charge presumably an act out of fear). This story very clearly has elements of threshold or drama, unpredictability, risk, sex, and violence. It has impeccable newsworthiness.

However, in a story by the 7:30 Report (Jill Singer (ABC), March 9 2010) the concern was raised that the case sends out the wrong message and contradicts the push to support rather than punish victims of domestic violence. (The full report can be viewed here)

If Australia is to take a step in the right direction perhaps new amendments to the current law need to be created to prevent this further victimisation of domestic violence victims as in Bridgeland’s case.

This has not been the case however, adding to the public's is when the media present stories like the following in which the government doesn’t uphold their proposed policies to improve the safety of domestic violence victims. The Family and Domestic Violence Unit in Labor’s 2007 election policy have broken their promise with only 23 of the 40 additional specially-trained police officers delivered (SMH, 2010, May 7). This can be related to the aforementioned Bridgland case (Hawke, 2010, March 9th) on which domestic violence worker Fiona Mccormack states, if women “don't have faith that the judicial system can protect them, this is when we see women withdraw their complaints… because they're in abject fear and justifiably so.”

Really the question here is would more positive presentation of cases where domestic violence has been dealt with successfully by police and agencies really made a difference to victims reporting of this sort of crime? Fact of the matter is this won't happen, because a story of a domestic violence case gone wrong hold much more newsworthiness than one with a happy ending.

References

Berlinski, C. (2009). The dark figure of British crime: Despite government reassurances, Britons feel under siege—with good reason. City Journal. Retrieved September 25th, 2010, from http://www.berlinski.com/?q=node/116

Goldsmith, A., Israel, M., & Daly, K. (2006). Crime and justice: a guide to criminology. Pyrmont, NSW: Lawbook Co.

Hawke, B. (2010, March 9th). Changes to domestic violence laws ‘don’t go far enough’. Victoria, Australia: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved September 23rd, 2010, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/03/09/2841222.htm

SMH (2010, May7) NSW ‘breaks domestic violence promise’. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 23rd, 2010, from http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-breaks-domestic-violence-promise-20100507-uh7a.html

Violence Against Women Specialist Unit & NSW Attorney General’s Department (2003). Domestic Violence Interagency Guidelines. Retrieved September 23^rd, 2010, from, http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/vaw/dvguidelines.nsf/pages/definitions