Tony Abbott says 'real men don't hit' in plea to end domestic violence
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Version 0 of 1. The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, has said “real men don’t hit” in a strongly worded plea to end domestic violence at a conference in Sydney. He said “as a husband, as the brother of three sisters and father of three daughters” violence against women and children was “absolutely abhorrent” to him, “as it should be to everyone”. “Real men don’t hit, they don’t threaten and they don’t bully women or children,” Abbott said on a recorded video played on Wednesday, “but tragically domestic violence remains prevalent in too many parts of our country.” Related: Our response to domestic violence must go beyond cries of 'misogyny' | Gay Alcorn The prime minister acknowledged “shocking” statistics that show one in three Australian women will be victims of physical violence in their lifetimes, and that every week an Australian women is killed by a current or former partner. In 2014, 84 women were killed through violence in Australia and 43 have been killed in 2015 so far, according to campaign group Destroy the Joint. The count includes those killed through all types of violence, not just domestic violence. “Our country must change, the community must change, we all must change,” Abbott said. He called addressing violence a “national priority” and said the government would invest more than $100m over the next four years to advance the safety of women. In April, Abbott announced a national domestic violence order scheme, which would ensure domestic violence orders in one jurisdiction would be recognised in every state and territory. While the move was lauded by organisations that provide services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, ongoing concern remained regarding its effectiveness if there was no long-term funding certainty for programs. Liana Buchanan, executive officer of the federation of community legal centres in Victoria, told Guardian Australia in April that the scheme risked being undermined by a “continuing crisis” in legal assistance funding. “If women can’t get free legal help when applying for an intervention order, how effective in protecting their safety will those orders be?” Buchanan said. Related: Domestic violence activist Rosie Batty calls for end to culture of victim blaming Abbott was followed by domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, a keynote speaker at the Ending Domestic Violence Criterion conference, who said violence was “a choice” and a gendered issue that saw women carry the heavier burden. Batty said people often sought to understand why violence happens through the lens of factors such as mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction. “Yes, they exacerbate a violence situation, especially in a family context … but these do not cause violence. And this is where we have to start to unpack our doubts.” She drew on her own experience and said her former husband Greg, who murdered their son Luke in 2014, had a marijuana dependency and suffered from paranoia. “He did have what I describe as mental illness. But Greg was also violent, he was an extremely abusive man.” “While we excuse this choice we don’t get to the root of the problem, that this is a gender issue,” Batty said. “This is when the topic becomes uncomfortable and the men in the room start squirming. They start saying ‘women are violent too’.” “I’m not disputing there are violent women, but let’s get back to those statistics. Who is being murdered every week when they choose to leave their partner? Who is being terrorised and fear for their safety on a daily basis? It is women.” Batty said the domestic violence conversation was not about incriminating all men, but addressing the sense of entitlement and privilege men “are born with” and moving towards a form of equality that embraced gender difference. “As the prime minister said, he’s got three daughters,” Batty said. “I suspect he would like his three daughters to be treated with total equality. So when they choose a career profession they don’t have to battle for equal pay, same opportunity. Whatever profession it is there is no dispute – it’s a given. • If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. For more information about a service in your state or local area download the Daisy App in the App Store or Google Play |