BLUE JEW Power Of ONE: Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson has received much criticism for claiming that some women are “making up” domestic violence allegations in the court, only to stop fathers from gaining custody of their children. Campaigners against family violence say they're alarmed by the accusations and have concerns that Senator Hanson is set to co-chair the joint parliamentary inquiry on family law.
One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson, who Prime Minister Scott Morrison has chosen to co-chair an inquiry into family courts, has been criticised for accusing some women of lying in family court to gain custody of their children.
During a recent chat with ABC’s Radio National in September, the Queensland Senator said, “There are people out there who are nothing but liars and who will use that in the court system.”
When the radio show host asked Senator Hanson to provide evidence to substantiate her claims, she suggested the radio host contact men’s rights groups to find out what they have to say.
Senator Hanson landed herself in a similar controversy in 2016 too when she was reported to have said, “You know, someone going out there and claiming domestic violence because they’re told ‘I don’t like the colour of the dress you’re wearing’.”
Based on Senator Hanson’s latest statement, SBS Punjabi spoke to some domestic violence activists as well as a lawyer who frequently deals with such cases.
Jatinder Kaur, a Brisbane-based social worker, who has extensively campaigned for victims of domestic violence said, “Statistics show that one woman loses her life due to domestic violence every week. You can confirm with the police that they respond to a case of domestic violence every six minutes. Such allegations are scary.”
Ms Kaur suggested that Senator Hanson visit hospitals and other institutions dealing with domestic violence to find out the truth.
While opinions remain divided on the gender of domestic violence victims, a research conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicates that one in six women and one in 16 men have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner.
Between 2012 and 2014, one woman a week and one man a month were killed in cases of intimate partner violence in Australia.
Parminder Sandhu, a Melbourne-based lawyer who often appears in court cases pertaining to domestic violence, also shared his reaction Senator Hanson’s statement.
“I do not endorse the assumption at all that females make false complaints of being victims of family violence. However, in rare circumstances, there could be an occasion where someone may unfortunately try to use these family violence provisions for migration purposes,” Mr Sandhu says.
He added that migrants spouses – irrespective of their gender – who depend on their partners for their visa, can be vulnerable to being easily exploited by their partners.
“The victims do not report to authorities as they fear that if they confront their partner, they may lose their visa. This is generally because of their lack of legal awareness and rights,” he adds.
Mr Sandhu states that in his professional experience, the majority of domestic violence complaints come from women.
“However this does not mean that men do not suffer from domestic violence. I have had conversations with a few male clients who have expressed to me that they are victims of domestic violence, but are unwilling to report their concerns due to social taboos,” he elaborates.
Last year, SBS Punjabi had done an extensive investigation into domestic violence due to dowry abuse, highlighting both male and female victim’s cases.
In features titled 'The Price of Marriage and Divorce' and 'The Dowry Trap', many male victims of domestic violence in Australia spoke up for the first ever time.
Melbourne-based Manpreet Singh Sabharwal told SBS Punjabi shared his harrowing experience of being arrested at Dubai International Airport (along with his brother) because of an unsubstantiated Interpol Red Corner Notice issued against them, based on “a false dowry-related complaint” filed by his wife in India.
“My wife sent false evidence of domestic violence and dowry demands by my family and myself from India while the divorce case was going on in Australia. The Australian court found the evidence to be malicious, false and fabricated,” Mr Sabharwal had said.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to an interview with Jatinder Kaur on this matter.
Comments
Post a Comment