Public Awareness
OPDV Bulletin:
The Power to Make a Difference
“If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have
an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” -
Marian Wright Edelman
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” - Elie Wiesel
As we begin the Year 2000 according to the Gregorian calendar (5760 in the Hebrew calendar; 4696 in the Chinese calendar), the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence is taking the opportunity to step back and look at domestic violence -- the big picture. We will reflect upon where we’ve come from and where we’re going...and identify the factors that have helped bring about much-needed change.
Understanding why domestic violence occurs in the first place is critical if we are to succeed at the enormous challenge of ending it. Domestic violence is rooted in a long history of oppression. Social values and beliefs have long supported the notions that women and children are the property of men, that men have the right to control their wives and children, that men have the right to have sex with their wives, and that husbands should beat their wives as necessary to maintain family order and their own authority.
Social and legal traditions have created and maintained a belief that men have a right to control their female partners and children. In the Middle Ages (the 1400s), Friar Cherubino of Siena’s “Rules of Marriage” told men to punish their wives to save their souls. In British Common Law, women ceased to exist as a legal entity when they married. Until 1973, Englishmen were entitled to restrain their wives if they attempted to leave their situation (currently considered kidnaping), and friends or neighbors could be sued for helping a woman leave. In colonial America, husbands were not allowed to beat their wives on Sundays or after 8:00 p.m., to avoid disturbing the public quiet.
This belief system prevailed in other arenas, such as religion. In marriage, a father “gave away” his daughter to the groom, representing the transfer of property from one male to another. Rape was not a crime against the female victim but a crime against the father or husband. Proverbs and sayings such as “A man’s home is his castle,” served to reinforce popular thought. The phrase “rule of thumb” is said to come from English Common Law that maintained a man could beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Different cultures offer other proverbs that condone violence against and oppression of women. Women are compared to animals or objects that supposedly work better if beaten: gongs (China); mules (Spain); dogs, walnut trees, eggs (England); fish (Korea). Two Russian sayings are “A woman is not like a jug; she won’t break when she is hit” and “A wife may love a husband who never beats her, but she does not respect him.” Confucius advised that “Women should serve and respect their fathers first, husbands second, sons third, and themselves last.”
Rejection of the status quo
About 150 years ago, people began to move toward finding violence against women unacceptable. In 1853, England’s “Law against Aggravated Assaults Upon Women and Children” for the first time imposed fines and imprisonment on men convicted of beating their wives and children. In the 1880s, many states in the United States had laws restricting rights of men to “chastise” wives and children, but usually either the laws were not enforced or those in violation of the law were not punished. In 1872, Alabama became the first state to outlaw domestic violence, followed by Massachusetts that same year. By 1911, all states except Mississippi had outlawed domestic violence.
In the 1960s, child abuse began to be recognized as a major social problem and began to be addressed through programming, legislation and policy initiatives. The abuse of women by their partners, however, remained in the shadows. The attitude prevailed that women somehow brought the abuse on themselves, and unlike abused children, women were thought to be responsible for the violence perpetrated on them.
In the early 1970s, women began to create a grassroots informal network of
services, safe homes and local domestic violence hotlines, to provide support
to the growing number of battered women who were calling rape crisis hotlines
seeking help and safety. As the magnitude of the problem became clear, a range
of services, including a network of shelters, was developed to begin to address
the safety needs of victims of domestic violence. In its initial stages, these
efforts were almost entirely volunteer with little or no stable funding.
Domestic Violence Prevention in New York State
New York State's first battered women's shelter opened in 1976. Since that time, tireless work by advocates and others in the field and at the legislative table has helped to bring about some profound changes.
1976: first battered women's shelter opened in New York City.
1977: state funding was provided for shelters and victims of domestic violence. A law was passed allowing married victims of domestic violence to file criminal charges against a spouse.
1979: New York State government created the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence.
1980: NYS Domestic Violence Hotline was established.
1983: Governor's Commission on Domestic Violence was created by Executive Order, replacing the Task Force.
1984: People v. Liberta: NY's highest court made marital rape a crime, striking down the "marital rape exemption" on the grounds that it denied equal protection of the laws to married women.
1985: the NYS Spanish Domestic Violence Hotline was established.
1987: Domestic Violence Prevention Act permanently funded emergency shelters for victims through local Departments of Social Services.
1992: the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence was created by statute, replacing the Commission. New York became the only state with an executive level state agency dedicated to addressing the issue of domestic violence.
1994: The Family Protection and Domestic Violence Intervention Act brought about the development of the Order of Protection Registry, Domestic Incident Reporting System, Victims' Rights Notification, mandatory arrest, training for judges, law enforcement personnel, and district attorneys, as well as the addition or revision of several crimes under the NYS Penal Law.
1995: Governor Pataki made prevention of domestic violence a priority, declaring a policy of "zero tolerance" for domestic violence in New York State.
1997: The Model Domestic Violence Policy for Counties was introduced.
1998: The statewide public awareness campaign and school-based prevention projects were established.
1999: A strong law making stalking a felony was passed. (See article in this Bulletin.)
A Societal Issue
Domestic violence is a major societal problem and "society" must fix it. But what does that mean? It means understanding that society isn't "out there," it's each one of us. It means that individuals must stand up for what's right, whether or not it affects them directly. It means not assuming that someone else will handle it. Society isn't a thing with a heart and soul and agenda. It's what we make it, by our acceptance or rejection, by our words and by our actions.
No Complacency!
We have made great strides, but now is not the time for complacency. We face a multitude of challenges for the future. You are an integral part of the effort.
If you become aware of someone abusing a partner, speak up. Offer help for the victim. Reproach the abuser. When you hear an inappropriate joke, don't just shrug it off in discomfort – let the teller know it's not funny (and why). Step up to the plate. We've learned from the campaign against drunk driving that a strong law enforcement response is a critical element required to support a major change in behavior, but it takes more than that. It takes people "buying in" to the unacceptable nature of the behavior to curb or change it. We each need to condemn domestic violence in all its forms, by our words and by our actions. We must hold ourselves and each other accountable.
