How many women have to be abused and battered year after year until something is done about it? Domestic Violence is a significant problem in Queensland today, and unfortunately, the current legislation dealing with this serious issue is ineffective in protecting women from abuse at the hands of their partners. Over the past few years, society has witnessed an increasing awareness of the phenomenon of domestic violence. It is by no means a new fact, as there is evidence of its existence even in the ancient times. Yet nowadays in the light of changes in cultural norms and developments in our ability to diagnose cases of domestic violence, awareness of the problem has increased and domestic violence is recognised as a problem demanding comprehension and treatment in order for it to cease. .
Domestic Violence is a significant social issue that has a major impact upon the health of women in society. Violence against women has received increasing public attention in Australia over the past twenty years. A recent survey conducted in Albany Creek revealed that 60% of respondents agree, and 14% strongly agree that domestic violence is an increasing problem in society. (see appendix 1) In Australia, 23% of women who have ever been married or in a de facto relationship have experienced violence by their partner. This is an astonishing figure. Since the mid 1970's, the body of research on violence against women has grown, however, we seem to be little closer to ending the problem now than we were twenty years ago. .