Cruel but Not Unusual

Description

Violence in families and intimate relationships affects a significant proportion of the population—from very young children to the elderly—with far-reaching and often devastating consequences. Cruel but Not Unusual draws on the expertise of scholars and practitioners to present readers with the latest research and thinking about the history, conditions, and impact of violence in these contexts. For this new edition, chapters have been updated to reflect changes in data and legislation. New chapters include an examination of trauma from a neurobiological perspective; a critical analysis of the “gender symmetry debate,” a debate that questions the gendered nature of intimate violence; and an essay on the history and evolution of the women’s movement dedicated to addressing violence against women, which advances theoretical developments that remind readers of the breadth of inclusivity that should be at the heart of working in this field.

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 21 mai 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781554588510
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

CRUEL BUT NOT UNUSUAL
CRUEL BUT NOT UNUSUAL
Violence in Canadian Families 2nd edition
Ramona Alaggia Cathy Vine, editors
Wilfrid Laurier University Press acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Cruel but not unusual: violence in Canadian families / Ramona Alaggia and Cathy Vine, editors. - 2nd ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index. Also issued in electronic format. ISBN 978-1-55458-827-5
1. Family violence-Canada. 2. Women-Violence against-Canada. 3. Children and violence-Canada. 4. Abused elderly-Canada. I. Alaggia, Ramona, 1957- II. Vine, Cathy, 1958- HV6626.23.C3C79 2012 362.82 920971 C2012-904270-6
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Electronic monograph issued in multiple formats. Also issued in print format. ISBN 978-1-55458-850-3 (PDF).-ISBN 978-1-55458-851-0 (EPUB)
1. Family violence-Canada. 2. Women-Violence against-Canada. 3. Children and violence-Canada. 4. Abused elderly-Canada. I. Alaggia, Ramona, 1957- II. Vine, Cathy, 1958-
HV6626.23.C3C79 2012 362.82 920971 C2012-904271-4
2012 Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada www.wlupress.wlu.ca
Cover design by Blakeley Words+Pictures. Front-cover image: i am here , by Edwina Fernandes. Photo credit: Ryan Chynces. Text design by Daiva Villa, Chris Rowat Design.
This book is printed on FSC recycled paper and is certified Ecologo. It is made from 100% post-consumer fibre, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using biogas energy.
Printed in Canada
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher s attention will be corrected in future printings.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit http://www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
For my mother, who endured, and my daughters, who have choices Ramona Alaggia
For my children, family, and friends who inspire and create change Cathy Vine
CONTENTS
Foreword
The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain
Acknowledgements
Ramona Alaggia and Cathy Vine
INTRODUCTION AND PERSPECTIVES ON VIOLENCE
Introduction
Ramona Alaggia and Cathy Vine
1 Voices of Women from the Margins: Re-examining Violence against Women
Deborah Sinclair
2 Family Violence or Woman Abuse? Putting Gender Back into the Canadian Research Equation
Molly Dragiewicz
3 Is This Violence? Is This Sexual Violence? Recognizing and Defining Violence through Dialogue with French-Speaking Women
Ina Motoi
4 Child Corporal Punishment: Violence, Law, and Rights
Anne McGillivray and Joan E. Durrant
5 Violence, Trauma, and Resilience
Michael Ungar and Bruce D. Perry
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND VIOLENCE
6 Systemic Oppression, Violence, and Healing in Aboriginal Families and Communities
Cyndy Baskin
7 Violence, Protection, and Empowerment in the Lives of Children and Adults with Disabilities
Richard Sobsey and Sonia A. Sobon
8 Dynamics of Partner Abuse in Sexual and Gender Minority Communities
J. Roy Gillis and Shaindl Diamond
9 Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Issues for Immigrant and Refugee Families
Ramona Alaggia and Sarah Maiter
VIOLENCE ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE
10 Children Abused, Neglected, and Living with Violence: An Overview
Cathy Vine, Nico Trocm , Bruce MacLaurin, and Barbara Fallon
11 Children s Exposure to Domestic Violence: Integrating Policy, Research, and Practice to Address Children s Mental Health
Ang lique Jenney and Ramona Alaggia
12 Whose Failure to Protect? Child Welfare Interventions When Men Abuse Mothers
Susan Strega
13 Rendering Children Invisible: The Forces at Play during Separation and Divorce in the Context of Family Violence
Rachel Birnbaum
14 Violence against Women: A Structural Perspective
Colleen Lundy
15 Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Men Who Abuse and Women Abused by Intimate Partners
Leslie M. Tutty
16 Elder Abuse and Neglect in Canada: An Overview
Lynn McDonald, Julie Dergal, and April Collins
17 Older People Are Subjects, Not Objects: Reconsidering Theory and Practice in Situations of Elder Abuse
Joan Harbison, Pam McKinley, and Donna Pettipas
Conclusion: Building the Future
Ramona Alaggia and Cathy Vine
Contributors
Index
FOREWORD
Family violence is a very serious issue that has plagued society for centuries. However, it was only in the early 1980s that it began to emerge from the societal closet. Until that time, the abuse suffered by its victims had always taken place behind locked doors and, in most cases, it was considered a private family matter-nothing to do with anyone else.
When I became involved with the issue during that period, we naively thought that increasing public awareness would eliminate the problem. We were wrong. We very quickly recognized that the thick walls of secrecy surrounding family violence made discussion of the topic very difficult, if not impossible.
Many of its victims felt ashamed. They found it difficult to talk about their experiences and they worried about being judged by their neighbours and friends. There were many people in society who didn t want to discuss what they considered to be a private issue, too ugly for public discussion. There was also the problem of obtaining sound empirical evidence on family violence because little research work was being carried out.
Since that time, much has been learned. We can now say, without qualification, that family violence is the single biggest impediment to healthy human development.
It permeates all sectors of society, crossing all age, gender/sexual diversity, religious, cultural, ethno-racial, and social-economic boundaries. Personally, professionally, or vicariously through people we know, family violence touches everyone. It is an incredibly complex problem that does not exist in a vacuum. If a mother is abused, every child in the family is indirectly abused. This is especially damaging during a child s early years. There is a growing body of evidence about the profoundly harmful effects of violence on the developing brain. This evidence proves that between the period before birth and age three, prolonged exposure to negative experiences producing stress, fear, and anxiety can permanently affect a child s development in the areas of learning, health, and behaviour.
That is why, in recent years, economists have publicly acknowledged that family violence is a barrier to the social economic health of our nation.
Although much has been learned since the early 1980s, we have really only uncovered the tip of the iceberg. I am pleased to note, however, that research activity by both academics and practitioners across Canada has greatly increased over the past thirty years. Unquestionably, progress has been made in the creation and dissemination of knowledge and information.
In Cruel but not unusual: Violence in Canadian families , the researchers and authors cast light on the breadth, depth, pervasiveness, and magnitude of family violence in society. The first edition of this book appeared in 2006 and was well received and widely used in academic institutions and service agencies across Canada, so much so that a second edition was necessitated. The book tells a disturbing story. It reaches into the lower-profile areas of family violence. These are areas that, until now, have tended to fall between the cracks insofar as family violence is concerned. This book discusses, in depth, violence against people with disabilities; violence in same-sex partner relationships; violence in Aboriginal families and communities; violence in immigrant and refugee families; and violence against older adults. The authors also look extensively at issues of child maltreatment, incorporating data from the Canadian Incidence Study on Child Abuse and Neglect, and they reveal the effects on children exposed to family violence.
Together, the chapters shed light on the history, naming, and identification of specific characteristics of family violence in sectors that are less visible and about which less is known. The barriers in these areas are identified, as well as recommendations for practice and policy. This second edition includes a chapter dedicated to tracing the history and evolution of the women s movement in Canada, and the theoretical development that paralleled the movement s progress in addressing violence against women and children.
The book is comprehensive in its scope. It takes a life course perspective that covers family violence issues from the very early years of life, childhood, adulthood, and through to the elder years. Since the publication of the first edition in 2006, new knowledge has emerged, so all of the chapters have been updated and new ones added to reflect important new information. Trauma and the role of resilience are examined in light of neurobiological research and social-ecological considerations. We learn about the impact of violence on the brain and body and the great potential of the human spirit, along with the critical role of support and other diverse resources, when facing adversity. Another new chapter provides a thorough analysis of the gender symmetry de