Essay Example on Battered Woman Defense and Social Issues

Introduction

It is challenging to prove the Battered Woman Defense in court. For a woman to be acquitted of having killed an abusive male partner, she has to verify that the killing was made as self-defense to an immediate violent attack by the male partner. However, the woman would be acquitted if she argued that the murder was caused by prior assaults or the anticipation that the male partner would be violent. Similarly, since the law reflects a male gaze or male bias, a battered woman would rarely satisfy a legal requirement of imminent danger. After all, her perceptions and experiences of imminent danger were not those faced by men and thus it is challenging to understand them. Therefore, it will be difficult to use the Battered Woman Defense to convince a jury that a woman had to kill her husband at a moment that she was not directly defending herself from a violent attack because it is assumed that she had a chance to escape to avoid the violent situation. Additionally, Judges were mandated with authority to rule that only the immediate circumstance of the extreme case was possible in the court of law and not the history of abuse experienced by the female partner throughout the relationship. Based on the above-mentioned factors, it is evident that it is challenging to use the battered woman defense to acquit a woman in court for a violent incidence that has resulted to death of the male partner.

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Explain the relationship between colonization and violence in Aboriginal families

Before the introduction of the western culture, it was a traditional ideology of the aboriginal community not to initiate any form of violence against women and children since it was considered a taboo. However, things changed after the colonization of the indigenous population. Firstly, the implementation of the Indian Act led to the formulation of artificial bands, which automatically gave the Canadian government the legal right to control the aboriginal people and strip them of any self-autonomy and rights. Some of these changes involved stripping Aboriginal women the matriarchal roles that women were men's' property. By this, it meant that women were becoming independent in communal decision making, voting, or any activity associated with the land. Therefore, aboriginal women, with the new assimilated behavior, meant that they could not subdue to men in the same manner as during the pre-colonization period. The new behavior aggravated men to become violent, and thus, the increase in violent attacks. Lastly, the rise of residential schools meant that children were placed in designated settings where they were assimilated into the Euro-Canadian lifestyle. These institutions played a significant role in increasing the prevalence of violent attacks in aboriginal families because the children suffered severe acts of physical, sexual, and psychological torture that often led to deaths. These challenges changed their perception of life and believed that violence is the most preferred strategy to solve an impending problem.

How is the points system different from earlier immigration policy?

In the early immigration, admission to Canada was wholly based on race and ethnicity. Before the introduction of the point system, immigrants barely had education beyond a grade four level and comprised mainly of both skilled and unskilled employees. However, after the implementation of the points system, immigrants were required to have professional experience, fluency in either French or English, and a significant amount of education. The policy was believed to be a non-discriminatory strategy for analysis immigrants because it used neutral and objective formula and not ethnicity and race, as observed in the early immigration system. Additionally, the point system was meant to help determine whether the immigrants would be productive members of Canadian society and the ability for the immigrants to integrate with the new surroundings with ease. Henceforth, the point system was a strategic method to improve the Canadian economy, while early immigration was a trial and error strategy that had a little economic impact thus leading to the change of polices.

What theory do you think best explains either sibling abuse or adolescent abuse and why?

The best approach that effectively explain sibling rivalry is the social exchange theory. A child's upbringing play a major role in determining its behavior and attitude. In the case of a neglecting family, siblings may be involved in an argument or a fight and get away with it without the interference of either parent. Such a behavior encourages to siblings to openly abuse each other because they are adamant that their action will not be rebuked or punished. Therefore, the social exchange theory is the best sibling rivalry explaining theory because lack of parental acknowledgement in acknowledging abusive behavior and conflict encourages them to conflict at all times.

What do you think is the best theory for explaining elderly abuse, and why?

The filial crisis theory is the best approach that explains elderly abuse. The upbringing of a child has a significant role in how he/ she will relate to the parents and other people in future life. The lack of a proper bond between a child and either of the parent increases the extension and continuation of parent-child conflicts because the formers depict reduced empathy and love to the elderly parents and thus increased chances of being involved in elderly abuses. It is human behavior to reiterate on a response depicted to them, whether positive or negative. In the case of negligence or abusive parents, children have increased chances to reciprocate the care and effort shown to them during their parent care. Therefore, the filial crisis theory is the most effective approach in explaining why children are likely to abuse their elderly parents.

What do you think is the most essential and useful initiative that is discussed in the readings or lectures concerning woman abuse?

The establishment of women's shelters is a significant and effective initiative discussed in the reading that will help women in violent abuse. The establishment of a safe and secure place meant that women would flee to shelters with trained volunteers that will care for the abused women and their children seeking asylum from violent male partners. Additionally, counseling is more developed since the shelter volunteers aimed to only respond to the desires of the abused women, but also cater to their children. Therefore, the establishment of women's shelter is the best approach to help women from abuse from their partners because they are provided with accommodation and guidance before they decide on their next favorable strategy.

How do issues of race, class, and gender make individual families more likely to be monitored by social service agencies and the criminal justice system for matters of child abuse than other families?

Different issues of race, class, and gender make individual families be monitored for child abuse compared to others. In terms of race, the black community has increased probabilities to be controlled by social agents and criminal justice than the whites. The reason being is there is an increasing number of black children with an imprisoned parent. Additionally, the black community has less chance to get a job after incarceration compared to the whites. In that perspective, there is increased frustration and anger manifested in the former that may result in child abuse as a way of transferring anger and emotions. In terms of class, the poor are likely to be monitored for child abuse cases by the social agents because increased rates of poverty mean lower educational attainment. Knowledge helps one to understand how to deal with children in the case of a wrong-doing rather than inflicting pain through a physical attack or any other form of molestation. Lastly, black men have a high incarceration level compared to black women, which makes them vulnerable to depression and anger, and as a result, it becomes challenging for them to relate to their children in a normal state given their mental challenges and thus increased chances of child abuse. Henceforth, based on above-mentioned aspect, race, class, and gender make certain families to be more monitored by the social agents and criminal justice systems compared to others.