Domestic Violence
Yiayia Next Door
TERESA MANCUSO
July 15, 2013- lost their mother, “flipped world around in one night”
In her final moments, she screamed loud enough so that neighbours heard
Mum was selfless and would do anything for her friends and family
Yiayia & Paupou
Was the first person to discover their mother when she passed
IDENTITY
Name: Nina
in her 70s
Happily married
VALUES
optimism
life’s short so lets all make the best of it
sincerity
being honest, true and real
kindess
Understanding the power of giving
big heartedness
go the extra mile to make someone’s day
gratitude
life feels better when we appreciate the simple things in life
AUDIENCE
62, 000 followers on ig in a year
The project 2020, The Project - The Girl Next Door, YouTube, Yiayia Next Door, Melbourne, viewed 12 August 2021, .
MISSION
“Our mission is to support initiatives and people who inspire communities where people feel safe, and neighbours connect and care.”
VISION
“Together we share a vision for an Australia where people experiencing family violence feel supported.”
CONTEXT
"Inspired by Daniel and Luke’s Greek neighbour, YiaYia, who shared meals with them over the fence in response to their mother being murdered at home by their father."
PURPOSE
"To inspire kindness and encourage people to ‘love thy neighbour’ as the most powerful antidote to violence."
"Today their social enterprise supports and inspires communities where people feel safe, and neighbours connect and care."
Paulino, D & L, 2021, Our Story, Yiayia Next Door, viewed 12 August 2021, .
Family violence
When women kill an intimate partner, they are far more likely to do so in order to protect themselves or their children from their partner’s violence (Polk 1994; Morgan 2002; VLRC 2002).
The community got around the 1994 book, ‘ Blood on whose hands? The killing of women and children in domestic homicides’ and used it as an advocacy tool to raise awareness about the need for legal and social change in how we respond to domestic homicides.
The 2005 amendments also make it clear that, in cases of family violence, self-defence may be raised even if the accused person is responding to a harm that is not immediate, or his or her response involves the use of force in excess of the force involved in the harm or threatened harm
The definition of family violence provided in the Victorian Family Violence Protection Act 2008. According to the Act, family violence is behaviour that controls or dominates a family member in any way, and causes them to feel fear for their own, or another family member’s, safety or wellbeing. It can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or economic abuse, as well as any behaviour that causes a child to hear, witness or otherwise be exposed to the effects of that behaviour.
Dr Kirkwood, D, McKenzie, M & Dr Tyson, D 2013, ‘Justice or Judgement- the impact of Victorian Homicide laws reforms on responses to women who kill intimate partners’, Discussion paper, Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria, Australia.
Influence of COVID/lockdown
international efforts
The Italian government began commissioning hotels to provide shelter to the increasing number of people fleeing abusive situations (Davies & Batha 2020).
Pharmacies and grocery stores in France are now providing emergency warning systems to help enable people to indicate that they are in danger and need support (Guenfound 2020), through the introduction of code words to alert staff they need help (Davies & Batha 2020).
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called for countries to prioritize support and set up emergency warning systems for people living with family violence (News Wires 2020).
statistics
In many countries, including Australia, we have already seen an increase in demand for domestic violence services and reports of increased risk for children not attending schools (Duncan, 2020)
France reported a 32% - 36% increase in domestic abuse complaints following the implementation of self-isolation and quarantine measures (Reuters News Agency 2020).
In Australia, Google reported a 75% increase in Internet searches relating to support for domestic abuse (Poate 2020).
In Australia, as stay-at-home orders came into force, the police in some parts of the country reported a 40% drop in crime overall, but a 5% increase in domestic abuse call-outs (Kagi 2020).
Usher, K, Bhullar, N, Durkin, J, Gyamfi, N & Jackson, D 2020, ‘Family violence and COVID‐19: Increased vulnerability and reduced options for support,’ International journal of mental health nursing, vol 29, no. 4, pp.549-552.
