Verbal violence
David has used a number of abuses of domestic violence against Celina. He engaged in verbal violence, physical violence, psychological abuse, isolation, financial abuse, and emotional abuse. He had verbally abused Celina in front of the child and had also engaged in physical assault against her on a number of occasions. Psychological abuse is creating fear within the victim and making threats to out them from their living arrangements (NSW Government, 2019). David did this by constantly checking Celina’s search history and her completion of the household tasks that he assigned to her.
Furthermore, he also threatened to withhold food from Celina and her mother and that he might get rid of them. Isolation is also a form of domestic violence against the spouse by controlling who the spouse can engage with and limiting their involvement with individuals outside of the home (NSW Government, 2019). David isolated Celina by taking away her phone and by inspecting his phone after returning from work. He also engaged. He also engaged in financial abuse by withholding funds from her except for a small transportation allowance and also accused her of sparing coins for her personal use. Emotional abuse is any kind of behavior by the spouse that makes one feel demeaned and worthless (Australian Government, 2022). By constantly checking on how Celina was carrying out the household tasks, calling her a prostitute, and complaining to his parents that she was a bad wife in her presence, he also engaged in emotional abuse.
David engaged in financial control by giving Celina a minimal transportation allowance and providing her with no allowance for her personal use. This forced her to remain dependent on David and also impacted her decision-making ability to take any form of action for her well-being. Financial abuses and barriers often lead to women being stuck in violent relationships (Kutin et al., 2019). Furthermore, any form of denial of other amenities such as the internet and phones is also a form of financial abuse (ASIC, n.d.). This is because they impact the ability of the partner to be independent and take any action for themselves. David withholding finances from Celina forced her to tolerate the other abuses and violence he subjected Celina to. She was also subjected to demeaning treatment and accused of saving spare change for her personal use. Celina’s complete financial dependence on David also disabled her from moving out, finding a job for herself, bringing her parents to Australia, or being able to travel back to her home country. It may have also been the reason for her minimizing David’s abuses and behavior when the police would arrive or considering asking for help in general. Thus, having no financial control impacted Celina’s ability to be independent and escape David’s violent behavior.
When working with Celina and her mother, a community service worker would have to consider several aspects of care for the two individuals. An initial assessment would have to be conducted with Celina and her mother to evaluate the extent of the abuse faced by the two. An initial assessment is a standard set of pre-prepared questions that help determine the impact of the physical and mental abuse tolerated by the victim (Huecker et al., 2022). For physical injuries, the individuals should be referred to a clinician who examines the injuries and provides the required healthcare to the victim (Huecker et al., 2022). The practitioner undertaking the initial assessment must ensure they use language which is sensitive to the cultural beliefs of the victim, else the victim may feel further victimized. After ensuring that the victim has received treatments for any physical injuries, the social worker would have to undertake an integrated approach and take into consideration the legal services the victim would require, any form of emergency accommodation, counseling services, financial aid, and long term housing support (Services Australia, 2022). Celina and her mother would require legal support to help Celina get a divorce from David and file a case against him for family violence. This would require trauma-informed lawyering practices that are accommodated to the victim’s abusive experience (WLSNSW, 2022). Counseling services would also be required as Celina had to bear a lot of abusive and violent treatment from David for an extended period. As Celina and her mother do not have any employment or source of income for their livelihood in the foreign land of Australia, financial aid would also be required to help the two through the hardships. These practices would help ensure the two are provided with sensitive, safe and effective control.
References
ASIC (n.d.). Financial Abuse. Money Smart. https://moneysmart.gov.au/financial-abuse
Australian Government (2022). What is family and domestic violence. Services Australia. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/what-family-and-domestic-violence?context=60033#a7
Huecker, M. R., King, K. C., Jordan, G. A., & Smock, W. (2022). Domestic Violence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499891/
Kutin, J., Russell, R., & Reid, M. (2017). Economic abuse between intimate partners in Australia: prevalence, health status, disability and financial stress. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 41(3), 269-274
NSW Government (2019). Types of abuse in domestic and family violence. FACS.NSW.Gov. https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/domestic-violence/about/types-of-abuse-in-dv
Services Australia (2022). How we can help. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-we-can-help-you-with-family-and-domestic-violence-concerns?context=60033
WLSNSW (2022). Chapter 2: Working with clients experiencing domestic violence. Women’s Legal Service NSW. https://www.wlsnsw.org.au/resources/dv-law-nsw/ch-2-working-with-clients/