Family Violence’s and Rosie Batty Case Study – Criminology Assignment Help

Assignment Task

Task

Rosie Batty’s, A Mother’s Story is one woman’s courageous account of her experiences with family violence. While she struggled valiantly, doing all she could to protect herself and her son, Luke, from her ex-partner Greg’s violence, she experienced the worst possible outcome- Greg murdering Luke as a way of maintaining control over Rosie’s life.
The terrible and hideous violence Rosie suffered at the hands of Greg, as well as the system, is not a unique experience. Millions of women have told similar stories, providing critical insights into the dynamics of family violence. There are so many common themes/topics Rosie explores throughout the book: the difficulty of accessing services, inadequate services, being let down, and indeed further victimised by some services (for example, child protection services and the Family Law Court), all of which reinforce the point that family violence is not a personal problem but a social issue.
For the A1 we are asking you to read A Mother’s Story, to use the Essential and Recommended Readings to identify these common themes/topics, and to unpack why these themes continue to be prevalent in the quest to elevate family violence from a personal problem where victims internalise their pain and take the blame for the perpetrator’s violence (blame the victim), to a social issue – a wicked social problem that we all need to solve together.

Structuring your Book Review

Introduction
First, answer this question:
1. What is a Mother’s Story about?
Introduce your book review with a brief outline of the themes/topics in Rosie’s book that you found most interesting and/or concerning.

Body
Then, focusing on the above themes/topics you’ve identified in the introduction, answer the following question in the body of your book review:
1. What do these themes/topics in the context of Rosie Batty’s story tell us about family violence being a social issue and thus its prevention a social responsibility?

Remember to use the literature here to support your argument.
It’s important to not fall into the trap of victim blaming (looking at Rosie’s trauma and Rosie’s choices as a way of explaining Greg’s violence towards Rosie and Luke). This is a mistake many students have made in the past. If you find yourself going down this path, have another read of Carmel O’Brien’s chapters ‘Introduction to Domestic Violence’ and ’What Causes the Violence’ as well as Jess Hill’s chapters ‘The Perpetrator’s Handbook’ and ‘The Underground’. These readings will help to remind and/or reinforce the point that focusing on the victim/survivor and their choices shifts the focus away from the perpetrator and their choices. If we are going to end family violence, we need to remember that despite its complexity, overwhelmingly, perpetrators have a choice when it comes to their behaviour (O’Brien 2016).