Ya Aabati! Growing in Domestic Violence homes

Ya Aabati! Growing in Domestic Violence homes

The Centre for Islamic Thought and Education would like to invite you to the CITE monthly seminar Ya Aabati! Growing in Domestic Violence homes.

Dr Nada Ibrahim is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Islamic Thought & Education with expertise in domestic and family violence, particularly in Australian Muslim communities. Her research interests include intimate partner violence, Islamic psychology, mental health, Islamic family law, disadvantaged Muslim women’s issues and broader Islamic issues. Nada was recently involved in a national research on the Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection Orders.

Evidence demonstrates that witnessing and experiencing abuse as a child influences future adult relationships, and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimisation. When children observe their parents continuously using violence to resolve conflict, they learn how violent behaviours can be used to produce positive results rather than negative consequences. They do not learn skills like negotiation, verbal reasoning, self-calming tactics and active listening to resolve conflicts. Witnessing parental violence in childhood delivers powerful negative messages about culturally approved male-female roles and behaviours. Violence is then accepted as the norm and as being part of the social relations of local communities. It is also then used against intimate partners as a response to conflict resolution. This presentation will discuss the influence of experiencing and/or witnessing abuse as a child on perpetration/victimisation of intimate partner violence in later adult relationships within Australian Muslim communities.