Most domestic violence due to money problems

Aaron Alwines
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MOST instances of domestic violence in Brunei are the result of money woes, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mariyani Hj Abdul Wahab.

"(The) number one cause of domestic violence in Brunei is financial difficulty,' the head of the Royal Brunei Police Force's Women and Child Abuse Investigations Unit said at the 32nd Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators recently.

ASP Mariyani said that if the family breadwinner, who is typically male, was experiencing financial problems, frustration resulted, which all too often led to conflict and in some cases, physical and verbal abuse. Other reasons for domestic violence include extra-marital affairs and substance abuse.

ASP Mariyani said the Women and Children Abuse Unit, which was established in 1995 as part of the Major Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, had been pushing for new legislation to recognise new forms of abuse for years, and that The Married Women Act 2010 and the Islamic Family Law "Darar Syarie" (domestic violence) were among some of the unit's successes.

The Women and Children Abuse Unit was also instrumental in getting the Children and Young Person's Order issued in 2010, which defines "child" as being under 14 years of age and "young" as being between 14 and 18.

ASP Mariyani who said the primary function of the unit was to investigate crimes relating to rape, unlawful carnal knowledge, outraging modesty, sodomy and domestic violence also talked about the threat of new technology and the "faceless" sexual predator in the new internet age.

Over half of the child sexual abuse cases in Brunei stem from meeting the perpetrator online. The Women and Children Abuse Unit has therefore implemented measures to block certain websites and to increase awareness about the dangers of talking to strangers online, she said.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times