Family violence
Facts
- Family violence can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, verbal, financial abuse, pubic humiliation and isolation from family and friends.
- Family violence is violence between current or past family members and may occur across a all kinship and marital arrangements.
- The negative impacts of children being exposed to parental intimate partner violence are now recognised as a form of child maltreatment, often classified as emotional abuse.
- Violence against women and children perpetrated by men and Indigenous, young and pregnant women are particularly at risk.
- In Australia on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner, according to the most recent analysis of homicide statistics in Australia.
- According to the 2012 ABS personal safety survey,17% of women and 5% of men had experienced partner violence since the age of 15 years.
- In New Zealand in 2016 there were 6,377 recorded males assaults female victimisation and 1 in 3 ‘ever partnered’ NZ women report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.
- In Australia, the Commonwealth Government Is responsible for national programs to reduce family violence. The National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2009. The National Plan is to be implemented over a series of 3 – year action plans over 12 years between 2009-2021.
- Policing and prosecuting family violence is the responsibility of state governments in Australia.
- Family violence can be prevented if communities work together to raise awareness of family violence, challenge social conditions creating environments that enable family violence (e.g gender inequity, rigid gender roles. racism, marginalisation), address complex drivers of family violence (e.g. inequality, alcohol and drug, isolation) and hold abusers responsible for their actions
Resources 
Key reports
- The national Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022
- National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020
- Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia 2018
- Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence
- Australian Institute of Family Violence – Family Violence Reports
- New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse library
- UNICEF – Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children
Fact Sheets
- Understanding Violence Facts and figures
- ANROWS fast facts about violence against women and children
- WHO Violence against women fact sheet
- NZ Family Violence Clearinghouse – data summaries 2017
- Crime statistics Australia – homicide
- AIPN Interpersonal Violence Position Paper
Websites
- Our Watch
- No to Violence
- White Ribbon
- Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety
- Families Australia
- List of additional website resources for family violence in Australia
International
Video Resources
Helplines
If you are in immediate danger call
000 in Australia
111 in New Zealand
Australia:
RESPECT (Australia) Call 1800 (1800 737 732) – a 24-hour, national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line.
New Zealand:
Women’s Refuge National Helpline – Crisisline: 0800 REFUGE / 0800 733 843
shine* Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0508 744 633
Frameworks/Tool Kits
- The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022
- National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020
- WHO sexual violence toolkit
Research
Please note that this publications list is non-exhaustive and includes primarily research available from open access journals.