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