Women with disability experience significantly more violence and abuse than their nondisabled peers. Efforts to implement, evaluate, and scale-up strategies to prevent violence against women are rapidly expanding, but we know less about “what works” to prevent violence against women with disability. While secondary and tertiary prevention aim to identify violence early and prevent further occurrence, this review focuses on primary prevention.
This report presents a literature review on coercive control in the context of domestic and family violence, with a particular focus on the understanding of, and responses to coercive control in the Australian context. Commissioned by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, this review focuses on identifying, summarising, analysing and synthesising the existing Australian academic research and evaluations on coercive control. The review highlights the complexities of defining, recognising, and responding to coercive control and identifies relevant gaps in the evidence base.
Drawing from a range of quantitative and qualitative studies across scholarly and grey literature, including non-government reports, government and parliamentary reports, peak body reports, and position papers, this review captures the growing recognition of coercively controlling behaviour in the context of family and domestic violence.
Drawing on a large sample of female carers living in Australia (n=3,775), this study aims to document and explore children and young people’s experiences of abuse in the past 12 months. We focus on children’s exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrated against their female carers, as well as children being the target of direct physical and emotional abuse themselves.
Overall, a significant proportion of respondents who had a child in their care during the past 12 months said that a child was exposed to IPV perpetrated against them (14.1%). One in nine said a child in their care had been the target of direct abuse perpetrated by their current or most recent former partner (11.5%). Critically, one-third of respondents who experienced IPV said a child was exposed to the violence at least once in the past 12 months (34.8%).
A number of factors were associated with an increased likelihood of children being subjected to direct abuse. These included the characteristics of respondents and their relationships, children and households. We also present evidence linking economic factors, including changes in employment, with the direct abuse of children.
The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce Pulse Survey (WP Survey) was conducted by Family Safety Victoria between September and October 2022.
The WP Survey explored the employment conditions, workplace barriers and career intentions of specialists employed by family violence and sexual assault organisations, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) and The Orange Door network (TOD) in Victoria.
The final sample is composed of 1,049 (completed and partial) responses, representing an estimated 35% of the total family violence and sexual assault specialist workforce.
Click here to read survey report
Interesting new research from La Trobe University, WEstjustice and Fitzroy Legal Service on the Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) system. The process of analysing the narratives in FVIO applications highlighted important questions about how these narratives are crafted; when and to what degree they might be altered during the application process; and for what purpose. For instance, anecdotal evidence suggests that court registrars play a significant role in editing, rewriting, and restructuring the narratives in AFM applications. However, registrars are largely invisible in this process since there is no record of their contributions or changes to AFM’s narratives.
There is no clear, transparent, or easily accessible map of the process of applying for an FVIO for anyone involved, from AFMs through to Magistrates.
The lack of a clear map makes the process of applying for an FVIO opaque. It is difficult to understand what information is important at each stage of the process, and why, and the various roles of the different actors involved. The absence of a map also prevents practitioners and researchers from understanding the level of consistency in the application process for AFMs. Improving transparency and access to information about the FVIO application process would improve AFMs access to justice.
Recent research indicates that families experiencing adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) often manage multiple complexities and have limited access to service support. Previous research, including the PIPA project, found that “one-size-fits-all” approaches can result in punitive responses towards children, highlighting the need for multidisciplinary interventions.
“WRAP around families experiencing AVITH” (the WRAP around project) has identified support needs of young people and their families who are experiencing AVITH amid a range of co-occurring needs. The research has developed a framework for holistic, evidence-based and collaborative practice.
Australians are facing a rental market that has never been less affordable.
The 2023 Rental Affordability Snapshot surveyed over 45,000 rental listings across Australia and found that affordability has crashed to record lows. Anglicare Australia is calling on all parties and candidates to tackle housing affordability in the upcoming Federal Budget.
Over the last month we’ve been talking all things NCAS (National Community Attitudes Survey) here at ANROWS.
The NCAS is a unique and important piece of evidence, where we can take stock as a country and where we can consider what we really think about violence against women. Many of these results are deeply disturbing. But things have, and are, shifting. Across the country our attitudes towards violence against women are improving.
If we want to change behaviour, we must change attitudes. If we want to reduce the prevalence of family and sexual violence, we must change our thinking towards this violence. If you haven’t already watched the NCAS Launch, then don’t miss out. Hear from the incredible Jayke Burgess, Chanel Contos, Rosie Batty AO and Lula Dembele.
Monash University this month released a report examining young Victorians’ experiences of identity abuse in the context of family violence, finding that it often occurs alongside other forms of abuse. The study is one of two pieces of work on which Family Safety Victoria engaged Monash University, as part of the Victorian Government’s Child and Young Person-focused MARAM practice guidance project.
The report reveals young people’s self-reported experiences of gender-identity and LGBTIQ+ identity abuse in family violence settings, including the significant social, emotional, educational, physical and cultural impacts of family violence.
The 2021 NCAS has shown that overall Australians attitudes towards violence against women have improved, but there is still a long way to go.
Key Findings:
- A majority of Australians do not think violence against women occurs in all communities:
- Even though 91% of respondents agreed that violence against women is a problem in Australia, only 47% agreed that it is a problem in their own suburb or town
- 41% of respondents mistakenly believe that domestic violence is equally committed by men and men – a significant increase from 23% of respondents in 2009.
- Despite recent ABS Personal Safety Survey evidence which revealed most victim-survivors name a male perpetrator
- Australian’s overall rejection of domestic violence plateaued between 2018 and 2021 but there were significant improvements in Australians’ understanding and rejection of sexual violence