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Family violence is endemic in Australian society. It does not discriminate against income, race, religion, or location. It can be found just as easily in Sydney’s west as in Melbourne’s leafy suburbs.
Alarming statistics show that family violence affects one in three women, with one death a week resulting from it. No one can argue that it is acceptable in any form, yet the incidence of family violence is increasing.
As an organisation that deals with its impact on families, Relationships Australia strongly supports programs that raise awareness about the issue and seek to change behaviours.
An example of this is our sponsorship of the White Ribbon International conference to be held in Sydney from 13 to 15 May. The conference theme, Global to Local: Preventing Men’s Violence against Women – Research, Policy and Practice in One Space, focuses attention on what is a shattering issue in our society that results in devastating costs to individuals, our communities and the nation.
But what is family violence? Is it just about physical or sexual abuse, or does the term cover other behaviours that seek to intimidate or control another individual?
The Australian Government has amended the Family Law Act 1975 in response to three significant reports about how the family law system deals with family violence.
The resultant Family Violence Act, which became law in June 2012, changed the definition of family violence and abuse to reflect a contemporary understanding of what family violence is by clearly setting out what behaviour is unacceptable, including physical and emotional abuse and exposing children to family violence.
Under the Act, examples of behaviour that may constitute family violence include:
• an assault
• a sexual assault or sexually abusive behaviour
• stalking
• repeated derogatory taunts
• intentionally damaging or destroying property
• intentionally causing death or injury to an animal
• unreasonably withholding financial support
• unreasonably denying financial autonomy
• preventing connections with family, friends or culture
• unlawful deprivation of liberty.
The Act also defines a range of ways children can be exposed to family violence, such as overhearing threats of death or personal injury, seeing or hearing an assault, comforting a family member who has been assaulted.
One of the fundamental values we hold at Relationships Australia is that everyone has the right to feel safe and free from abuse and violence in their relationships.
Our centres provide a range of counselling, dispute resolution and group programs to support people who have experienced violence and abuse. We understand that it can be difficult to seek assistance. People may experience pain and shame in disclosing that a loved one is causing abuse and hurt.
They may fear being blamed for the abuse, not believed or judged by social attitudes to gender roles and sexual orientation. However, it is important to seek support as family violence has significant psychological, emotional and physical impact on those who experience abuse directly and on those who witness the violence. Children particularly experience the harmful psychological impact of violence, regardless of whether they have been directly assaulted.
In addition to supporting victims of family violence, we offer group programs and courses to assist people who commit violence in the family to take responsibility for their behaviour and to encourage respectful ways of relating.
We see the roller coaster ride that living with violence creates, causing confusion and anxiety and sometimes leading to reactions such as depression, medical disorders and drug and alcohol abuse. The impact on children that we see is confusion, anger and fear.
Conversely, we also see men who have committed family violence make genuine attempts to change. We know that permanent change can occur when men are engaged in taking responsibility for their destructive behavioural patterns and making different choices.
For more information on our family violence programs, call 1300 364 277. Services are available nationally.
