Family violence includes:
- physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, as well as coercion and control, or
- domination that causes the family member to feel fear for the safety (or wellbeing) of themselves (or another) person the exposure of these behaviours (or the effects) upon a child.
There are many relationships in which family violence can occur. These include between:
- spouses or domestic /adult intimate partners
- other intimate personal relationships, such as parent to child, child to parent
- relationships with elders, siblings and other relatives
- between extended families, kinship networks
- in family-like or carer relationships.
Nonetheless, while the causes of family violence are complex, they are fundamentally shaped by gender inequality and community attitudes towards gendered roles in society.
Throughout this report references are made to adults using family violence (or persons using family violence where we have included young people using violence). Many communities prefer this to the term perpetrator and it is in common use in different practice settings. Where the term perpetrator is used, it does not label individuals or characterise their actions.
The phrase children and young people includes infants, where there is significant effort to ensure strong client (and family) outcomes. We acknowledge that young people who use violence in the home require separate, developmentally appropriate responses.
A client can be a child, young person or adult who accesses services from The Orange Door. Where there is a connection between individuals they are classified as a family and/or connected group. The word family itself has many different meanings. In this report, we acknowledge that a variety of relationships and structures can make up a family unit, and the range of ways family violence can be experienced, including through family-like or carer relationships.
Throughout this report, the term Aboriginal is used to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Diversity within the Victorian population is increasing as people express multiple forms of identity and belonging. Diverse groups can experience additional risk of family violence and particular barriers to seeking safety and justice.
Intersectionality describes how characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or age can interact on multiple levels to create overlapping forms of discrimination and power imbalances which compound the risk of experiencing family violence.
The service delivery report contains descriptions of family violence including physical and sexual violence as well as coercive and controlling behaviours.
Safe Steps can provide support via their phone line (1800 015 188) or email safesteps@safesteps.org.au.
If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s behaviour, call Men's Referral Service (1300 766 491), MensLine Australia (1300 789 978) or Rainbow Door (1800 729 367).
For localised support, you can find your local The Orange Door via The Orange Door Service Finder website.
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