see also:

• psychiatry and mental health
• managing violence or the aggressive patient in the ED
• cultural issues in domestic violence
• sexual assault / rape
• non-fatal suffocation or strangulation
• Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria

• domestic / family violence is a crime in Australia
• it has many layered factors which contribute to this complex issue however much is being done to reduce this and fortunately, Victoria has amongst the lowest rates of gendered violence of the states in Australia in terms of female homicide victim rates and sexual assault rates, but much more needs to be done.
• parenting and relationships are incredibly hard and stressful on many levels and these are often compounded by mental health issues, substance use issues, and socio-economic issues all of which can make navigating life very difficult even for those who have a higher capacity than average
• men in particular seem to struggle to resolve conflicts and acute life stress points in a way that does not involve resorting to violence to themselves or to others
  • this is multi-factorial, past life issues, inadequate learning of conflict resolution methods and realistic relationship management, relative lack of social support networks, impulse control issues, etc
• many situations are further compounded by the legalities of custody battles which can become aggressively fought by both sides and often involve manipulation and deceit to attain a favourable outcome
• a key role for ED staff is to identify those at risk in a non-discriminatory and non-judgmental manner (males as well as females) and to help reduce their ongoing risks of either being a victim or a perpetrator

• of the homicide 377 victims Australia wide in 2022¹⁾:
  • 85% of victims were aged over 18yrs
  • just over half were the result of a weapon
  • just over a third of all homicide and related offences are family or domestic violence
  • two thirds occurred at a residential location
  • the above proportions were similar for Victoria where 84 of these died
    • 71% of victims were male, most commonly aged over 54yrs (30% of victims)
    • 73% occurred at a residential location
    • half involved a weapon
    • homicide victim rates per population for female victims in 2022 were substantially higher in NT (35-54yr olds only), Qld, ACT and WA than in NSW and Vic, and there were no females killed in Tasmania ²⁾
• in Victoria 2022³⁾:
  • of the 6067 recorded sexual assault victims, 88% were female, 72% are knew the offender, 68% occurred in a residential location, and only 2% involved a weapon
    • Vic has the lowest sexual assault rates of all the states in 2022 apart from the ACT ⁴⁾
  • of the 761 suicides, 72% were male and of these 21% were aged 35-44yrs, 19% aged 45-54yrs, 18% were aged 25-34yrs ⁵⁾
  • of the 562 blackmail/extortion victims, 88% were male, and 59% were aged 18-34yrs at date of the report.
• the Victorian Family Violence (FV) database for 2022-2023⁶⁾ shows:
  • there were 93,000 FV incidents reported:
    • 75% the victims were female - 16% of the perpetrators with female victims were female
    • 75% of the perpetrators were male
    • 62% of victims are the parents when the perpetrator is aged 5-17yrs (average age of perpetrators in this age group was 14.6yrs old)
    • 30% of perpetrators were repeat offenders
    • nearly half of all perpetrators were prior victims
    • 97% of cases the perpetrator was aged under 65 yrs - over 50% of cases, the perpetrator was aged 18-39yrs (8% of cases, the perpetrator was aged under 18yrs)
    • mental health issues in victim or perpetrator was a factor in 50%
    • alcohol abuse in victim or perpetrator was a factor in ~25%
    • other substance abuse in victim or perpetrator was a factor in ~16%
    • half of these had a FV offence recorded resulting in:
      • 20,000 intervention Order breaches (83% the victim was female)
      • in half of these recorded offences, the offender was charged and of these over half went to court where 75% had the charge proven
    • there were 12 Coroners Cases for FV deaths
• in Victoria 2018-2023, FV homicide data suggests:⁷⁾
  • the 97 FV deaths accounted for 38% of all homicides
  • 43% occurred in a shared residence
  • 35% occurred in the deceased's residence
  • 12% occurred in a public place
  • 6% occurred at the offender's residence
  • 38% were due to a sharp object, 14% by threat to breathing such as strangulation, 8% were due to a firearm
  • 63% of female victims were perpetrated by an intimate partner whereas 38% of male victims were perpetrated by an intimate partner
  • ~75% of the 28 victims in the ages 25-39yrs were female, perhaps surprisingly, nearly all 3 victims aged 18-24yrs were male, 39% of the 23 victims aged 40-64yrs were male and 35% of the 26 victims aged over 65yrs were male
• comparisons with other countries
  • even in Iceland which has the lowest gender gap on health, education and political empowerment and economic participation, 40% of women say they have experienced physical or sexual violence in their life time according to a 2018 study and studies have shown Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland) with strong legal and social empowerment frameworks for women appear to have rates of gendered violence above the European Union (EU) average. “We have a problem with violence, men's violence against women and children and men's violence against other men as well.” ⁸⁾

• physical assault - including pushing, poking, biting, hair-pulling, pinching, hitting, punching, suffocation or strangulation, or using a weapon
• sexual assault - rape within marriage is a crime in Victoria
• threatening behaviour - including threatening suicide or threatening to take or kill the children
• public insults
• refusing to let someone see friends or family
• making a person think they are crazy (“gas lighting”)
• smashing objects
• disconnecting the phone
• locking a person in a house
• drugging a person
• controlling all the money
• treating someone like a servant

• ED staff should have a low index of suspicion for domestic violence and should offer counseling, protection advice, written material with information including contact numbers and a safety plan.
• take care to avoid documenting this on any discharge letter or similar which may be seen by the perpetrator and which may further escalate violence

• telephone interpreter services 24×7: ph: 131 450
• Women's domestic violence crisis service of Victoria: ph: 1800 015 188 or 9322 3555
• Sexual assault crisis and counseling line ph: 1800 806 292
• Women's Health West ph: 9689 9588
• Immigrant Women's Domestic Violence Service ph: 1800 755 988 or 8413 6800
• Women's Legal Service: ph: 1800 133 302 or 9642 0343
• Legal Aid Information Service: ph: 9269 0120
• Legal Aid (Western Metropolitan region): ph: 9300 5333
• Court network ph: 9603 7433
• Income and support - contact Centrelink on 136 150 and ask for an appointment with a social worker
• emergency accommodation and support - Metro West ph 9689 2777 or Salvation Army ph: 9312 5424
• support for victims of sexual assault:
  • Western region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) ph 9687 5811
  • CASA House ph: 9635 3610
• Women's Information Referral Exchange ph: 1300 134 130
• Kids Help Line ph: 1800 551 800
• Parentline ph: 13 22 89
• for men who want to change their violent behaviour or abuse in the home:
  • Men's referral Service ph: 9428 2899 or 1800 065 973
  • LifeWorks: ph: 8650 6200

1. leave money and an extra set of car keys hidden outside the house or at a neighbour's house
2. keep important documents (birth certificates, bank details, drivers licence) and an extra set of clothes at a friend's house or hidden near an exit
3. make friends with your neighbours and get them to agree to call the police if they hear anything suspicious coming from your house
4. develop a code word with two friends or family members that lets them know that you need to get out NOW
5. if you have children, let their teachers/school principal know enough about the situation that they can support you appropriately in a crisis. Try to get them to agree not to release the kids to your partner if you tell them you are about to leave.
6. try to avoid arguments in the bathroom, kitchen, garage or other room where there are potential weapons
7. try to keep your back to a door or exit rather than a wall or corner
8. decide NOW where you will go and how you will get there the next time the person becomes violent
9. keep a diary of incidents and dates abuse took place to use as evidence
10. always remember, you do NOT deserve to be hurt! Family violence is a crime and you have the right to report it.