Domestic violence causes more illness, disability and deaths in Australian women aged 25-44 than smoking, alcohol use, being overweight, being physically inactive or any other risk factor, a new national report has found.
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Released this week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) the statistical report has, for the first time, revealed the prevalence and extent of family, domestic and sexual violence across the country.
Among a litany of shocking statistics, the report found that, on average, one woman a week and one man a month is killed by a current or former partner.
For the general manager of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre – one of many charities at the front line of domestic violence support in the region – the data comes as no surprise.
“The statistics formalise it, but we see this on a day-to-day basis,” Sally Stevenson said. “To quote [domestic violence campaigner] Rosie Batty, this is overwhelming and unrelenting, and this is what we face at the women’s health centre.”
Despite her lack of surprise, Ms Stevenson said the report gave the issue “a sense of gravitas that could have previously been dismissed as being more anecdotal”.
The statistics formalise it, but we see this on a day-to-day basis.
- Sally Stevenson
“It sets this in the structure of our society and provides us with the evidence to pursue and prosecute for more funding for women and children experiencing domestic violence.”
The report also looks at the affect of family violence on children, finding that early exposure can heighten their chances of experiencing further violence later in life.
For instance, children who were physically or sexually abused before they were 15 were around three times as likely to experience domestic violence after the age of 15.
In an effort to break this cycle, Ms Stevenson’s centre runs outreach programs in Illawarra schools, aimed at girls mostly aged between 13-16 (years 7-10), and as young as Year 5.
“Our health system is often structured to respond at crisis point, so you see people in hospital – but we know from a public health perspective that prevention and early intervention is the best investment,” Ms Stevenson said.
“We are trying to build the capacity and resilience of young women to, if they’ve experienced violence, be able to recover from the trauma, and to prevent violence in the future.”
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report findings
- 1 in 6 women (aged 15 or above) —equating to 1.6 million women—have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner, while for men it is 1 in 16—or half a million men.
- Three in 4 (75%) victims of domestic violence reported the perpetrator as male, while 1 in 4 (25%) reported the perpetrator as female.
- Overall, one in five women (1.7 million) and one in 20 men (428,800) have experienced sexual violence. Most (96%) female victims of sexual violence reported the perpetrator as male, while male victims reported a more even spilt (49% female and 44% male perpetrators).
- On average, one woman a week and one man a month is killed by a current or former partner.
- In 2014–15, 2,800 women and 560 men were hospitalised after being assaulted by a spouse or partner.
- In 2016–17, 72,000 women, 34,000 children and 9,000 men sought homelessness services due to family and domestic violence
Family violence support services:
- 1800 Respect national helpline 1800 737 732
- Women's Crisis Line 1800 811 811
- Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
- Lifeline (24 hour crisis line) 131 114
- Relationships Australia 1300 364 277
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
