What is Family and Domestic Violence?
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What is Family and Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence means abuse. The term family and domestic violence is often used because abuse can occur in a range of family and intimate relationships, not just between partners.
Family and domestic violence most commonly refers to abuse by a current or former intimate partner, including in same-sex relationships. However, it can also occur between siblings, from adolescents towards parents, or from family carers towards relatives. It may also include the abuse of children and young people, older people, people with disability, and other family members.
When a person deliberately uses power to control an intimate partner or family member, this is known as coercive control. Coercive control involves patterns of behaviour that create fear and restrict another person’s independence. It can include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or financial abuse, as well as social isolation and other forms of control.
Coercive Control Fact Sheet – How to help someone
Types of abuse and coercive control
- Physical abuse This may include hurting you (pushing, hair-pulling, spitting, slapping, punching, choking, kicking), or threatening to hurt you, a loved one or a pet.
- Financial abuse Taking, stealing or controlling your money, denying you access to money or telling you what you can and can’t buy. You’ll find more information on financial abuse and how to deal with it by accessing 1800RESPECT Financial Abuse Support Tool Kit
- Sexual abuse Pressuring, manipulating or forcing you into sexual activities you don’t want to do. Being “forced” also means not being able to say no because of fear, threats or intimidation.
- Emotional abuse This form of abuse is often unrecognised and can be very hurtful. Mind games, manipulation, threats, humiliation, put-downs, shouting, telling you that you’re worthless or no good – these are all types of emotional or psychological abuse.
- Social abuse If someone is insulting you or teasing you in front of other people, keeping you isolated from family, friends, work and cultural networks, controlling what you do and where you go, then they are being abusive.
- Spiritual abuse This type of violence involves a situation where you are not allowed to go to your place of worship or not allowed to have your own opinions about religion, cultural beliefs and values. Your spirituality is manipulated to keep you feeling powerless, or you are forced to participate in religious practice you do not want to be involved with.
- Technological or digital abuse Some abusers use social media networks, emails and text messages to control you. This includes high-tech eavesdropping, video-monitoring the home, tracking your location with GPS devices such as your mobile phone and tampering with phone bills or emails.
- Call 1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 if you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or coercive control.
Ways that texting and social media can be used to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate you include:
- Telling you who you can or can’t be friends with on Facebook and other sites.
- Sending you negative, insulting or threatening emails, Facebook or Instagram messages, or other online messaging services.
- Using location tracking, monitoring, parental control, or spyware apps to keep constant tabs on you without your consent. These may include Facebook location services, Life360, Apple’s Find My, Google Location Sharing, Find My Device, mSpy, KidsGuard Pro, Cocospy, Spyic, and similar tracking applications.
- Stealing or insisting you share your passwords.
- Constantly texting you and punishing you if you don’t respond.
- Looking through your phone frequently to check up on your pictures, texts and outgoing calls.
- Tagging you in negative ways in pictures on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, etc.
For more information contact us
Family and Domestic Violence Statistics
Family and domestic violence has far‑reaching impacts on individuals, families and communities. While attitudes towards gender equality have improved, rigid gender roles still increase the risk of violence. Women who experience violence are diverse, and so are their experiences. While less is known about perpetrators, they are most often men known to the victim‑survivor, with factors such as alcohol or drug use, financial stress and weak social networks increasing the likelihood of perpetration.
One Woman
dies every week in Australia as a result of family violence
1.6 Million Women
in Australia have experienced some form of domestic violence
80% of Women
report that their ex-partner had replaced physical abuse with financial abuse via child support as a way to control them since they separated
Over 60% of Males
who killed a female intimate partner engaged in problematic drug and/or alcohol use in the lead-up to, or at the time of, the homicide
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Recognising the signs of Domestic Violence
Is there someone in your life who is behaving in some or all of the following ways?
- Do you have to be careful around this person because of their anger, violence or emotional abuse?
- Are you pressured by this person into sexual activities you are not comfortable with?
- Are you too scared to disagree with this person?
- Is this person always checking up on what you are doing?
- Does this person say you are stupid or useless?
- Does this person threaten you, your family or your pets?
- Does this person stop you going out or doing what you want to do?
- Are you unable to spend time with family or friends because this person won’t let you?
- Do you make excuses for this person’s violent behaviour?
If so, you may want to seek assistance or contact a Starick worker to discuss your situation.
Talk to a Starick worker
Types of Domestic Violence
Physical Abuse
This may include hurting you (pushing, hair-pulling, spitting, slapping, punching, choking, kicking), or threatening to hurt you, a loved one or a pet.
Financial Abuse
Taking, stealing or controlling your money, denying you access to money or telling you what you can and can’t buy. You’ll find more information on financial abuse and how to deal with it here.
Sexual Abuse
Pressuring, manipulating or forcing you into sexual activities you don’t want to do. Being “forced” also means not being in a position to say no as a result of fear, threats or intimidation.
Emotional Abuse
This form of abuse is often unrecognised and can be very hurtful. Mind games, manipulation, threats, humiliation, put-downs, shouting, telling you that you’re worthless or no good – these are all types of emotional or psychological abuse.
Social Abuse
If someone is insulting you or teasing you in front of other people, keeping you isolated from family, friends and work, controlling what you do and where you go, then they are being abusive and you may need to take some action
Spiritual Abuse
This type of violence involves a situation where you’re not allowed to go to your place of worship or to have your own opinions about religion, cultural beliefs and values. Your spirituality is manipulated to keep you feeling powerless, or you are forced to participate in religious practice you do not want to be involved with.
Technological or Digital Abuse
Some abusers use social networks, emails and text messages to control you. This includes high-tech eavesdropping, video-monitoring the home, tracking your location with GPS devices and tampering with phone bills or emails.
Ways that texting and social media can be used to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate you include:
- Telling you who you can or can’t be friends with on Facebook and other sites
- Sending you negative, insulting or threatening emails, Facebook messages, tweets or other online messages
- Using sites like Facebook, X, foursquare and others to keep constant tabs on you
- Stealing or insisting you share your passwords
- Constantly texting you and punishing you if you don’t respond
- Looking through your phone frequently to check up on your pictures, texts and outgoing calls
- Tagging you in negative ways in pictures on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc.
Contributing Risk Factors to Domestic Violence
Gender Inequality
Gender inequality is a driver of violence against women. Drivers of violence are the underlying conditions or attitudes that make violence more likely to occur.
Women in Australia continue to face higher rates of family, domestic and sexual violence. On average, one woman loses her life at the hands of a current or former partner every 10 days.
Violence against women and girls is driven by inequality, discrimination and longstanding power imbalances related to gender, race and other social factors. These deeply rooted inequalities contribute to attitudes and behaviours that position women and girls as less valued or less powerful.
Until all women and girls in Australia can live safely and free from violence, true gender equality cannot be achieved. Research has identified several key gender-based factors that can lead to violence against women:
- Excusing or accepting violence against women – for example, believing it is justified or not treating it as a serious issue.
- Men holding most of the power and limiting women’s independence – both at home and in the community.
- Rigid ideas about gender roles – such as strict beliefs about how men and women “should” behave.
- Promoting harmful or dominant forms of masculinity – like the idea that men must always be tough, in control, or aggressive.
Other Risk Factors
- Alcohol and other drug use: While alcohol and other drug use doesn’t cause violence on its own, it can increase conflict or reduce someone’s ability to make safe decisions.
- Experiences of abuse or trauma in childhood: including seeing or experiencing violence as a child.
- Mental health challenges: such as unmanaged stress, trauma, or other mental health concerns.
How we can support
How Starick Can Support you
Starick is an independent, not for profit organisation with charitable status based in Perth’s south-eastern metropolitan region working to end family and domestic violence for over 40 years. We assist women, young people and children experiencing abuse, whether by a partner or by another family member.
