What is domestic and family violence?
Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a relationship uses violent and abusive tactics to maintain power and control over the other person in a relationship. People who experience these acts of abuse or violence often feel fearful and unsafe.
Domestic and family violence occurs in many relationships within Australian society and is not restricted to any particular socioeconomic, racial or cultural groups.
Domestic and family violence occurs between people in a range of domestic relationships including spousal relationships, intimate personal relationships, family relationships and informal care relationships.
In relationships where domestic and family violence occurs the abusive behaviours can include:
- physical abuse (including slapping, hitting, punching, pushing, biting, kicking)
- threatening to hurt you, your relatives, friends or work colleagues in some way
- damaging property (including punching holes in walls, breaking furniture, harming pets in order to frighten and intimidate you)
- emotional abuse (including making you feel worthless, criticising your personality, your looks, the way you dress, constantly putting you down, threatening to hurt you, your children or your pets, threatening to damage personal items you value)
- verbal abuse (including yelling, shouting, name-calling, and swearing at you)
- sexual abuse (including forcing or pressuring you to have sex or participate in any sexual activities that you don't want to)
- financial abuse (including taking control of the money, not giving you enough money to survive on, forcing you to hand over your money, not letting you have a say in how it is spent)
- threatening to stop providing care for you if you don't do what you are told, e.g. if you don't hand over your Centrelink payment. This sometimes happens to people with an illness, disability or impairment who rely on another person to care for them
- social abuse (including controlling where you go, not letting you see or have contact with your friends or family)
- depriving you of the necessities of life such as food, shelter, medical care and the company of other people such as your family and friends
- spiritual abuse (including forcing you to attend religious activities against your wishes, prohibiting you from participating in the religious or cultural practices of your choice)
- stalking (including constantly following you by foot or car, constantly calling you by phone, text message and email, or staying outside your house or workplace). Stalking is a criminal offence in Queensland.
Generally, in a healthy domestic or family relationship, arguments occur over a disagreement or differing points of view in relation to a specific issue. During the course of a domestic argument, voices can be raised in heated discussions, but a level of respect and equality between partners remains.
Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a relationship uses tactics aimed at achieving control and dominance. The essential difference is the lack of equality and respect between the two people, with one person maintaining control over the other.
People from all types of backgrounds can use violent and abusive behaviours in domestic relationships. The problem of domestic and family violence is not confined to any particular social or ethnic group.
While there may be a whole range of things that people disagree about, it is important that these differences are resolved in a way that does not involve violence and abuse. It is important that one person's behaviour does not cause the other person to feel fearful and unsafe.Confidential support and advice for women affected by domestic violence is available by phoning
dvconnect Womensline on 1800 811 811 (24 hours, 7 days a week).
Note: This number is not recorded on your phone bill.