What is Family and Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence behaviour includes when another person you are in a relationship with: 

• is physically or sexually abusive to you, or
• is emotionally or psychologically abusive to you, or
• is economically abusive to you, or 
• is threatening, or  is coercive, or  in any other way controls
• or dominates you and causes you to fear for your safety
• or well-being or that of someone else
• or in any other way controls or dominates you and causes you to fear for your safety or well-being or that of someone else.

Anyone can be a victim of family and domestic violence regardless of their age, gender or sexuality.

 Examples of this type of behaviour include:

• injuring you or threatening to injure you – punching, strangling you, grabbing your throat, pushing, slapping, pulling your hair or twisting your arms 
• repeatedly calling, SMS texting, emailing you or contacting you or contacting you on your social networking site without your consent
• damaging (or threatening to damage) your property e.g. punching holes in the walls or breaking plates 
• stalking or following you or remaining outside your house or place of work
• monitoring you (unauthorised surveillance) including reading your text messages, your email account, your internet browser history or your social networking site
• putting you down or making racial taunts 
• holding you against your will 
• forcing you to engage in sexual activities without your consent 
• getting someone else to injure, intimidate, harass or threaten you, or damage your property 
• threatening to commit suicide or self-harm to scare you 
• threatening you with the death or harm of another person 
• threatening to withdraw their care of you if you don’t do something 
• coercing you to give them your social security payments 
• forcing you to sign a power of attorney to them against your will so that they manage your finances 
• threatening to disclose your sexual orientation to your friends or family without your consent
• preventing you from making or keeping connections with your children, family, friends or culture, including cultural or spiritual ceremonies or practices. 

If another person does any of these things you can contact police for help or apply to a magistrate at a magistrates court for a domestic violence order. You do not have to have been physically injured to have experienced domestic violence.

Don’t Be A Bystander!

 After reading about who can be a victim and what types of behaviour are domestic violence its up to you to call it out when you see or hear domestic violence.

If you witness domestic violence within your family, work environment or friendship circle we need you to report it to police to help us stop the cycle of violence and abuse.

Together we can Endalldv