On this page, we talk about
Domestic and family violence is when someone close to you hurts you, such as:
- your partner, like your boyfriend or girlfriend
- a member of your family
- someone who takes care of you
- someone you live with.
There is support available if the information on this page upsets you.
You can find out more on our page about support.
What domestic and family violence is
A person you care about might behave in ways that physically hurt you.
This is the most common type of domestic and family violence.
They might:
- scare you
- yell at you
- throw things at you
- force you to take medicine you do not want to take.
They might also:
- tell you they will take away the support you need to live your daily life
- control you
- keep you from seeing other people or doing things.
Domestic and family violence can happen in many different ways.
You can find out more on our pages about violence and abuse.
Who can experience domestic and family violence
In Australia, 1 in 6 women have experienced domestic and family violence from a partner.
This number is higher for women with disability.
Domestic and family violence can happen to anyone.
This includes:
- when you live with your carer or support worker
- when you live with another person
-
when you are in a
with your partner.
Your relationship with someone is how you are connected to them.
You do not have to live with someone to experience domestic and family violence.
It can happen with another family member, including your:
- parent or grandparent
- brother or sister
- child
-
A guardian is a person who acts and makes decisions for you.
Some people are more likely to experience domestic and family violence.
This includes if:
- you are a woman with disability
- you live in places far away from any cities or towns
- you do not have a lot of money
-
you are part of the
community.
The letters LGBTQIA stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual.
The ‘+’ is for people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community but do not talk about themselves using a word from this list.
If you have a you are more likely to experience domestic and family violence.
A psychosocial disability affects your mental health.
If you have an you are more likely to experience domestic and family violence.
An intellectual disability affects how you:
- learn new things
- solve problems
- communicate
- do things on your own.
If your is a big part of how you live your life, you are also more likely to experience domestic and family violence.
Your culture is:
- your way of life
- how you think or act now because of how you grew up
- your beliefs
- what is important to you.
Domestic and family violence happens a lot.
But it is not your fault if you have experienced domestic and family violence.
When domestic and family violence happens, it might make you feel scared for your:
- safety
- wellbeing.
You might also worry about someone else, like your child.
Children can also experience domestic and family violence when they:
- hear it
- see it.
What you can do
It might be hard to leave if you:
- are a person with disability
- experience domestic and family violence.
It might be hard for you to get help from the law if:
- you cannot move your body very much
- someone forces you to stay away from other people in the community.
If you do not have a lot of money, it might feel like it is too hard for you to get away from the person who hurts you.
There is help available for you to find and use.
Each state and territory in Australia has plans in place to protect people who experience domestic and family violence.
You might want to leave if you are in a relationship with someone who:
- makes you feel sad or scared
- you do not feel safe around.
Leaving a relationship is hard.
You do not have to leave today.
And you do not have to do it all at once.
Maybe you are not ready to leave yet.
There are steps you can take if you have experienced domestic and family violence.
We have information and resources on this website to help you get the support you need.
You can find out more on our page about support.
You should take care of yourself.
You can find out more on our page about getting the most out of life.
Example story
We wrote a story to show an example of domestic and family violence.
The story we wrote is about a person called Ruby.
The story and the people in it are not real.
We made them up to explain domestic and family violence.
Ruby’s story
Ruby recently ended her marriage with June.
They have 2 children together.
Recently, June has been sending mean text messages to Ruby.
When Ruby went to pick her children up from school, she saw June driving her car.
June drove her car towards Ruby.
Ruby felt scared.
What June is doing to Ruby is domestic and family violence.
It is never your fault if you have experienced the bad behaviour we talk about on this page.
We are sorry that this has happened to you.
The first thing you should do is make sure you are safe.
If you or someone you know is in danger, call Triple Zero.
000
We have a section on this website about how to call Triple Zero.
You can find out more on our page about a guide to call Triple Zero.
You can contact 1800RESPECT for support.
You can call them.
1800 737 732
You can talk to someone online.
You can send them a text message.
0458 737 732
If you send them a text message, you can just send the word ‘HELLO’.
You can leave your partner if this is where you are experiencing the bad behaviour.
For example, your boyfriend or girlfriend.
You can find out more on our page about how to be safe when you leave a relationship.
If you are not ready to leave your partner, you can still make a plan about how to be safe.
You can find out more on our page about when you are not ready to leave a relationship.
You can get support from your friends and family.
It is a good idea to tell them:
- what they can do to help you
- to focus on what you need to feel safe.
You can keep proof of the person’s bad behaviour if it safe for you to do so.
You can give this proof to the police if you decide to contact them.
You can start to manage your own money so you can leave if or when you want to.
You can find out more on our page about managing your own money.
You can share what is happening to a government organisation.
For example, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).
AHRC is an organisation that makes sure people treat others:
- fairly
- equally.
You can call a helpline.
Helplines are phone numbers that will connect you to people who:
- care about what you are going through
- can give you good advice.
We have a list of helplines on our website.
You can find out more on our page about helplines.
You can work with someone to explore how you think and feel.
This can help you:
- reach goals
- feel safe
- learn skills
- understand what happened to you.
You can find out more on our page about counselling.
You can learn more about the rules about how people must treat you:
- fairly
- equally.
You can find out more on our page about your rights.
You can think about what you can do to care for yourself.
You can find out more on our page about caring for yourself.
You might have experienced the bad behaviour from someone who did a service for you.
For example, from:
- a health professional
- someone who cleaned your house.
You can talk to the person who organises your services if this has happened to you.
