Areas we want to focus on

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There are some key areas we need to focus on to end violence against women and children.

We explain these areas on the following pages.

Coercive control

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Coercive control can include when someone controls:

  • who you talk to
  • where you go
  • your money.

Three icons. The first is of a violence icon inside a speech bubble. The second is of someone holding their head. The third is of two people with a cross between them.

Someone might also:

  • tell you they will hurt you
  • make you feel bad
  • keep you away from family and friends.

A violence icon with a circular arrow around it. There are a stack of calendars above it.

They might use the same behaviour over a long time.

A person using a smartphone.

Coercive control can include technology – like a mobile phone.

It can happen when someone uses technology to know:

An icon of a map on a computer screen and a phone.

  • where you are

An icon of two people talking, with a question mark next to one of them.

  • who you talk to.

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It can also include physical violence.

This can get worse over time.

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Many women who experience violence also experience coercive control.

And the community knows a lot more about it now.

Some state and territory governments are also making laws to stop coercive control.

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Governments across Australia are also making National Principles on coercive control.

These ideas will help us know what everyone must do to respond to coercive control.

And they will help governments when they make their own plans to address coercive control.

Partner violence

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Partner violence is when a person experiences violence from someone they’re in a relationship with.

An icon of a woman pointing at herself, with a circle icon above her with a quarter of it shaded in. An icon of a man pointing at himself, with a circle icon above him with an eighth of it shaded in.

1 in 4 Australian women have experienced partner violence since the age of 15.

And about 1 in 13 men .

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Partner violence affects people in a lot of different ways.

Partner violence makes people more likely to:

  • get sick
  • get a disability
  • be killed.

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Research shows that 1 woman is killed by their partner about every 10 days.

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The risk of partner violence can get worse when someone:

  • gets ready to leave their partner
  • has just left their partner.

Sexual violence and harassment

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A lot of people in Australia have experienced:

  • sexual violence
  • sexual harassment.

A person standing behind someone with their arms around them. The other person in the front looks scared.

Sexual violence is when someone:

  • makes you do sexual things you don’t want to do
  • does something sexual to you that you don’t want them to do.

A person standing next to someone, they have speech bubble with a warning symbol in it.

Sexual harassment is when someone makes you feel uncomfortable when they:

  • make sexual comments about you that you don’t like
  • act in a sexual way towards you.

An icon of a woman pointing at herself, with a circle icon above her with 23 percent of it shaded in. An icon of a man pointing at himself, with a circle icon above him with an eighth of it shaded in.

23% of women in Australia have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.

And 8% of men .

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72% of Australians have experienced sexual harassment.

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Some people are much more likely to experience sexual violence or harassment.

For example, more than 48% of LGBTIQA+  people said they had been forced to do sexual things they didn’t want to do.

A rainbow flag representing the LGBTIQA+ community.

The letters LGBTIQA stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or questioning and asexual.

A list showing the letters L, G, B, T, I, Q, A, with someone next to the list thinking about a plus icon.

The ‘+’ is for people who are part of the LGBTIQA+ community but don’t talk about themselves using a word from this list.

A sexual violence icon.

Women with disability are also more likely to experience:

  • sexual violence
  • sexual harassment.

An icon of a house, an icon of someone working at a desk, an icon of a community and an icon a phone and computer.

People can experience sexual violence and harassment:

  • where they live
  • at work or school
  • in the community
  • online.

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Sexual violence and harassment can:

  • be very upsetting
  • affect a person’s health.

And it can take a long time to feel better.

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Sometimes people who experience sexual violence or harassment wait a long time to report it.

Or they never report it.

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People might not report sexual violence or harassment because they are afraid of what will happen.

They might think people:

  • won’t believe them
  • will blame them.

A group of people with a shared thought bubble with a cross in it.

Many people in the community have the wrong idea about sexual violence and harassment.

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In 2017, research found that Australians  thought 21% of women lie when they report sexual violence.

But it’s very rare for someone to lie about sexual violence.

Pornography

A computer with an icon of someone covering their sexual body parts. There are the letters XXX.

Pornography is photos or videos of:

  • someone’s sexual body parts
  • people doing sexual things.

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Pornography can give people the wrong idea about relationships.

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It often includes violence.

And it can make people think that it is okay to use violence against women.

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Pornography can also give people the wrong idea about consent.

When you give consent, you tell someone you want to take part in something.

A computer with an icon of 2 people covering their sexual body parts. There is a question mark with a cross over it.

Consent is important.

But people in pornography often don’t ask for consent.

A group of men, and one of them is thinking about drugs and alcohol with a warning symbol.

Men who use a lot of pornography often believe things about sex that aren’t true.

They are more likely to think women who experience sexual violence are to blame if they’ve had alcohol or drugs.

But you can’t give consent if:

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  • you’ve had alcohol or drugs

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  • you are under 16 years old.

A group of women pointing at themselves with their hands raised. There is a cross above them. They are all inside a thought bubble.

These men are also more likely to think women are only for having sex.

And not care about what women think or want.

A warning icon surrounded by three icons. The first is a mental health icon, the second is an icon of a relationship, the third is an icon of a brain and a hand.

If a young person uses pornography, it can affect their:

  • mental health
  • relationships
  • behaviour.

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They are also more likely to do sexual things the other person doesn’t want to do.

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Most people use pornography online or on a mobile device.

This makes it easy to find and use.

And hard to stop.

Economic abuse

A person pointing at you. There is a money icon with a warning symbol.

Economic abuse includes when someone:

  • takes your money
  • makes you pay for other people’s things
  • doesn’t let you choose what you spend your money on.

It also includes when someone stops you getting a job so you don’t have your own money.

A person holding their head. They have a thought bubble with someone walking away inside it next to a question mark.

This can make it hard for women who experience violence to leave their partner.

A computer with a bank account on the screen. There is a speech bubble and a warning symbol.

Economic abuse can keep going after a woman leaves their partner.

It can include:

  • sending angry messages through the bank
  • stopping someone from getting their money online.

A disability icon and an icon of an older woman. There is a warning symbol above them.

Some women are more at risk of economic abuse because other people can make financial decisions for them.

This includes:

  • older women
  • women with disability.

Two women pointing at themselves with their hands raised. There is a money symbol above them.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women can also experience different kinds of economic abuse.

For example, family members might expect them to share their money.

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COVID-19 also affected how people experience economic abuse.

Research shows that almost 20% of women experienced economic abuse during COVID-19.

Technology-facilitated abuse

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People can also use technology as part of their violence.

We call it technology-facilitated abuse.

A computer, a phone and a tablet with warning symbols on them.

They might use a device, like a phone or computer.

Or they might use social media, like Facebook or Snapchat.

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They might use technology to:

  • see where someone is
  • send them messages
  • say mean things about them online.

A person on a laptop. There are three icons around them. The first is a video recorder with a question mark. The second is a locked phone with arrows coming off it. The third is a house with a warning symbol on it.

They might:

  • record someone without them knowing
  • share photos or videos that they don’t want other people to see
  • control technology in their house.

A person holding their head with a warning symbol next to them.

When someone is using technology like this, it makes it hard for people to:

  • talk to their friends and family
  • get help when they need it
  • be in control of their own life.

A woman with disability using a laptop.

Technology-facilitated abuse can affect some people more than others.

For example, women with disability might rely on technology for day-to-day life.

Someone looking at what their child is doing on a digital tablet.

Children can experience technology-facilitated abuse.

Most of the time this happens when their parents are not in a relationship anymore.

For example, a parent might use their child’s devices to learn about what the other parent is doing.

An open laptop with a lock on the screen.

People might not know when someone is using technology as part of their violence.

For example, a person might use a computer program that lets them read someone’s messages without them knowing.

A person with a thought bubble. There is a safety icon and a cross inside it.

This can make it hard to keep women and children safe.