One in Six Australian Women Are Victims of Physical or Sexual Violence From a Partner

A comprehensive new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) compiles data from 20 different sources to build an upsetting picture of domestic violence in Australia. The document outlines how one in every six Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner. For men, that statistic is one in 16.

“Women are more likely to experience violence from a known person and in their home, while men are more likely to experience violence from strangers and in a public place,” AIHW spokesperson Louise York said in a press release.

For the purposes of the report, physical violence can include “slaps, hits, punches, being pushed down stairs or across a room, choking and burns, as well as the use of knives, firearms and other weapons. Sexual violence can include “rape, sexual abuse, unwanted sexual advances or harassment and intimidation at work and elsewhere, being forced to watch or engage in pornography, sexual coercion, having sexual intercourse out of fear of what a partner might do, forced prostitution and human trafficking.”

The report highlights other disturbing statistics around family violence, including that one woman per week and one man per month were killed by a current or former partner between 2012 and 2014. One in five women and one in 20 men have been sexually assaulted or threatened since the age of 15.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women, and two in five Indigenous homicide victims are killed by a current or former partner—compared to one in five non-Indigenous victims of homicide.

AIHW CEO Barry Sandison said that we still need to collect more data about family violence in Australia, and do so in a more consistent way.

“We know that family, domestic and sexual violence is a major problem in Australia, but without a comprehensive source of evidence and analysis, tackling such a complex issue will continue to be difficult,” he said.

“It’s important to note that while looking only at the numbers can at times appear to depersonalise the pain and suffering that sits behind the statistics, the seriousness of these issues cannot be overstated.”

Domestic violence resources are available from 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)