Human Rights in an Australian Context: Violence Against Women

"Violence against women is now being recognised as a serious, widespread problem, with enormous social costs and individual and community impacts. In Australia, one in three women over the age of 15 years have experienced physical assault; over half of all women have experienced at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime ... "

"It is time to transform our pain into action. There can be no more excuses – that it is too hard, we don’t know what to do, it’s too complex. It is everyone’s responsibility to end the perpetration of violence against women and children, and all victims of gendered violence ... "

"Violence against women affects women’s well-being and prevents them from fully participating in society ... "

"Domestic abuse, also called "domestic violence" or "intimate partner violence", can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone ... "

"Family, domestic and sexual violence is a major health and welfare issue in Australia, occurring across all socioeconomic and demographic groups, but predominantly affecting women and children. These types of violence can have a serious impact on individuals, families and communities and can inflict physical injury, psychological trauma and emotional suffering. These effects can be long-lasting and can affect future generations ... "

"There are a number of misconceptions surrounding violence against women, including how and why it occurs. We need to address these misconceptions to be successful in our responses to violence against women and their children ... "

"On 17 October 2022, the Australian, state and territory governments released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan) ... "

"The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022 to 2032 and calls for all Australian governments to commit resources toward ensuring the plan succeeds ... "

"Following the tragic deaths of Hannah Clarke and her children in February, there has been significant discussion into how family violence can be prevented. This conversation is all the more important, with some even describing the current situation as a “tinderbox” for family violence owing to increased rates of unemployment and social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak ... "

" The main objects of this Act are— (a) to maximise the safety, protection and wellbeing of people who fear or experience domestic violence, and to minimise disruption to their lives; and (b) to prevent or reduce domestic violence and the exposure of children to domestic violence; and (c) to ensure that people who commit domestic violence are held accountable for their actions ... "

"We know that a large proportion of violence against women occurs in an intimate partner or family context.
Responses to those forms of violence are set out in the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016–2026, Queensland says: not now, not ever ... "

"This paper provides an overview of the current state of domestic violence legislation in Australia, focusing particularly on the law relating to protection orders. It builds upon earlier works by legal scholars and researchers, identifying more recent substantive changes. Highlights of recent reforms in domestic violence protection order law will be considered, in particular, the move by law reformers towards expanded definitions of violence, availability of orders, emergency protections and recognition of the needs of children ... "

"Despite law reforms intended explicitly to improve their prospects of receiving fairer consideration within the criminal justice system, it is still the case that most battered women accused of homicide are not successful in relying on self-defence. Defending battered women charged with homicide offers substantial challenges for defence lawyers ... "

"Violence against women both a crisis and a source of national shame - A lack of meaningful and effective leadership at the highest level of government on violence against women is the biggest barrier to achieving genuine reform ... "

"THE acquittal of a woman who shot and killed her violent husband should not signify ``open season'' on abusive partners, a lawyer who heads a women's prisoner support group said yesterday ... "

"THE NT Government should introduce repeat offender reporting legislation to target recidivist domestic violence perpetrators. A coronial inquest heard court-imposed orders did little to deter offenders, with about 60 per cent of offences committed despite the presence of a DVO ..."

"THE NT Government should introduce repeat offender reporting legislation to target recidivist domestic violence perpetrators. A coronial inquest heard court-imposed orders did little to deter offenders, with about 60 per cent of offences committed despite the presence of a DVO ... "

"Doreen Langham has joined the tragic list of Queensland women who turned to the law for protection from partners they were afraid of and ended up dead. The 49-year-old is believed to have perished in a fire that engulfed her Logan townhouse on Monday morning. Autopsies are yet to confirm the identity of the two bodies, but police believe Ms Langham's burnt body was found along with her estranged husband ... "

"National statistics about victims of a range of personal, household and family and domestic violence offences as recorded by police ... "

"Family, domestic and sexual violence is a major health and welfare issue in Australia. It occurs across all socioeconomic, demographic and age groups, but predominantly affects women and children ... "

"There were 88,377 offenders proceeded against by police for at least one family and domestic violence (FDV) related offence in 2022–23, up 6,504 offenders (or 8%) from 2021–22. This was a quarter (25%) of all offenders recorded nationally ... "