In Australia, state and territory governments are responsible for providing child protection services to anyone aged under 18 who has been, or is at risk of being, abused, neglected or otherwise harmed, or whose parents are unable to provide adequate care and protection. In 2017–18:
- 3% of all Australian children (159,000) received child protection services
- infants aged less than 1 were most likely (38 per 1,000) to receive child protection services and adolescents aged 15–17 were least likely (21 per 1,000)
- emotional abuse, including witnessing violence between intimate partners and adults, was the most common abuse type, identified in 59% (18,800) of substantiated cases. Neglect was identified in 17% (5,500) of cases, physical abuse in 15% (4,700) and sexual abuse in 9% (2,800) (AIHW 2019a).
Older Australians
For information about the risk factors for older age groups, see ‘Chapter 7 Elder abuse: context, concepts and challenges’ in Australia’s welfare 2019: data insights.
Women
More women than men experience family, domestic and sexual violence. Table 1 shows the proportion of people aged 18 and over who have experienced violence from a previous or current partner since the age of 15.
|
Women (%)
|
Men (%)
|
Physical and/or sexual violence from a previous partner
|
14.6
|
4.4
|
Physical and/or sexual violence from a current partner
|
2.9
|
1.7
|
Emotional abuse from a previous/current partner
|
23.0
|
15.9
|
Source: ABS 2017a.
Women’s exposure to violence differs across age groups and by perpetrator type. When experiences of partner violence are expanded to those perpetrated by all intimate partners—including current or previous boyfriends, girlfriends or dates—young women are particularly at risk.
The 2016 PSS reported that young women were more likely to experience intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence than older women in the 12 months before the survey:
- 1 in 20 (4.0% or 117,000) women aged 18–34 experienced intimate partner violence, compared with 1.5% (96,000) aged 35 and over
- 1 in 20 (4.3% or 125,000) women aged 18–34 experienced sexual violence, compared with 0.7% (45,000) aged 35 and over (ABS 2017a).
In interpreting these results, it is important to note that younger women were less likely to have ever had a cohabiting partner compared with women aged 35 and over. Similarly, men aged 18–34 were more at risk of intimate partner violence in the 12 months before the survey than those aged 35 and over—2.0% of men aged 18–34 experienced intimate partner violence compared with 0.8% aged 35 and over (ABS 2017a).
Other at-risk groups
Other social and cultural factors also shape experiences of family, domestic and sexual violence. People can be more at risk of violence due to factors such as disability, sexual orientation or cultural influences. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are particularly at risk and have much higher rates of hospitaliation because of family violence. Data on the experiences of Indigenous women can be found in Indigenous community safety. For more information, see AIHW’s Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence in Australia, 2019 report.
Responses to family, domestic and sexual violence are provided informally in the community and formally through welfare services.
The 2016 PSS asked victims of domestic violence if they sought support following their most recent incident. Victims were more likely to seek support for violence from a previous partner than a current partner, and women were more likely to seek support than men.
Among women who had experienced partner violence since the age of 15:
- 2 in 3 (63% or 864,000) victims of previous partner violence sought support, compared with 1 in 2 (54% or 150,000) victims of current partner violence.
Among men who had experienced partner violence since the age of 15:
- 2 in 5 (41% or 162,000) victims of previous partner violence sought support, compared with 1 in 3 (29% or 43,500) victims of current partner violence, although this should be interpreted with caution due to small numbers (ABS 2017a).
Informal support
According to the 2016 PSS, a friend or family member was the most common source of support for men and women who had experienced partner violence.
Of those who sought support or advice, a friend or family member was the source of support for:
- 65% of female victims of previous partner violence
- 67% of female victims of current partner violence
- 54% of male victims of previous partner violence (ABS 2017a).
Note: Data regarding male victims of current partner violence are not provided due to small numbers.
Police responses
When an incident of violence is reported to police by a victim, witness or other person, it can be recorded as a crime. The ABS collects data on selected family, domestic and sexual violence crimes recorded by police. In 2018:
- at least 2 in 5 recorded assaults were related to family and domestic violence
- around 2 in 5 recorded murders were related to family and domestic violence (93 victims) (ABS 2019).
The ABS has collated national police recorded sexual assault incidents since 2010. Since 2011, the number of victims recorded by police has increased each year. In 2018, it increased to 26,000 victims, representing 176 female victims and 33 male victims of sexual assault per 100,000 people (Figure 2) (ABS 2019). Increases in recording of sexual assault can be caused by an increase in incidents, an increase in reporting to police, or a combination.