Domestic Violence

What is family and domestic violence?

Any behaviour, that is violent, threatening, controlling or intended to make you or your family feel scared and unsafe can be considered family and domestic violence.

You don't have to live with violence and abuse.

Service Australia link below will give you further information & Options.

Please make yourself aware of your state or country's supports available.

This inspirational video is one victims account of becoming a victim.

It doesn't have to be this way,
You are not alone
It is not your fault
Abuse is not love

The following contacts are Australian based.

Please make yourself aware of your state or country's

family and domestic violence victims support contact phone numbers.

This issue is not isolated to Australia .

What can I do?

When someone you know is experiencing family and domestic violence, you may want to help but don’t know what to do. The way you talk and listen to them makes all the difference.

It is common to feel unsure about the best things to say and do, but you should never feel too scared to say something.

There are some simple things you can do to support them:

Believe them
Take their fears seriously
Make sure they have privacy to be able to tell their story
Respect their right to have control over what they say and the actions they take

The Perpetrator:

Domestic Violence is not love or respect. It is a deliberate controlling and manipulating behaviour.

The perpetrator is not sorry, their actions are planned and deliberate. Like a child abuser, a domestic violence perpetrator, instigates a grooming process which escalates to the intended victim being so controlled that the victim does not even realise they are being groomed / targeted.

The Victim:

does not realise they are being groomed
does not realise they are being deliberately isolated from their friends and family
often takes on the responsibility for their situation and lives in silence
often lives in denial to the outside world
feels alone and doesn't have a way out

You don't have to live this way, there is help available

Please view the above video 'Why domestic violence victims never leave'

If this is you, help is available, talk to someone you can trust

Who to contact

If you or someone you know may be affected by family and domestic violence, you can use the following services to find out more information about how you can offer support or get help.

1800RESPECT phone 1800 737 732

1800RESPECT is a national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling and information referral service. It's open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The 1800RESPECT website also has an online chat function.

Lifeline

If you need to talk to someone you can trust, you can call 13 11 14 or chat, using the Lifeline website. It's a 24-hour support service.

Make yourself aware of your state or country's

family and domestic violence reporting process and phone numbers.

It you need to talk to someone you can trust within Australia call

Call: 1800 737 732