Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia

Web report

Last updated: 09 Nov 2022

Media release

AIHW

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia , AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 26 April 2024.

APA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia . Retrieved from https://pp.aihw.gov.au/reports/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data

MLA

Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia . Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 09 November 2022, https://pp.aihw.gov.au/reports/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data

Vancouver

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022 [cited 2024 Apr. 26]. Available from: https://pp.aihw.gov.au/reports/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data

Harvard

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2022, Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia , viewed 26 April 2024, https://pp.aihw.gov.au/reports/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data

Summary

Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia allows users to explore data for a core set of family, domestic and sexual violence measures over time and for different population groups. It is structured according to a framework developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (ABS 2009; ABS 2013a; ABS 2013b). This framework uses six elements as central organising principles for information relating to family, domestic and sexual violence, and shows the key relationships that exist between the elements (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Overview of the framework

Figure 1 shows the six elements used as central organising principles for information relating to family, domestic and sexual violence, and the key relationships that exist between them.

Source: adapted from ABS 2013a.

The framework was developed to support the Council of Australian Governments National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, 2010–2022 (National Plan), priority area ‘Building the Evidence Base’. It provides the foundations for improved data and reporting of family, domestic and sexual violence across the Commonwealth, states and territories and the non-government sectors.

Elements, measures and data challenges

The measures in this release are grouped together based on five of the elements, allowing users to explore: the context in which family, domestic and sexual violence exists in Australian society; the risk of family, domestic and sexual violence, people's experience of family, domestic and sexual violence; responses to family, domestic and sexual violence by individuals, families, the community and formal systems, and the impacts and outcomes of family, domestic and sexual violence. For each of these five elements there are a range of challenges which impact the availability of data, and some examples are provided below.

Context

What influences family, domestic and sexual violence?

Family, domestic and sexual violence context measures explore the environmental and psychosocial factors that influence community and individual attitudes, and otherwise provide context for the occurrence and experience of family, domestic and sexual violence. Knowledge and awareness of what constitutes violence, both physical and non-physical, can also influence attitudes and behaviour.

This release includes the following context measures:

Data challenges for measuring context

Differences in relevant legislation, policy and practice across jurisdictions
Lack of precise geographical data

Family, domestic and sexual violence risk measures explore the actual and perceived risk factors that can increase or decrease the likelihood of experiencing or using family, domestic or sexual violence.

This release includes the following risk measure:

Children exposed to their parent or carer’s experience of domestic violence

Data challenges for measuring risk

Limited data on different population groups

Family, domestic and sexual violence incident/experience measures explore the characteristics of family, domestic and sexual violence incidents and the experiences of victims and people who use violence (perpetrators).

This release includes the following incident/experience measures:

Data challenges for measuring incident/experience

Different definitions used across data sources
Lack of data on complex forms of violence
Limited data on technology-facilitated abuse
Limited data on location of event
Limited data on offence history of perpetrator
Limited data on relationship between victim and perpetrator

Family, domestic and sexual violence response measures explore the actions that are taken after violence. Responses may be formal or informal, and may be taken by victims, people who use violence, family and friends of the victim, witnesses, service providers, and the civil or criminal justice system.

This release includes the following response measures:

Data challenges for measuring responses

Limited service response data, including specialist family, domestic and sexual violence services, emergency department and primary health care
Inconsistent identification, capturing and counting procedures

Family, domestic and sexual violence impact and outcome measures explore the wide ranging consequences of family, domestic and sexual violence for victims, people who use violence, families, workplaces, the community and the economy.

This release includes the following impacts and outcomes measure:

Family and domestic violence homicide

Data challenges for measuring impacts and outcomes

Lack of data on long-term health and welfare outcomes
Lack of data on effectiveness of services, for example perpetrator intervention programs
Lack of data on pathways for victims and perpetrators