What is family violence?
– It’s the mistreatment of one family member by another. Family violence includes: • Physical abuse – slapping, hitting, burning etc. • Sexual abuse – rape, incest. • Emotional abuse – threats, insults, harassment. • Neglect – poor physical or emotional care. Why should I learn about family violence? – Because by learning about it, you can help solve the problem. Family violence often goes unreported because victims often feel ashamed about what’s happened or hopeless about improving their situation. Witnesses may also fail to report family violence, thinking it’s “none of their business.” In the meantime, family members suffer. Family violence often results in: physical injuries, emotional pain, and economic loss. Raising awareness of family violence can help stop the suffering. Every family member suffers from family violence. Victims may suffer: • Serious physical injury, even death. • Emotional harm, such as depression, loss of self-esteem, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and wor
Family violence can mean many things. Sometimes it is called domestic violence. Depending on who is being hurt and how they are hurt, it may be called spouse or wife abuse, battering, intimate partner violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, or elder abuse. When they happen in the home or are done by a family member, all of these things are kinds of family violence. Family Violence Upon Children This includes child abuse and child neglect. According to federal law, child abuse covers anything that causes serious physical or emotional harm, any sexual abuse or exploitation, or putting a child at risk for these types of harms. Physical abuse can mean punching, kicking, burning, shaking or any other type of physical harm to a child. It includes things a parent or caretaker may have done to punish a child, whether or not she meant to hurt the child. Neglect can mean that a child is not being given enough to eat, is not taken to a doctor when sick, or is often left alone. It can mean lett
Family violence or domestic violence is the mistreatment of one family member by another to gain power and control. The violence can take on different forms: Physical Abuse – slapping, punching, choking, or throwing things Emotional Abuse – yelling, making insults or threats Sexual Abuse – such as unwanted touching, incest or rape Neglect – withholding affection, money, food, health care or other needed care Family Violence Hurts the Whole Family Family Violence effects everyone not just the victim. Children suffer too. Research suggests that between 80 & 90 percent of these children are aware of the violence. Children who grow up in violent homes greatly risk the possibility of emotional, behavioral and physical problems that last for a lifetime. Depression; anxiety; violence toward peers; suicide attempt; drug & alcohol abuse and running away from home are just some of the issues that stem from the violence in the home. Children also can be injured as a direct result from abuse. Batt
The Family Law Act 1975 (Section 4) defines family violence as: ‘conduct, whether actual or threatened, by a person towards, or towards the property of, a member of the person’s family that causes that or any other member of the person’s family reasonably to fear for, or reasonably to be apprehensive about, his or her personal well-being or safety.’ A note to the definition (Section 4 of the Act) states: ‘A person reasonably fears for, or reasonably is apprehensive about, his or her personal wellbeing or safety in particular circumstances if a reasonable person in those circumstances would fear for, or be apprehensive about, his or her personal wellbeing or safety.’ The Courts (through the Family Court’s Family Violence Strategy) have adopted this description of the elements of violence: Family violence covers a broad range of controlling behaviours. They are commonly of a physical, sexual, and/or psychological nature, and typically involve fear, harm, intimidation and emotional depriv
