What is Family Violence?

Defining family violence

Family violence is any threatening, coercive, dominating or abusive behaviour that occurs between people in a family, domestic or intimate relationship, or former intimate relationship, that causes the person experiencing the behaviour to feel fear.

Family violence is not an argument once in a while, it is a continuous pattern of abusive behaviour perpetrated by one person towards another, often using multiple tactics.

Family violence is not just physical or sexual abuse. It can include many types of abuse all of which are unhealthy and harmful.

Types of family violence relationships

Family violence is most often thought of as occurring between intimate partners or immediate relations living in the same home. But family violence can also be perpetrated by someone that you normally live with who is in a ‘family-like relationship’ (such as a carer), or relationships where there is cultural recognition by the community of a ‘family-like’ relationship (such as in Aboriginal communities).

Here are some examples of family violence relationships:

• Intimate partner abuse: violent behaviour used by a current or former spouse or partner against the other spouse or partner.
• Dating abuse: violent behaviour used by a casual partner against the other partner.
• Child abuse: violent behaviour or mistreatment towards a child or young person by a parent or caregiver. Under Victorian law, exposing a child to any form of family violence is also a reportable child abuse offence – so if a person is abusive towards their spouse in front of their child or children, child abuse has occurred.
• Elder abuse: violent behaviour or mistreatment towards an older person by a partner or family member, often including financial abuse, controlling behaviours and/or negligence.
• Parental abuse: violent behaviour towards a parent by an adolescent child or dependant.