Domestic Violence Facts

The vast majority of dangerous, abusive and violent behaviours that occur in private in people's homes are committed by men, against women. The following statistics are a sobering reality:

• 1 million Australian women have experienced violence by a previous partner, including violence that occurred both during and after the relationship. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996)
• 23% of Australian women who have ever been married or in a de-facto relationship experienced violence by a partner at some time during the relationship. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996)
• Women who experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner were significantly more likely to experience emotional abuse such as manipulation, isolation or intimidation than those who had not experienced violence (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996)
• Younger women were more at risk than older women, with 7.3% of women aged 18-24 years having experienced one or more incidents of violence from a current partner in the previous 12 month period as compared to 1.2% of women aged 55 and over. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996)
• Of all murder-suicides in Australia from July 1989 - June 1996, 43% were committed by partners or former partners of the victims. (Australian Institute of Criminology 1998)
• In domestic homicides in Queensland between 1994-1997, 82% of victims were female and 82% of offenders were male.
• In a 1992 survey held at the Emergency Department of the Royal Brisbane Hospital, 23.6% of the female Respondents indicated a history of experiencing domestic violence. It was also found that 70% - 80% of all victims of domestic violence seek medical assistance at least once (Roberts, 1994).
• A further study undertaken at the Pre-Natal Clinic at Royal Brisbane Hospital found that 29.7% of pregnant women had a history of experiencing abuse and 8.9% suffered abuse during pregnancy. (Webster 1994)