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Just over one in three Australian men have admitted to committing intimate partner violence, according to a new, world-leading study.
The study, conducted by The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), is the biggest of its kind, providing the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence perpetration in Australia.
The number of Australian men who admit to inflicting intimate partner violence has risen from 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 in under a decade. The AIFS Ten to Men study surveyed the same group of 16,000 men both times, shining a light on an increase in male violence.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the results were “concerning but sadly not surprising”,
“To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it,” she said.
Emotional abuse was the most prevalent form of partner abuse, with 32 per cent of those surveyed saying they had behaved in a way that had made a partner feel “frightened or anxious”. Additionally, men experiencing depression were found to be 62% more likely to engage in intimate partner violence.
Domestic and family violence is behaviour that’s violent, threatening, controlling or intended to make you or your family feel scared and unsafe can be considered. Emotional abuse, also known as mental abuse or psychological violence, falls under this category. This form of violence often takes a backseat in media representations of intimate partner abuse. It isn’t always as obvious as physical violence, but the lasting psychological effects upon survivors can be devastating.
Recent law reforms, such as the inclusion of coercive control as a criminal offence in Queensland, are important in recognising and addressing emotional abuse. However, a national response is still lacking, as Australia grapples with these disturbingly high levels of intimate partner violence.
Queensland police officers respond to a DFV-related occurrence every three minutes. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that one in four women and one in fourteen men have been victims of intimate partner violence. This scale of violence affects our country on a level that we can no longer afford to ignore.
Reporting on these statistics is no longer enough – Australia must commit to cultural and systemic change that stops violence before it begins.
Note from the Editors: If you or someone you know is a victim of intimate partner violence, please seek assistance. If you don’t want to speak to the police, you can also call DV Connect on 1800 811 811 or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
Written by Mollie Matthews
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