Violence Against Women

	Scope
	Intimate partner violence
	Sexual violence

Scope

Statistics from the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS) reveal that 57 per cent of women interviewed in Australia have experienced at least one incident of violence in their lifetime.

Violence against women:

• can take many forms including physical, verbal, psychological and financial abuse; sexual assault; sexual harassment; stalking; workplace bullying; vilification and discrimination
• occurs in many settings such as the home, at work, in public and private places
• is sometimes perpetrated by strangers but more often by a man known to the woman
• can happen in lesbian relationships
• can affect any woman from any age, cultural or economic group

In order to assit individuals and organisations to understand and communicate the gendered nature of violence WHV has produced a new Violence Against Women Resource Kit. The resource kit aims to draw together major resources, research and studies on violence against women and sexual assault in Australia. It has been designed to connect health professionals, people working in women's organisations, bureaucrats, and policy makers to issues around violence against women.

Full text of the Violence Against Women Resource Kit is available here (PDF 127KB).

Further information resources on violence against women are available from the Queen Victoria Women's Centre InfoHub.

Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (sometimes referred to as domestic violence) occurs when one individual uses violence or abuse as a way of gaining power and control over another individual with whom they are currently, or were formerly, in an intimate relationship. Intimate partner violence is a crime and there are many types of violence. These include:

• physical
• sexual
• verbal
• psychological or emotional
• and financial.

Information on intimate partner violence includes:

• Domestic violence - services for women
• The health costs of violence: measuring the burden of disease caused by intimate partner violence (PDF 398KB) - VicHealth study
• Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Community Attitudes to Violence Against Women (PDF 874KB) - VicHealth study
• Women's health information package
• Queen Victoria's Women Centre InfoHub Intimate partner violence
• Clearinghouse Connector - Violence Against Women

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is any behaviour of a sexual nature which is unwanted or occurs without consent. It includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, incest and rape. Sexual violence is an abuse of power which is often used by men against women.

The following fact sheets provide some practical information:

	Myths about rape and sexual assault
	How might you feel if you have been raped or sexually assaulted?
	Sexual assault and rape: how are other people likely to react?
	What can you do if you have been raped or sexually assaulted?
	What can you do if someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted?

Further information is available at CASA House (Centre Against Sexual Assault) which provides a 24-hour counselling, support, information and advocacy service.

Go to specific health issues introductory page.