Type:	Fact Sheet
Title:	Fact Sheet #1 : Violence against women: apprehended violence orders
Authors:	Women's Safety After Separation
Keywords:	Family law;Post-separation violence;Protection orders
Year:	2005
Publisher:	Women's safety after separation
Notes:	This fact sheet summarises issues about apprehended violence orders (AVOs), contact orders and Family Court, disclosures or reporting of domestic violence, and the private nature of violence against women. It lists key facts and statistics: 85% of women had experienced abuse over long periods before applying for an AVO; women often only apply for an AVO as a last resort after being subjected to repeated serious victimisation; and very few AVOs complaints that go to hearing are dismissed. It highlights the private nature of violence against women: 40% of women subjected to violence by their current partner do not disclose to anyone; 95% of women abused by their current partner did not report their last experience of abuse to the police; and only 14% of women victimised by their partners reported to the police. It also highlights that violence against women following separation is a significant problem. The 1996 ABS National Women’s Safety Survey found that 23% of women who had been in a married or defacto relationship had experienced family violence. A 2004 survey found that 34% of women who ever had a spouse, partner or boyfriend had experienced violence from their male partner. It outlines the issues of AVOs and the Family Court: that a history of domestic violence and women with AVOs make little difference to whether contact happens between children and their fathers. A study of 176 files of the Family Court in cases where children’s matters were contested, 95 (54%) of the files included evidence of domestic violence, but an AVO had not been obtained in over a third of these. Research has shown that the ‘right to contact’ principle within family law has taken precedence over concerns about children’s exposure to domestic violence. A list of references used to support the cited findings is included.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/11929
Physical description:	2p
Appears in Collections:	Fact Sheets

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