Invisible women, invisible violence: Understanding and improving data on the experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault for diverse groups of women: State of knowledge paper

Abstract

Research project DD.15.01<br/ ><br/ >Invisible women, invisible violence establishes the state of knowledge about the experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault among women from diverse groups. Reviewing existing knowledge and data on the experiences of violence and identifying key gaps in data as they relate to diverse women, it also affirms the more complex message that, while we know there is disproportionate impact, the exact nature and scale of this difference is extremely difficult to quantify.<br/ ><br/ >Despite not knowing the exact quantum of the violence, there is significant evidence that expressions of violence in these communities are distinct, and that these differences require considered and specific service and policy responses, for which data that is coherent, accessible, relevant and accurate is needed.<br/ ><br/ >This paper finds there are challenges within the Australian research and data landscapes in understanding the experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault for the diverse groups. Four key gaps in information in the current Australian research landscape were identified:<br/ ><br/ >· Limitations in quantitative evidence on the prevalence and perpetration of violence;<br/ ><br/ >· The complexity and specificity of violence;<br/ ><br/ >· Multiple, intersecting barriers to reporting violence and accessing appropriate services and;<br/ ><br/ >· "Diversity within diversity"— the intersections of identity and disadvantage.<br/ ><br/ > In the process of mapping the current Australian data landscape, this paper identified that while a wide range of data are currently being collected administratively and via surveys, there are limitations of individual data sources and across the Australian data landscape as a whole. The analysis identified the following five key data gaps as they relate to the diverse experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault:<br/ ><br/ >1) Design and methodological gaps in data sources;<br/ ><br/ >2) Definitional complexities within data sources;<br/ ><br/ >3) Gaps in the quality of existing data sources;<br/ ><br/ >4) Gaps in recording and reporting of data; and<br/ ><br/ >5) Gaps in the leveraging of existing data for the creation of new statistical information.