Making Family Violence Public in the Royal Commission on Human Relationships, 1974–1977

Abstract Women’s refuges play a crucial role in responding to the needs of women and children experiencing family violence; yet there has been limited research conducted into their operations, practices and challenges faced. This article is informed by critical social work’s theoretical tradition of seeking to end social injustice and analyses key opportunities and challenges of providing refuge amidst a neo-liberal context. We draw on interviews and focus groups with service providers and women who had sought access to a refuge, from a study that was undertaken following the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in Australia. We found widespread practices by refuges to support social justice for women and children experiencing family violence, as well as challenges and constraints, substantially linked to resource limitations consistent with neo-liberal policies. This research shines a light on innovative refuge practice in local contexts identifying feminist social justice and intersectional practices aligned with critical social work.

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‘I’m Not at All Protected and I Think Other Women Should Know That, That They’re Not Protected Either’: Victim–Survivors’ Experiences of ‘Misidentification’ in Victoria’s Family Violence System

International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy ◽

10.5204/ijcjsd.1992 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Ellen Reeves

Keyword(s):

Family Violence ◽

Order System ◽

Royal Commission ◽

Topical Issue ◽

Feminist Scholarship ◽

Violence Intervention ◽

The Family ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Using Data ◽

Survey Responses

The misidentification of women as predominant aggressors has emerged as a topical issue in family violence research, with feminist scholarship suggesting that such trends may be attributed to a range of factors, including incident-based policing and a misunderstanding of the ways in which women use violence against their partners. Where existing research has primarily focused on policing practices in relation to misidentification, this article explores the impacts of misidentification on the lives of women victim–survivors of family violence in Victoria (Australia), a jurisdiction that has recently seen significant reforms to family violence systems in the wake of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (2016). Using data from interviews with 32 system stakeholders and survey responses from 11 women who have experienced misidentification in Victoria, this study explores misidentification within the family violence intervention order system. It demonstrates that being misidentified as a predominant aggressor on a family violence intervention order can have a significant impact on women’s lives and their access to safety, highlighting the need for improved policing and court responses to the issue beyond existing reforms.

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