What are the stats on family violence?

The following resources provide a quick overview of family violence statistics for Victoria and Australia:

• Family violence statistics fact sheet
• Facts on family violence 2017: video and infographic

Where can I find family violence data?

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

The ABS Personal Safety Survey (2012) is the largest study of violence experienced by men and women in Australia. Around 17,000 men and women aged 18 years and over were interviewed about their experience/s of violence since the age of 15, including violence in the 12 months prior to the survey. Further analysis of the data was conducted in 2015.

Crime Statistics Agency

The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) publishes the Victorian Family Violence Data Portal which includes information from Victoria Police, Magistrates’ Court, Children’s Court, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice and Regulation and Victoria Legal Aid. The CSA also publishes research papers such as Identifying the differences between generalist and specialist family perpetrators.

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS)

ANROWS produces research on violence against women and their children according to its national research agenda. The Research to policy and practice papers outline key findings and implications for practitioners and policy-makers.

ANROWS's Resources Database is an online catalogue of resources on violence against women and their children, including references from scholarly and practice-based reports, books, journal articles, conference papers and presentations, book chapters, DVDs and kits. You can also sign up to their fortnightly newsletter for research updates.

Australian Institute of Family Studies

The Australian Institute of Family Studies produces research on Australian families, with violence and families and sexual violence two areas of expertise.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) provides information and statistics to promote better health and wellbeing.

Who’s doing family violence research in Victoria?

Many researchers from multiple disciplines are taking part in research on family violence. Several universities have established specific cross-disciplinary research groups to capture a broad range of expertise:

• Melbourne Research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe)
• Gendered Violence and Abuse Research Alliance (GeVARA)
• Monash Gender and Family Violence

Where can I find family violence researchers and other experts?

ANROWS’s Networking Database enables researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, community members, and others interested in reducing violence against women, to connect directly with each other. The database helps users locate other people and organisations working on similar or complementary projects or who have a particular interest or expertise.