The Royal Commission into Family Violence: Trends in the Reporting of Intimate Partner Violence and Help-Seeking Behavior

Abstract

There is a dearth of research investigating whether public inquiries such as Royal Commissions trigger community behavior change or awareness about targeted health and social issues within the general community. This study examined trends in the reporting of intimate partner violence (IPV) and help-seeking behavior before and during the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. Six hundred seventy-seven women across Australia, including 172 migrant and 505 nonmigrant women, completed surveys on their experience of IPV and help-seeking behavior over a 4-year period. Prevalence estimates were weighted to the Australian Census data to reflect the Australian population breakdown for age and migrant status. Results showed levels of IPV reported by participants significantly increased during the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2015. Similarly, the perceived need to seek help for abuse significantly increased from the start of the Royal Commission; this was, however, evident for nonmigrant, but not migrant women. The findings are discussed considering the influence of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, its public profile, and the pervasiveness of the information about family violence during this time that could have led to an increasing trend in knowledge about family violence and the perception of requiring assistance in the general community. It is recommended that future Royal Commissions prepare for predictable changes in community behavior and institutions organize their resources to address the potential increased disclosure of the problems addressed.

Meta-Analysis on Intrinsic Link Between Gender-Based Violence and Socio-Economic Disparity in Domestic and International Ambits

“…The already existent laws and ambiguities within should be dealt with in order to ensure there is no lag in the implementation process. Socio-economic disparities in accordance with gender-based violence need to be considered and this grave violation of Human Rights should be discussed thoroughly in International and Domestic ambits (Satyen et al, 2021).…”

“…Lastly the ambit of International law is far broader than that of domestic law. It solely doesn't deal with enforcing law rather the prime objective of it is to make sure that nations work together in harmony and take all stakeholders in account (Satyen et al, 2021). This includes maintaining the workings of state with its citizens, its environment and caters to the other de􀅫iciencies prevalent (Bowen, 2011).…”

“…Moreover, the basic elements of systematic intimate violence need to incorporate on every level, and it needs to be distinguished from domestic violence because of its diverging elements. Without an understanding of the basic essence of systematic intimate violence, better implementation and protection to this vulnerable group can't be provided (Satyen et al, 2021).…”

Qualitative study of the perspectives of women with lived experience of domestic and family violence on accessing healthcare

“…The 2015 Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, spoke of her own experiences of domestic and family violence, raising awareness and prompting substantial action in terms of initiatives, advisory bodies, roadmaps and policies (Spangaro, 2017). The first Royal Commission into Family Violence was completed between 2015 and 2016 in response to a series of family violence‐related deaths in Victoria (Satyen et al, 2021; Victorian Government, 2016). More recently the Australian Government announced a $600 million investment in women's safety over the next 5 years (Australian Government, 2021a, 2021b).…”

Seeking Help From Primary Health-Care Providers in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review of the Experiences of Migrant and Refugee Survivors of Domestic Violence

“…Domestic violence (DV) is a human rights and public health issue of epidemic proportions (García-Moreno et al, 2015; Potter et al, 2021; Satyen et al, 2020; World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). Globally, of women between the ages of 15 to 49, 27% have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO, 2021).…”