What is family violence? - Interim FVROs
Family violence means:
- violence, or a threat of violence, by someone towards a family member, or
- any other behaviour or pattern of behaviour that coerces or controls another family member, or causes them to be fearful.
Family violence is not just physical violence or threats of violence. It can include forms of financial, emotional and psychological abuse.
Behaviour or a pattern of behaviour may occur over a period of time. It may be more than one act, or a series of acts, that when considered together coerces or controls the family member or causes them to be fearful. This is to be considered in the context of the relationship between the person and the family member as a whole.
As this video explains, an application for an FVRO should include details about all forms of family violence that have happened.
Physical violence
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Assaults and sexual assaults
Includes assaults, sexual assaults and other sexually abusive behaviour. -
Other criminal behaviour
Can include other criminal behaviour such as kidnapping or holding a family member against their will.
Threats, stalking, derogatory remarks
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Threats
Can include threats to hurt a family member either in person, in writing or online. -
Stalking and cyber stalking
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Publishing intimate images
Can include threatening to or actually publishing or distributing intimate personal images of a family member. -
Derogatory remarks
Can include repeated derogatory remarks such as unwanted or offensive texts.
Damaging your things or hurting pets
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Damaging your things
Can include damaging or destroying things that you own, use, or have at your home, no matter who they belong to. -
Hurting your pets
Can include killing, hurting or threatening to hurt a family animal or pet.
Withholding financial support
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Financial independence
Can include unreasonably not letting you have financial independence. -
Financial support
Can include withholding financial support to meet your reasonable living expenses, and those of your children, if you are entirely or mainly dependent on that other person for financial support.
Keeping you from friends, family and culture
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Family and friends
Can include keeping you from making or keeping connections with family and friends. -
Culture
Can include keeping you from making or keeping connections with your culture.
Dowry abuse
Can include threats, demands, or pressure from your husband or his family, to you or your family, in relation to money or gifts exchanged in return for marriage.
Exposing children to family violence
Includes causing a family member who is a child to be exposed to any of the family violence behaviour or a pattern of behaviour listed above.
'Exposed to family violence' can include:
- hearing death threats or threats to injure someone
- seeing an assault
- comforting or helping a person who has been assaulted
- cleaning up after an assault
- being present when police or ambulance officers come to a violent incident.
