Data relating to how, why and where people use family violence is critical to targeting efforts to prevent this violence. Respect Victoria’s submission to this inquiry explores the type of data most useful to guiding prevention efforts and the opportunities and risks of collecting and analysing perpetration data. We highlight the need for a nationally-representative, population-based survey of perpetration behaviours. This data would deepen our understanding of the drivers of gender-based violence, reinforcing risk factors and pathways into prevention. Crucially, it would also identify opportunities to work with the whole population and specific communities to prevent violence and minimise harm.
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Respect Victoria acknowledges Aboriginal peoples of Victoria as the First Peoples and Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waterways on which we rely. We proudly acknowledge Victoria’s Aboriginal communities in Victoria and their ongoing strength in practising the world’s oldest living culture. We acknowledge the significant and ongoing impacts of colonisation and commit to working alongside Aboriginal communities to effect change. We recognise the ongoing leadership role of Aboriginal communities in addressing and preventing family violence and violence against women and will continue to work in collaboration with First Peoples to eliminate these forms of violence from all communities.
Respect Victoria welcomes the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee’s inquiry into capturing data on family violence perpetrators in Victoria.
Victoria has a strong history of nation-leading family violence reform across the prevention, early intervention, response and recovery and healing spectrum. An important element of this reform has been bringing people who use violence into focus: to acknowledge the gendered nature of family violence, as the target of prevention efforts, and to ensure better accountability through response systems. These themes were highlighted in the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (2016), and in the ensuing years as a priority for survivor advocates and researchers.
Respect Victoria welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the opportunities and risks associated with collecting data about people who use violence. Our submission addresses the mechanisms for capturing data on the characteristics and volume of perpetration of family, domestic and sexual violence, including:
- what data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators is collected in Victoria.
- how the current data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators is used in Victoria.
- what additional data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators should be collected in Victoria specifically:
- how it will help to achieve a full understanding of this cohort.
- what the barriers are to collecting it and how these can be overcome.
- what data cannot be collected.
Respect Victoria’s submission focuses on perpetration data as it relates to primary prevention. We explore the type of data that would be most useful to guiding prevention efforts, and the relative opportunities and risks of different approaches to collecting and analysing perpetration data.
Our submission highlights the need for a nationally-representative, population-based survey that focuses on perpetration as a behaviour (rather than profiling perpetrators as an identity), the drivers of gender-based violence, and the presence of reinforcing risk factors. This data would deepen our understanding of pathways to perpetration, and potential intervention points for both population-wide and cohort-specific prevention and early intervention efforts.
Respect Victoria made 5 recommendations to the Parliamentary Committee regarding strengthening data on family violence perpetration:
- To advocate to the Commonwealth Government for the establishment of a regular, nationally representative, population-based survey of the perpetration of gender-based violence.
- To explore the benefits of a boosted sample of Victorians in a national perpetration survey. This would enable state- and region-based analysis that could track prevention impacts and support Early Intervention Investment Framework evaluation.
- Following the roll out of a nationally representative perpetration survey, support detailed modelling to explore the links between the gendered drivers of violence, reinforcing factors (such as alcohol or pornography), and violent behaviours.
- To advocate for an intersectional analysis of Personal Safety Survey data, to better understand how violence impacts people differently based on their identities and characteristics.
- To continue to support ongoing research, monitoring and evaluation activities at a state-based level focused on violence perpetration and drivers, to complement a national data set.
