Page 6 - Health Services Directory 2023

Domestic violence crisis

Zoe Askew different types of family violence. they try to go to the police or
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Family violence has evolved whatever, and there are no big
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IPPSLAND is undergoing considerably over the past 40 years; incidents.
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a domestic violence historically described as acts of “But when they get to the
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epidemic, with recurring physical violence with harm being point where they have
Gyearly figures showing measured in relation to injuries, family had enough, ‘I want to
a rising trend and an absence of a violence is now commonly under- separate, I can’t handle
zero-tolerance approach. stood to involve emotional abuse, this anymore’, it can be
Joanne Law, a Wellington harassment, stalking and controlling a really high-risk time.”
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Shire-based family dispute resolution behaviours. A 2021 Australian
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practitioner, and director of Mediation “There is still a misunderstanding Institute of
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Institute and Australasian coordinator about family violence where people Criminology report
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of the International Mediation think ‘They have never hit me’, and revealed the
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Awareness Week, is distressed by the yet there may be exerting extreme murder of Hannah
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high rates of family violence outlined financial control over them, stalking, Clarke and her
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in the recent Gippsland PHN Health either physically or electronically,” Ms three children
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Needs Assessment 2022-2025. Law said. in February Joanne Law, a W ellington Shire-based
The report highlights multiple and “We know that particularly with 2020 by her family dispute resolution practitioner and
complex priorities for the region’s coercive control, where they think former partner director of Mediation Institute.
primary health system, which, for the they own them, they are controlling played a Photos: Contributed
Wellington LGA, includes a high rate what they can wear, where they can significant role
of family violence. go, who they can spend time with, in increasing
Ms Law, who manages a national separating them from friends and awareness of coercive control in still forming their brains, and if they
business and international presence family, it is actually a bigger indicator Australia. are in a really angry, aggressive,
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from a home office in Loch Sport, said of partner homicide than any other Hannah had never disclosed any shouty, violent home, they get wired
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mediation and education were ways in form of family violence.” physical abuse, but Australian media for that; they get wired for living in a
which people could help drive down Perpetrators of coercive control reported that her former spouse had war zone,” she said.
Gippsland’s family violence statistics. are described as being motivated sought to control every aspect of her “So when they get to school, these
“I am a dispute resolution by a desire or need to dominate life.
practitioner and mediator, so we and control their partners physically, This included what she wore and kids are reactive, they punch other
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work with helping people sort stuff f f f economically, socially and emotionally. ate, her access to medical care and kids, they do all this stuff because
out, so they’re not stuck in a violent Abusers may use physical or sexual her social media accounts. their brain has been wired to have a
dynamic,” Ms Law said. violence as a means of control and An analysis undertaken by the NSW hair trigger.”
“With the family law system, there non-physical behaviours. Domestic Violence Death Review Ms Law, whose business, Mediation
are lots of silos between the various Examples include interfering Team identified among 112 incidents Institute, was recently nominated as
areas, and often the family violence with victim-survivors’ relationships of intimate partner homicide between one of Victoria’s state finalists for the
workers just totally exclude mediation with their families, monitoring their June 2000 and July 2019, coercive 2023 Telstra Best of Business Awards
from their thinking. But it actually can movements, restricting their access controlling behaviour was a feature in the accelerating women category,
be a way of really safely working with to money. Emotionally abusive of the relationship between couples encourages Gippsland to further their
people to understand what’s going behaviours can also occur, such as involved in all but one case. education about family violence.
on and help them connect with what calling victims names and insulting “Another one of the biggest things “Education is key to preventing
they need to be safer and to sort out them. we know is that parents who aren’t family violence and creating a future
the issues.” Within the context of the good together, separating isn’t bad free from family violence,” she said.
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The Mediation Institute offers online relationship, these non-physical for kids, but if they are in conflict, that Ms Law also encourages anyone
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support for families and individuals behaviours can provoke feelings of is really, really bad for kids,” Ms Law
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suffering from family violence through fear, intimidation or anxiety among said. experiencing family violence to
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family dispute resolution, transform- victim-survivors. “Sometimes people think when consider family dispute resolution and
ative relationship mediation and “Often those really horrible, horrible exposing kids to conflict, ‘Oh, they’ll transformative relationship mediation
various coaching and training services. things you hear, there has never been forget about it’, particularly if they as a pathway to a life free from family
Ms Law also stressed the importance any physical violence,” Ms Law said. are really young, but it’s actually the violence.
of educating the community about “The coercive behaviour, the person opposite. For more information or online
family violence, particularly the knows they are being controlled, “Babies and really young kids are support, visit https://interact.support/.
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In 2020–21, an estimatedd
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571,000 Australians a g e d 18 a n d o v e r
571,000 Australians aged 18 and over
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Coronar y y H ear t t D isease.
Coronar H ear D isease.
GP1656735
Source: www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health
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PAGE 6 - Wellington Health Services Directory 2023
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