If you, or someone you know, is in danger call emergency services number and stay on the line.
No one deserves to be threatened, harassed, humbugged, or abused. If a family member or someone close to you hurts you or tries to control you, this is known as family violence.
Sometimes family and domestic violence is called ‘family violence’. It can happen between intimate partners, immediate family, or your kinship system.
Family violence is never ok. You are not to blame for the abuse, and it takes real strength to speak up against it.
Am I experiencing family violence?
Sometimes we put up with abuse and violence thinking it’s normal, private business, or we feel big feelings of shame or mistrust that help is available. Family violence can have long term impacts on victim-survivors, children and families.
Family violence doesn't have to be physical or sexual abuse. It can include coercive control, social, cultural, spiritual and financial abuse. Examples of family violence can include:
- Being made to feel scared or worried that they might hurt you or your kids.
- Physical abuse like pulling your hair, punching, slapping, choking, or kicking.
- Breaking your things or hurting your pets.
- Forcing you to do something by making you feel guilty if you don’t want to, or acting like you owe it to your partner to prove you love them.
- Calling you names and making you feel bad about yourself.
- Isolating you from your family, children, friends, community or culture.
- Not letting you go to family funerals.
- Not letting you return home to country.
- Stopping you from leaving the house and being part of your community.
- Taking your money or forcing you to give them money or other things you own.
- Spending all the household money on themselves, without helping with the everyday essentials like food for you and the kids.
- Stopping you from being able to maintain personal hygiene, such as taking showers or using deodorant.
- Telling you what you can and cannot wear, making you feel like you cannot dress the way you would like to.
- Not letting you sit with other women like sisters, mum, aunties and Elders, to talk women’s business.
These are just some of the many signs. Find out more about recognising if you or someone you care about is experiencing family and domestic violence.
How to recognise family and domestic violence
Worries you may have about family violence
Sometimes people don’t feel like they can speak up and talk about family violence. This can be for lots of reasons including:
- Fear of losing your kids.
- Fear of losing your home.
- Not trusting the police, the government or justice system to do the right thing.
- Not knowing if you are experiencing family violence.
- Not wanting to dob in someone from your mob.
- Feeling embarrassed or shame to talk about what’s happening for you.
- Feeling afraid that things will get worse if you speak up.
- Worrying no one will believe you.
- Worrying about what will happen to family if you report abuse/violence.
- Lack of access to support in your area.
- Having to leave your community to access support.
- Fear of backlash from your partner’s family.
- Fear of “making things worse” by creating conflict between your family and your partner and partner’s family.
- Everyone has the right to feel safe. If you are worried about family violence, there is help available.
Help and support
If you are experiencing family violence, there are people that can help, including Aboriginal-led services and resources.
Reach out to helplines – Speak up
- 13YARN: provides free 24/7 crisis support line that is led by, co-designed by, developed and delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- 1800RESPECT: a national sexual assault, domestic family violence counselling service. Phone: 1800 737 732.
- Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline: provides support for women, with or without children, who are experiencing family and domestic violence in Western Australia (including referrals to women’s refuges). Phone: 1800 007 339. *This helpline is operated by Department of Communities, and your call will be answered by a child protection worker. We are here to help.
- Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline: provides telephone information and referrals for men who are concerned about their violent and abusive behaviours, and for male victims of family and domestic violence in Western Australia. Phone: 1800 000 599. *This helpline is operated by Department of Communities, and your call will be answered by a child protection worker. We are here to help.
- Kids Helpline: provides free support and counselling (talking through problems) to people aged 5-25. Phone: 1800 551 800
- Concern for a child's wellbeing: If you are concerned about a child's wellbeing, please contact the Department of Communities Child Protection Central Intake Team on 1800 273 889. If you are calling outside of business hours, Crisis Care is available on 1800 199 008 and provides Western Australia’s after-hours response to reported concerns for a child’s safety and wellbeing and information and referrals for people experiencing crisis. For more information about child protection, please visit Child protection.
Find more support services and helplines here:
Family and domestic violence services and resources
Find resources in language
- Translated resources: find posters and social media resources on family and domestic violence.
- Aboriginal Interpreting WA: provides interpreting / translation services in more than 18 Kimberley and central desert Indigenous languages to clients anywhere in Australia. Phone (08) 9192 3981; free call: 1800 330 331.
Online safety
- eSafetyFirstNations: hear stories from mob in language and find tips to help you stay safe online.
Legal assistance
- Aboriginal Family Legal Services: help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live free from family violence and sexual assault. Free legal services, community education and early intervention and prevention programs. Phone (08) 9355 1502; free call: 1800 469 246.
- Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia: provides legal representation and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Western Australia. Phone: (08) 9265 6666 (business hours) or (08) 9265 6644 (after hours); free call: 1800 019 900 from anywhere in Western Australia.
- Marnin Family Support and Legal Unit: delivers culturally sensitive legal representation and non-legal holistic support services for Aboriginal women and children in the Fitzroy Crossing area experiencing family and domestic violence. Phone: (08) 9191 5284.
- Albany Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service: legal service in the Albany area for Aboriginal adults and children experiencing domestic and family violence. Phone: (08) 9842 7751; free call: 1800 557 187.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' experiences of family violence
The ongoing impacts of colonisation, dispossession, government policies, racism, child-removal and protection practices and systemic barriers mean that Aboriginal people experience family violence at unacceptably high-rates.
Family violence is not a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s culture.
The State Government is working with Aboriginal people, peak and representative bodies and Aboriginal-led organisations to reduce all forms of family violence and abuse including violence perpetrated against Aboriginal women and children by non-Aboriginal people.
