Ending family violence: annual report 2022

The Victorian Government acknowledges Victorian Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land and water on which we rely. We acknowledge and respect that Aboriginal communities are steeped in traditions and customs built on a disciplined social and cultural order that has sustained 60,000 years of existence. We acknowledge the significant disruptions to this social and cultural order and the ongoing hurt caused by colonisation.

We acknowledge the ongoing leadership role of Aboriginal communities, particularly Aboriginal women, in addressing and preventing family violence. We will continue to work in collaboration with First Peoples to eliminate family violence from all communities.

We acknowledge the impact of colonisation to this day, including discrimination in the way that our structures and systems operate. 

We seek ways to rectify past wrongs. We are deeply committed to Aboriginal self-determination and to supporting Victoria’s Treaty and truth-telling processes. 

We acknowledge that Treaty will have wide-ranging impacts for the way we work with Aboriginal Victorians. We seek to create respectful and collaborative partnerships and develop policies and programs that respect Aboriginal self-determination and align with Treaty aspirations.

We acknowledge that Victoria’s Treaty process will provide a framework for the transfer of decision-making power and resources to support self-determining Aboriginal communities to take control of matters that affect their lives. We commit to working proactively to support this work in line with the aspirations of Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians.

The Victorian Government recognises those who have experienced violence at the hands of someone close to them, including adults, older adults, children, young people and those within our workforce. Our efforts to prevent and respond to family violence are for them. It is vital that policies and services are informed by their experiences, expertise and advocacy.

We also remember and pay respects to those who did not survive and extend our respects to all of those who have lost loved ones to family violence. 

We keep at the forefront of our minds all those who have been, or continue to be, harmed by family or sexual violence, and acknowledge their ongoing courage and resilience. 

Language relating to family violence is always evolving and varies between communities and government and non-government agencies. 

We aim to use language that people who use the system are comfortable with, as this can help build trust. This section provides an overview of the language used commonly in the family violence sector and throughout this report. The Glossary of terms provides a more detailed list of terminology.

We know family violence is gendered. Most violence is perpetrated by men, and most victim survivors are women and children. However, this report does not use gendered language to describe every form of family violence. This is to capture the full array of victim survivors who may experience family violence. This includes people who historically may have had difficulty being recognised, who experience unique risk of family and sexual violence, and who face barriers to safety and support. 

The family violence system is diverse, and different language is used to refer to people who experience or use family violence. In this report, we use the language of government and non-government agencies across the family violence sector. This includes the terms victim survivor and perpetrator.

• The term victim survivor refers to adults, children and young people who experience family violence. Under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 children are considered victim survivors if they experience family violence directed at them, or they are exposed to the effects of family violence. This includes being present at or witnessing a family violence incident. 
• The term perpetrator refers to an adult who uses violence or threatening, coercive or controlling behaviour against family members (as defined in the Family Violence Protection Act 2008) in current or past family, domestic or intimate relationships.

Variations of language this report uses to describe family violence include the following:

• The term Aboriginal people is used throughout this report and refers to both Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. 
• Aboriginal people and communities may prefer to use the term ‘people who use violence’.
• This report uses the term ‘young person who uses violence’ rather than ‘adolescent using violence’ or ‘perpetrator’ for children aged 10–17. Young people who use family violence need distinct responses, tailored to their age, safety and developmental needs. Young people who use family violence are often also victim survivors.

Other terms for different functions or points in time within the family violence system include the following:

• Police use the terms ‘affected family member’ or ‘victim’ to refer to the person deemed to be most harmed and affected by events occurring during a family violence incident. Police make an assessment of risk, considering past family violence and any recorded criminal history to identify who is being harmed and affected the most during an incident.
• Police use the term ‘respondent’ in family violence intervention order applications to describe the person against whom an order is sought. The term ‘offender’ describes a person who has been found guilty of an offence.