Family violence: an illustrated guide to the terminology

Long, Debbi; Lee, Serena; Coles, Jan Y

doi:10.5694/mja17.00227

Topics

Recent reports from the World Health Organization1 and from Australian agencies2,3 emphasise the urgency of improving health service response to family violence. Understanding the victim and survivor experience and perpetrator patterns is essential to improving health practitioners’ capacities for recognising and responding appropriately to family violence.1,3

Monash University, Melbourne, VIC

Correspondence: debbi.long@monash.edu

Acknowledgements:

We thank Riana Samuel for her contribution to this letter.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. World Health Organization. Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women: WHO clinical and policy guidelines. Geneva: WHO; 2013. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85240/1/9789241548595_eng.pdf (accessed July 2017).
2. Webster K. A preventable burden: measuring and addressing the prevalence and health impacts of intimate partner violence in Australian women — key findings and future directions. Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety; 2016. https://anrows.org.au/publications/compass-0/preventable-burden-measuring-and-addressing-the-prevalence-and-health-impacts (accessed July 2017).
3. State of Victoria. Royal Commission into Family Violence. Summary and recommendations. Parl. paper no. 132 (2014–16). Melbourne: Royal Commission into Family Violence (Victoria); 2016. http://www.rcfv.com.au/Report-Recommendations (accessed July 2017).
4. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Abuse and violence: working with our patients in general practice. 4th ed. Melbourne: RACGP; 2014. http://www.racgp.org.au/whitebook (accessed July 2017).
5. Bedi G, Goddard C. Intimate partner violence: what are the impacts on children? Aust Psychol 2007; 42: 66-77.

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