Gender and Intimate Partner Violence: A Case Study from NSW

The issue of gender and its importance in understanding intimate partner violence (IPV) through an examination of the differences in men's and women's complaints for civil protection orders in New South Wales (NSW) are discussed. The key findings from the study are highlighted

Different Types of Intimate Partner Violence - An Exploration of the Literature

The last 15 years has seen a growing body of research emphasising that not all intimate partner violence (IPV) is the same. There are key differences in terms of the presence of control, gender perpetration, severity and impact. Work on differentiation is diverse. It includes research exploring different types of IPV, as well as different types of male and female perpetrators of IPV

Different types of intimate partner violence? A comment on the Australian Institute of Family Studies report examining allegations of famly violence in child proceedings under the Family Law Act

In June 2007 the Australian Institute of Family Studies published a study that examined allegations of family violence and child abuse in child proceedings under the Family Law Act. The study examined a large number of court files from two registries of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court. It looked at the nature of the allegations, who made them, whether the allegations were supported by evidence, and the response by the other party to these allegations.Many of its findings are in accord with other studies which have also demonstrated that violence is prominent in family law proceedings and that outcomes rarely reflect whether there are allegations of violence or not. Importantly the study reported on the lack of detail and evidence to support many allegations and the difficulty that this creates for the court in determining final orders (or in providing a framework for negotiations). However, rather than suggesting that we need to look at the ways that violence can be better reported and responded to in family law proceedings, the authors instead suggest that we need to differentiate between different kinds of intimate partner violence. This finding does not flow from the data. This article explores the AIFS study by focusing on concerns around differentiation between different kinds of domestic violence, and its connection to debates about definitions and understandings of intimate partner violence

Incidents v Context: How Does the NSW Protection Order System Understand Intimate Partner Violence?

Civil protection order schemes were introduced in many western countries from the 1970s; in Australia from the 1980s. One of the key drivers for this development was the extensive feminist criticism of the criminal law which revealed that it failed to respond adequately to the particular harm of intimate partner violence (âIPVâ). The nature of IPV as a gendered, repetitive and patterned harm, motivated by control, found a poor fit with the criminal lawâs focus on discrete incidents and its traditional emphasis on visible forms of violence. This article explores whether the New South Wales (NSW) civil protection order system (Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders or âADVOsâ), despite a range of progressive elements, continues to mirror the criminal lawâs narrow understanding of IPV. It does so through a case study on cross-applications in NSW ADVO proceedings. This study reveals that the progressive promise of the ADVO system to look beyond the lens of the criminal law is militated by a range of factors such as: the limited nature of the complaint narrative; the continuing focus in practice on incidents of violence; and the constraints of the court environment

Different types of intimate partner violence - What do Family Law decisions reveal?

In recent years the Australian family law system has started to refer to, and use, a growing body of sociological research which argues that intimate partner violence (IPV) is not homogenous, rather it is heterogeneous with key differences in terms of the pattern of violence, the presence of control, and the impact and consequences for the victim. Australia is not the only jurisdiction receptive to this work; interest is also seen in the USA and Canada. Since 2011 the Australian Family Law Courts have specifically referred to this work on typologies in the Family Violence: Best Practice Principles. This article explores the use of typologies by some judicial officers and other professionals working in the family law system. It does so through an analysis of 48 parenting decisions. It examines who perpetrated that violence, the nature of the violence alleged, which legal professional categorised the violence, and the parenting orders that were sought and made in the case. Questions are raised about what the use of typologies adds, if anything, to understandings of IPV in parenting decisions. The article raises a number of concerns about the formal recognition of differentiation within the family law arena (particularly at this point in time)