SUBMISSIONS

Reproductive coercion is one of many tactics that may be used by a perpetrator of intimate partner violence to maintain control over the victim.

SHE recommends community education to raise awareness of reproductive coercion and of services available to help people who are experiencing such coercion, as well as the development and promotion of professional training and resources to help improve the ability of doctors, social workers and other professionals to assess and support women and girls who have experienced reproductive coercion.

SHE commends the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to addressing the issues affecting women
and girls in Tasmania. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the development of the
Women’s Strategy to address the inequality experienced by women and girls in Tasmania.

In the context of this submission, we note that our clients frequently seek SHE services to support them through the legal process; assistance that is in addition to addressing the experienced violence and abuse itself. It is also our experience that the legal response can fail to adequately address the severity of the violence, the impact on children and the ongoing effects of trauma. Our clients often express their inability to create a sense of safe environment in which to live and recover from the effects of a perpetrator’s coercion, control and violence.

The experience of family violence in childhood can have profound negative impacts that resonate across the lifespan and even intergenerational impacts (Courtois, Ford, & Cloitre, M, 2009).

The vast majority of family violence is committed by men against women (ABS, 2012). Children are very often present during family violence incidents (ABS, 2012). Family violence is recognised as a form of child abuse according to the Children Young Persons and their Families Act 1997:

“Children are exposed to family violence if they: see or hear an incident of family violence; help to clean up after an incident of family violence; or comfort or assist a family member after an incident of family violence”

Submission to the Department of Justice – Office of Strategic Legislation and Policy – Review of the Domestic Violence Orders (National Recognition) Bill 2016

Submission to the Sentencing Advisory Council – Mandatory Treatment for Sex Offenders – Research Paper Draft

Submission to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute – review of the Law Relating to Self Defence 2015

Submission to the fiscal allocation – Tasmania’s Family Violence Action Plan – September 2015

This submission is SHE’s response to the call for ideas by the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) regarding the Tasmanian Family Violence Action Plan. SHE would like to thank the Department of Premier and Cabinet for allowing us to present our ideas about how the Tasmanian Family Violence Action Plan can best work to address domestic and family violence in the Tasmanian community. We are appreciative of the opportunity to make suggestions for the Action Plan, although we have some concern about the limited timeframe of two weeks for making submissions. We believe that more time is needed for all stakeholders to have the opportunity to take part in this discussion with particular emphasis given to people with lived experience of violence, both victims and perpetrators.

Domestic/family violence is a complex and serious social problem which affects individuals, families, communities, the workplace and the economy. SHE is concerned that changes to the welfare system coupled with cutting back relevant support services will ultimately lead to an increase of domestic violence and abuse. SHE would like to thank the Reference Group for allowing us to present our submission to the Review of Australia’s Welfare System.