White Ribbon Australia has applauded the announcement of a $363 million domestic violence funding package by the Queensland Government which will include criminalising coercive control.
National Director Allan Ball labelled it “a huge victory for all who have been involved in this campaign” and said it demonstrates the power of collaboration and advocacy in creating historic systemic change.
“It will transform the way Queenslanders understand family and domestic violence and allow victims to see their experience and story in the criminal code for the first time,” Mr Ball said.
"As a White Ribbon Australia Accredited Workplace, we have worked very closely with the Queensland Government and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman. This is a significant step forwards in Queensland's efforts to minimise violence against women and prevent recurring domestic abuse.
“What the Queensland Parliament has done, is made coercive control an offence, empowering victims and survivors to disclose abuse and allowing the legal system to intervene early - before the abuse intensifies.
“Over the last year, the community engagement approach has brought educational messages on how to end coercive control into families, offices, and the mainstream community.
“There is still work to be done to ensure a nationally consistent approach to prevention, such as respectful relationship education in every school, workplaces upholding policies and practises that promote women's safety and gender equality. We also need communities to be adequately resourced to develop action plans to prevent violence at a local level.
“It’s fair to say that domestic violence abusers are still not held accountable under most State and Territory legislation, which focuses solely on physical events rather than patterns of long-term abuse.”
Coercive control is the foundational element of domestic abuse against women, in which the perpetrator uses a variety of deliberate tactics to dominate and control their victims, including psychological and other forms of abuse such as manipulation and surveillance, intimidation, isolation from family and friends, humiliation, and threats.
Women who are experiencing violence or abuse can call 1800RESPECT for confidential information, counselling and support. Men who are concerned that they may use violence are urged to call the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
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Media contact:
John Cooke, Media and Communications Specialist
Phone: 0433 679 780
Email: jcooke@communicare.org.au
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