Why violence increases during bushfires

Summer is already a time of increased risk of violence. Research suggests that incidents of intimate partner violence, including femicide, increase during and in the days following heatwaves over 34°C. This year, the risk is exacerbated by the ways that disaster increases stressors and plays into existing gender stereotypes.

Women experiencing DFV before the fires may face increasingly frequent and severe violence post-disaster, when trauma, grief, financial stress, and loss of a home or employment may escalate their partner’s perpetration. Women and their children may also find themselves separated from family, friends and other protective networks.

Sexual violence is also known to increase during disasters. There are several factors contributing to this risk: crowded evacuation and recovery spaces may increase women’s and children’s interaction with opportunistic offenders; tension and stress is again a known risk factor for perpetration; and an atmosphere of chaos in communities can be capitalised on by abusers, as it provides cover for their violence and acts as an additional barrier to victims’/survivors’ reporting and response.

There are also increased barriers to accessing help. Women may feel pressure not to report violence during and after disasters, believing that resources are too stretched and that “other people’s needs are greater than mine”. Evidence suggests that some service providers, including police, psychologists and community workers, may encourage women to tolerate violence until things “settle down”. Community and even family members may also perceive violence during disasters as excusable “if it results from temporary anger or results in genuine regret”, and tell women they are over-reacting or “not caring well enough for their men”. This can be exacerbated if the perpetrator is seen as a hero during the fires.

During disasters, people experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence who have additional marginalisations – including being isolated, experiencing homelessness, having disability, using drugs and/or alcohol, being culturally or linguistically diverse, or being LGBTQI+ – may be more vulnerable to violence and face additional barriers to accessing assistance.

Helping affected communities

For friends and family

There are also things you can do to improve the safety of loved ones and other people affected by the bushfire crisis.

If you need support following violence, or know someone who does, call the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence National Help Line, 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) or contact your state-based DV service:

ACT: Domestic Violence Crisis Service (02 6280 0900)

NSW: Domestic Violence Line (‍1800 656 463)

NT: Area-based support services

Qld: DVConnect (1800 811 811)

SA: Domestic Violence Crisis Line (1800 800 098)

Tas: Family Violence Counselling and Support Service  (1800 608 122; 9am–midnight weekdays, 4pm–midnight weekends & public holidays)

Vic: Safe Steps (1800 015 188)

WA: Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline (1800 007 339)

Other useful resources:

How to help someone who has experienced violence – 1800RESPECT

Helping a friend or family member after a traumatic event – Phoenix Australia (University of Melbourne’s Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health)

Community Trauma Toolkit – Emerging Minds

No to Violence Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491)

Council of Intellectual Disability’s easy-read Bushfire Info Guide NSW  (or call 1800 424 065)

Consent laws

ANROWS submissions to NSW Law Reform Commission

ANROWS has made a submission to the NSW Law Reform Commission on their draft proposal for changes to the state’s consent laws as they relate to sexual assault offences.

In this submission ANROWS draws attention to the fact that sexual assault does occur within relationships and that there are complexities around consent in the context of relationships—including where there is also domestic violence. To underline this, we have suggested that the Law Reform Commission consider providing jury directions on domestic and family violence. We have also highlighted the importance of consent that is contingent upon the proper use of a condom, in the context of reproductive coercion.

New research

Books & Reports

Abell Foundation: Thompson, E. &, Kaufman, J. (2019). Prevention, Intervention, and Policy Strategies to Reduce the Individual and Societal Costs Associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) for Children in Baltimore City

ACOSS: Demand for Community Services Snapshot—December 2019

De Lint, W. & Marmo, M (2019). Narrating Injustice Survival: Self-medication by Victims of Crime. Palgrave Macmillan.

Commission for Children and Young People (2019). Lost, not forgotten: Inquiry into children who died by suicide and were known to Child Protection, Melbourne: Commission for Children and Young People.

Disabled People’s Organisations Australia (DPO Australia) & National Women’s Alliances: The Status of Women and Girls with Disability in Australia

Emerging Minds: Community Trauma Toolkit

In our own words: Systemic inquiry into the lived experience of children and young people in the Victorian out-of-home care system

No To Violence: Discussion Paper—Predominant Aggressor Identification and Victim Misidentification

Victorian Government: Strengthening the Foundations: First Rolling Action Plan 2019-22

Queensland Police: The Domestic and Family Violence GPS-enabled Electronic Monitoring Technology—Evaluation Report

Swinburne University of Technology & National Council for Single Mothers and their Children: Debts and disappointment: mothers’ experiences of the child support system

Articles

Baidawi, S. & Sheehan, R. (2019). ‘Crossover kids’: Offending by child protection-involved youth. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice, 582.

Churchill, B., Ravn, S., & Craig, L. (2019). Gendered and generational inequalities in the gig economy era. Journal of Sociology, 55(4), 627–636.

Holmes, B., Best, A. … (2017) Mobilising knowledge in complex health systems: a call to action. Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, Volume 13, Number 3, 539-560.

Matthews, S. & Egan, J. (2019). Domestic Violence: A Little Explored Area in Clinical Psychology. Clinical Psychology Today.

Molyneaux, R., Gibbs, L., Bryant, R.A., Humphreys C., Hegarty, K., Kellett, C., Gallagher, H.C., Block, K., Harms, L., Richardson, J.F., Alkemade, N., Forbes, D., (2019). Interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes following disaster, BJPsych Open, 6(1).

Salter, M. (2020). Gay, bisexual and queer men’s attitudes and understandings of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Douglas, H., Fell, E. (2020). Malicious Reports of Child Maltreatment as Coercive Control: Mothers and Domestic and Family Violence. Journal of Family Violence.

Gribaldo, A. (2019). The Burden of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence, Experience, and Persuasion. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, 42(2), 283-297.

Htun, M., & Jensenius, F. R. (2020). Fighting Violence Against Women: Laws, Norms & Challenges Ahead. Daedalus, 149(1), 144-159.

Papamichail, S. P. (2019). Policing domestic violence in Greece: The cooperation of the police with women-victims of domestic violence as a key factor in the prevention and treatment. Journal of Sociology and Social Work, 7(2).

Renner, L. M., Driessen, M. C., & Lewis-Dmello, A. (2019). A Pilot Study Evaluation of a Parent Group for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of Family Violence. Advance online publication.

Ryan, J., & Roman, N. V. (2019). Family-centered interventions for intimate partner violence: A systematic review. A Journal of Injury and Violence Prevention, 17(1), 32-48.

Salter, M., Robinson, K., Ullman, J., Denson, N., Ovenden, G., Noonan, K., & Bansel, P. (in press). Gay, bisexual and queer men’s attitudes and understandings of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Wiley, K. (2019). Implementing Domestic Violence Policy: When Accountability Trumps Mission. Affilia. Advance online publication.