>[!IMPORTANT] Myths >It is important to be aware of these myths, as they can create unconscious prejudice (bias) and lead to a failure in holding a perpetrator accountable. [Family Violence Bench Book 5.2.7](https://www.judicialcollege.vic.edu.au/eManuals/FVBBWeb/index.htm#34532.htm) # Myth: FV is just physical assault It includes (and not limited to); - Sexual assault - Sexually coercive behaviour - [[44.09 Emotional or Psychological Abuse|Emotional, psychological or verbal abuse]] - Restricting social interactions - [[44.10 Economic Abuse|Restricting peoples access to money and property]] >[!ABSTRACT] It's only physical assault or sexual assault >The below paper found that the majority of the community thinks social, psychological or emotional abuse wasn't family violence. >[VicHealth (2009), National Survey on Community Attitudes to Violence Against Women 2009, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Melbourne at 28](https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/NCAS_CommunityAttitudes_report_2010.pdf) # Myth: Perpetrators lose their temper and can't control themselves Family violence is cyclical in nature and involves domination, coercion and control. Perpetrators can often turn the abuse off and on at will. >[!ABSTRACT] Systematic pattern of power and control >Family violence is best understood as a chronic behaviour characterised by abusive behaviours by the perpetrator to maintain control over their partner, rather then singular episodes of violence. >[Flood, M. and Fergus, L. (2008), An Assault on Our Future: The impact of violence on young people and their relationships (PDF), A White Ribbon Foundation Report at 7](https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2008-11/apo-nid3678.pdf) # Myth: Victims provoke violence Historical theories of family violence placed the blame on the victims. This has changed. It is best put: >[!QUOTE] New Zealand Women’s Refuge: Common myths about violence >*"No one ‘deserves’ or ‘asks’ to be beaten or emotionally tortured, least of all by someone who says they love you. Abusers often blame women and children for provoking them, but no behaviour justifies a violent response. Children can be disciplined in other ways; family problems can be resolved without violence. There is no excuse for violence. The responsibility for violence lies firmly with the abuser. They make the choice to abuse."* # Myth: Family violence victims should just leave It can be incredibly difficult to escape the insidious nature of a perpetrator's control. The family violence cycle tells us that the perpetrator will love bomb and coerce the victim back. Leaving a relationship that is violent is often non-linear. IT is common for victims to try multiple times to end the relationship before being successful. # Myth: All family violence is "battered woman syndrome" The [Victorian Law Reform Commission in 2006](https://www.lawreform.vic.gov.au/project/family-violence/) found that victims often physically defend themselves by fighting back or using defensive strategies (e.g. friends, family, social services or police for help). >[!ABSTRACT] [Review of Family Violence Laws Report 2006 ](https://www.lawreform.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Review-of-Family-Violence-Laws-Report.pdf) >"For example, one victim described how she would wear her running shoes and carry her keys to bed as a way of quickly escaping if things got very bad." >"Another described how she would try to defend herself during a violence incident: 'It wasn't like I sat there and let it happen... he threw me across the kitchen one day and I picked up the pan... and smacked him over the head with it." # Myth: Men are just as likely as women to be victims Everyone in the community is ultimately vulnerable to family violence, but, a review of the statistics show women are at higher risk. >[!ABSTRACT] [National Domestic and Family Violence Bench Book](https://dfvbenchbook.aija.org.au/dynamics-of-domestic-and-family-violence/myths-and-misunderstandings/kl?ref=50#t-50) >A number of sources are cited at the above link, which provide that **One in Six** Australian women experience violence by their intimate partner, while **One in Twenty** Australian men experience violence by their intimate partner. There are also differences in the nature of the violence perpetrated by males and females. | Male Perpetrators | Female Perpetrators | | ---- | ---- | | Aggression | Frustration | | Intimidation | Anger | | Verbal abuse | More likely to be in self-defence or retaliation to provocation | | Physical violence to assert domination/control | | | Impulsive acts committed in response to anger/frustration | | # Myth: Women exaggerate or make false claims to obtain tactical advantages (e.g. parenting) Below are numerous summaries of studies to counteract this myth. Each in their own right adds to the validity that those in the system, or in need of it, actually do need it. >[!ABSTRACT] Kaspiew, Rae, et al, ‘[Evaluation of the 2012 Family Violence Amendments](https://aifs.gov.au/research/research-reports/evaluation-2012-family-violence-amendments)’ (Synthesis Report, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2015). >- Survey (1) into family law practices and experiences by those working in the field (653 participants) >- Survey (2) comprised of recently separated parents (6,119 participants) and an additional data set of the same (6,079) two years later. >- **Found that parents using the Court system are affected by complex issues (FV, mental health, substance abuse, safety concerns) and therefore need the system to help.** >[!ABSTRACT] Hunter, Rosemary, ‘[Narratives of Domestic Violence](http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/58925/46778_1.pdf?sequenc)’ (2006) 28 _Sydney Law Review_ 733. >- Research paper that drew on observations in court rooms & empirical data from studies. It found that professionals in the field: > - focus on incidents of physical violence as they are 'more compelling abuse'. > - have a lack of understanding why victims are fearful post-separation. > - believe both parties are responsible and assume violence will stop post-separation. > - have a tendency to minimise violence and shift blame. > - often believe male perpetrators who 'neutralise' the incident over female victims whose accounts may not align with that neutral account > - an unsubstantiated (no data/studies) view that women make false allegations for tactical advantages in family law proceedings >[!ABSTRACT] Chisholm, Richard, [_Family Courts Violence Review_](https://www.ag.gov.au/families-and-marriage/publications/family-courts-violence-review) (Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department, 2009). >- Review that touched on the impacts of 'false allegations' being made by a party involved in family violence. >- Allegations can be true or untrue. >- Untrue allegations may lack truth to the whole allegation or only to some part of it. >- Untruth may be due to honest error, a deliberate desire to fabricate evidence, or it may be an exaggerated or unduly colourful account of an event. >- It was the authors view that more often then not, people do not make false allegations to deceive, but rather by legitimate mistake. >- The Review then discusses literature and empirical data surrounding the wide-spread view that separated mothers make up allegations to get advantages in child custody disputes.