2008/11/30

New report challenges current DV models

Where are same sex DV services in WA?

SSDAG today released their evaluation report into the capacity of mainstream Western Australian domestic violence (DV) and abuse services to support members of the LGBT community. The report ­­recommends enhancing current services to women by including more diversity in the DV sector

 

The release of this evaluation report is important to the domestic abuse sector as same sex domestic abuse victims do not receive equal opportunity to access support services in WA.  Despite continuous work by SSDAG since 2004 to train the sector, it appears unwilling to provide equal access to support LGBTI victims of domestic abuse.

 

SSDAG Chairperson Mark Ravenscroft said “This report is also relevant to those interested in social justice, institutionalised discrimination and the failure of law-reform to deliver actual services. It is an example of the failure of public servants to carry through with gay and lesbian law reform in WA.”.

 

Ravescroft went on to add that domestic abuse crimes in the media are not reported in a domestic violence context, and the funding of same sex domestic abuse is unfairly disadvantaged under the current model.

 

Research shows that LGBTI people experience equal levels of domestic abuse in relationships. Private Lives Survey (Latrobe University, 2006) - one of the largest community health survey in Australia - proved that incidences of domestic and family abuse within the LGBT community were 32%. WA’s 1996 Vickers report into intimate partner abuse and family violence cited research that indicated that prevalence of domestic abuse was at least similar to heterosexual family violence and may well be higher. Internationally, the figures support this unacknowledged problem.

 

SSDAG remains the sole representative for LGBTI victims of domestic abuse in WA and face an uncertain future with the denial of the existence of this problem by key government departments. The evaluation report can be downloaded from the SSDAG website’s Media Release page.

Story by SSDAG

articles archive