Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence

4 Sutherland Shire Domestic Violence Informtion and Support Guide What is Domestic Violence? Domestic Violence can take many forms and is different in every family situation. Domestic violence generally occurs as a pattern of behaviours that are linked by power and control. This means that one person in the relationship intentionally and deliberately rules by fear, suppresses the others free will, intimidates, coerces and threatens to, or actually does harm to the other, as a way and means to control or have power over them. Domestic and Family Violence can happen to anyone from any country, religion, disability, age, social class or cultural background, sexuality or gender. This includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, monogamous, open, polyamorous, dating, long-term, living together or not living together, even long distance. It can happen to people who identify as transgender, gender-diverse, intersex, queer, sistergirl, brotherboy or cisgender. (NSW Government, 2018; https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/domestic-violence/ my-situation/im-lgbtiq). For the purposes of this resource, perpetrators will be referred to as male and victims will be referred to as female to highlight the overwhelming statistics that show males as perpetrators within society, with one in six women experiencing intimate partner violence. ABS (2017). However, it is acknowledged that members of the LGBTQI experience domestic violence and in no way is there an intention to minimise their experience. No-one asks to be in a domestic violence relationship. No-one deserves to be in a domestic violence relationship