What is domestic and family violence?

Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a relationship uses violence or abuse to maintain power and control over the other person. People who experience abuse or violence often feel fearful and unsafe.

Abusive behaviours can include:

• physical abuse (including slapping, hitting, punching, pushing, kicking)
• threatening to hurt you, your children, pets, relatives, friends or work colleagues
• threatening to, or depriving you of your liberty (including locking you in the house so you can not go out)
• damaging property to frighten and intimidate you (including punching holes in walls, breaking furniture, harming pets)
• emotional abuse (including criticising your personality, looks, the way you dress, saying you are a bad parent or threatening to hurt you, your children or your pets, or threatening to damage personal items you value)
• verbal abuse (including yelling, shouting, name-calling and swearing at you)
• sexual abuse (including forcing or pressuring you to have sex or participate in sexual acts)
• financial abuse (including taking control of your money, not giving you enough money to survive on, forcing you to hand over your funds, not letting you decide how it is spent)
• threatening to stop providing care for you if you don't do what you are told (this sometimes happens to an elderly person or a person with an illness, disability or impairment who relies on another person to care for them)
• social abuse (including controlling where you go, not letting you see or have contact with your friends or family)
• depriving you of the necessities of life such as food, shelter and medical care
• spiritual abuse (including forcing you to attend religious activities against your wishes or stopping you from participating in the religious or cultural practices of your choice)
• threatening to commit suicide or self-harm to torment, intimidate or frighten you
• stalking (including constantly following you by foot or car, constantly calling you by phone, text message and email, or staying outside your house or workplace). Stalking is a criminal offence in Queensland.

Domestic and family violence occurs in many relationships within Australian society and is not restricted to any particular socioeconomic, racial or cultural groups. It can occur between people in a range of domestic relationships including:

• spousal relationships
• intimate personal relationships
• family relationships
• informal care relationships.

These domestic relationships are defined here.

If you are in a domestic relationship and you are experiencing abusive behaviour, you can apply for a domestic violence order from the Magistrates Court. You can also get more information about domestic violence orders and other legal options.