A landmark report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has today revealed sobering figures about the prevalence of family, domestic and sexual violence in the country.
The statistical report found one in six women (equating to 1.6 million women) and one in 16 men have experience psychical and/or sexual violence by a cohabitating partner since the age of 15.
Furthermore, the research found one woman a week and one man a month were killed by a current or former partner from 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The report was built from 20 different data sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“Women are more likely to experience violence from a known person and in their home, while men are more likely to experience violence from strangers and in a public place,” AIHW spokesperson Louise York said in a statement.
The groups particularly vulnerable include Indigenous women, young women and pregnant women.
The report also found that children who were physically or sexually abused before the age of 15 were around three times as likely to be a victim of domestic violence after the age of 15, compared to those who had not.
As the ABC reports, nearly 2.5 million Australians reported suffering physical or sexual abuse before the age of 15; young girls made up almost two thirds of those reported
“Children can be victims of or witnesses to family violence—and this early exposure can heighten their chances of experiencing further violence later in life,” Ms York said.
White Ribbon chief executive officer Libby Davies told The Guardian that the statistics were sadly “not surprising”.
“Disrespect and violence against women is pervasive in our community and needs to be addressed as a national priority,” Davies said.
“This figure also underlines the significant investment needed by governments, business and community to reverse this trend immediately.”
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