MISINFORMATION ABOUT FAMILY VIOLENCE

Research and statistics about family violence and abuse can be complex and difficult to interpret due to the wide variation in research methodologies employed, and the different definitions of violence and abuse used by researchers and academics.

Regrettably, while well-intentioned, many past efforts to reduce family violence against women have inadvertently used incorrect or misleading ‘statistics’ which unfairly stigmatise men and boys as violent and abusive, while simultaneously denying or downplaying the existence of male victims of violence.

All victims of violence and abuse, whether male or female, deserve policies based upon up-to-date accurate data. Flawed data can only lead to flawed policies and actions, and many children continue to be exposed to violence because of these misinterpretations.

Understandably many people, including the media, politicians and other decision-makers, simply quote the ‘facts and figures’ that are given to them. This leads to misunderstandings and biases being reproduced and legitimised on a regular basis. The One in Three Campaign aims to address the widespread misinformation about family violence and abuse by providing accurate data to the public about this important issue.

Examples of such misinformation include the following:

Agency or Individual	Misleading ‘statistic’	Correction	Corrected?
Amnesty International	“In some countries up to 69% of women have been physically abused by their male partners”	The 69% statistic was calculated from a regional survey of 378 ever-married/partnered women aged 15 to 49 in Nicaragua1. This data was not nationally representative, it only surveyed young women, and it excluded women who had never been married/partnered. A nationally representative study with a much larger sample size2 found an overall lifetime prevalence of physical violence from a partner of 28%.	Commendably, Amnesty have stopped using this ‘statistic’.
	“Violence against women is the most widespread human rights abuse in the world”	Violence against men, on every available indicator, is much more extensive, widespread, and has much greater health impacts, than does violence against women3.	Commendably, Amnesty have reworded the ‘statistic’ to read “Violence against women is one of the most widespread human rights abuses in the world.”
	“The Council of Europe has stated that domestic violence is the major cause of death and disability for women aged 16 to 44 and accounts for more death and ill-health than cancer or traffic accidents”	Cancer is responsible for 3.4 times the burden of disease, and road traffic accidents 2.3 times the burden, compared to (all) violence (not just domestic violence)4.	Commendably, Amnesty have stopped using this ‘statistic’.
Oxfam	“For women aged 15-44 gender violence accounts for more deaths and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war”	Cancer is responsible for 3.4 times the burden of disease, and road traffic accidents 2.3 times the burden, compared to (all) violence (not just gender violence)4.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation	“More than one in three Australian women will experience violence inflicted by their partner at some point in their lifetime”	The most recent nationally representative survey found that 1 in 48 Australian women report having experienced violence from a current partner since the age of 155.	Commendably, the ABC have amended the ‘statistic’ on their website.
	“Violence is the leading cause of death, disability and illness to Victorian women under the age of 45”	The top five causes of death, disability and illness [combined] for Australian women 15-44 years are anxiety and depression, migraine, type 2 diabetes, asthma and schizophrenia . Violence doesnt make the top ten leading causes6.	Commendably, the ABC have added a footnote to clarify this ‘statistic’ on their website.
	“Every year, nearly half a million Australian women experience violence at the hands of their partners or ex-partners”	The most recent nationally representative survey found that 114,600 Australian women report having experienced violence from a current or previous partner during the last 12 months5.	Commendably, the ABC have removed this ‘statistic’ from their website.
White Ribbon Foundation	“Males are more likely than females to agree with statements [such as]... ‘when a guy hits a girl it's not really a big deal’”	31% of young males and 19% of young females agreed with the statement “when girl hits a guy its really not a big deal.” The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7.	This error was widely reported as fact by the Australian media, politicians and NGOs. Commendably, the WRF issued a correction, and subsequently some media outlets such as the ABC corrected their reports, while most others remain uncorrected.
	“In a survey of 5,000 young Australians aged 12-20: One in four (23.4%) reported having witnessed an act of physical violence by their father or step-father against their mother or step-mother (this included throwing things at her, hitting her, or using a knife or a gun against her, as well as threats and attempts to do these things). Over half (58%) had witnessed their father or stepfather yell loudly at their mother/step mother”	In the same survey, 22% of young Australians reported having witnessed an act of physical violence by their mother or step-mother against their father or step-father (this included throwing things at him, hitting him, or using a knife or a gun against him, as well as threats and attempts to do these things). Over half (55%) had witnessed their mother or stepmother yell loudly at their father/step father7.	This misleading selective use of data was widely reported by the Australian media, politicians and NGOs. It remains uncorrected.
	“30.2% of Year 10 girls and 26.6% of Year 12 girls have ever experienced unwanted sex”	22.6% of Year 10 boys and 23.8% of Year 12 boys had also experienced unwanted sex8.	This misleading selective use of data was widely reported by the Australian media, politicians and NGOs. It remains uncorrected.
	“The National Crime Prevention survey found that... 6% [of young women] said a boyfriend had physically forced them to have sex”	The same survey found that 5% of young men said a girlfriend had physically forced them to have sex7.	This misleading selective use of data was widely reported by the Australian media, politicians and NGOs. It remains uncorrected.
	“For young women the risk of violence is 3 to 4 times higher than the risk for women overall”	For young women the risk of violence is 2.1 times higher than the risk for women overall5.	Commendably, the WRF corrected this error.
	“The 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey found that 27.2 per cent of women aged 18-24 had experienced an incident of physical assault in the past 12 months compared to 12 per cent of older women”	The 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey found that 7 per cent of women aged 18-24 had experienced an incident of physical assault in the past 12 months compared to 2 per cent of older women5.	Commendably, the WRF corrected this error.
The Hon. Linda Burney MP, NSW Minister for Women	“domestic violence affects one in three women in Australia”	The most comprehensive, recent and largest scale survey on violence in Australia found that approximately one in six Australian women will be affected by domestic violence (violence from a current or former partner) over their lifetimes. On an annual basis, domestic violence affects approximately one in sixty-seven women5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“[domestic violence] is the most likely form of preventable deaths for women under the age of 45”	The top five causes of death for Australian women 15-44 years are malignant neoplasms (757 deaths per annum), accidents and adverse affects (410 deaths), suicide and self-inflicted injury (256 deaths), diseases of the circulatory system (248 deaths) and diseases of the digestive system (81 deaths)9. There are 54 domestic violence homicides of women annually10.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“women and children fleeing domestic violence form the largest group of homeless people in our country”	While domestic/family violence is the main reason cited for seeking assistance from Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) agencies11, the need for housing/accommodation is just one of many reasons why people approach SAAP agencies (other non-accommodation services provided include financial/employment, personal support, advocacy and specialist services). SAAP agencies accommodate just 15% of the Australians who experience homelessness on any given night12, the majority (58%) of whom are men13.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
NSW Government, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Office for Womens Policy	“As numerous studies show, the majority of violence that women experience is perpetrated by an intimate male partner. The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey found that most women assaulted in the last 12 months were assaulted by either a current or previous partner”	The most recent Personal Safety Survey found that 30% of women assaulted in the last 12 months were assaulted by either a current or previous partner5.	Commendably, the NSW Government have issued errata correcting this ‘statistic’.
	“Only a very small proportion of assaults against men were perpetrated by a former or current female intimate partner (4.3%)”	The most recent Personal Safety Survey found that males make up 20% of victims of violence by former or current partners5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Three quarters of intimate partner homicides involve men killing their female partners”	The latest Homicide in Australia: 2006-07 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report found that less than two thirds (64.6%) of intimate partner homicides involve men killing their female partners14.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Data from the Personal Safety Survey also indicates that women reporting violence in intimate relationships are significantly more likely than men to experience repeated acts of violence”	Data from the Personal Safety Survey indicates that women reporting violence by current partners in intimate relationships are significantly more likely than men to experience repeated acts of violence. However, women and men reporting violence by previous partners in intimate relationships experience repeated acts of violence at similar rates5.	Commendably, the NSW Government have issued errata correcting this ‘statistic’.
	“Males did not have prior experiences of violent relationships”	The Personal Safety Survey shows that 6% of males and 17% of females have prior experiences of violent relationships (i.e. they have experienced current or previous partner violence since the age of 15)5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Males rarely experienced post separation violence”	The Personal Safety Survey shows that 5% of males (n = 367,300) and 15% of females (n = 1,135,500) have experienced previous partner violence since the age of 155. Research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies made the following observations about post separation violence. (a) Fairly similar proportions of men (55%) and women (62%) reported experiencing physical violence including threats by their former spouse. (b) Emotional abuse was reported by 84% of women and 75% of men15.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Canadian data indicate that compared with male victims of domestic violence, women are three times more likely to be injured as a result of violence; five times more likely to require medical attention or hospitalisation”	These statistics are from an out-of-date Canadian survey. The latest survey found that similar percentages of female and male victims sustained injuries and male victims of spousal violence are 1.8 times as likely as female victims of spousal violence to suffer major assault16.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“In addition, a study in the United States comparing the mental health impacts of domestic violence for men and women found that women were markedly more likely to suffer impacts than men”	While the referenced study of 502 university students17 did find that the mental health impacts of domestic violence on women were markedly greater than on men, it also found that for experienced and witnessed family violence, the health impact was similar for males and females. A further study of 573 university students found that reporting higher number of mental health symptoms was significantly related to experiencing higher levels of IPV victimisation but not to gender (female or male)18.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Compared to men, women comprise the majority of domestic and family violence victims brought to the attention of criminal justice agencies. An analysis of reported incidents of domestic assault in NSW between 1997 and 2004 indicated that 71% of domestic assault incidents reported to the police involved a female victim, and that 80% of the offenders were male. By these figures, 29% of victims were male, not an insignificant proportion. A possible explanation for this is given by Flood. On his analysis, the data relied upon may be categorised as being drawn from acts based instruments. Flood argues that such instruments have value as surveillance instruments in the general population but they are inadequate for capturing the substance, impact or dynamics of intimate partner violence, and particularly the more serious forms of this violence, which women experience at far greater rates than men. In this regard, whilst the figures show a not insignificant proportion of men experiencing domestic violence, they do not capture the seriousness of that violence”	The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data19 showing that 29% of domestic assault victims are male is crime data (based upon reports to police) and therefore does not rely whatsoever upon the acts based instruments used to obtain survey data. However, the statistics quoted on page 3 of the discussion paper from the Personal Safety Survey5 and the International Violence Against Women Survey20 rely exclusively upon acts based instruments. Dr Flood's critique can therefore be applied only to data from these surveys, and is not a valid or relevant critique of the NSW crime data.	This error remains uncorrected.
	“Exposure to domestic and family violence increases... and, in the case of boys particularly, may lead to them perpetrating violence as adults”	The referenced paper Young Australians and Domestic Violence21 says nothing whatsoever about boys being more likely than girls to perpetrate violence as adults if exposed to domestic and family violence as children. It instead talks generically of young people.	Commendably, the NSW Government have issued errata correcting this ‘statistic’.
	“Domestic and family violence can be lethal. In Australia from 1989 to 1998, 57% of female deaths resulting from homicide or violence were perpetrated by an intimate partner, with women being over five times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men”	The latest Homicide in Australia: 2006-07 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report14 found that 52% of female homicides were perpetrated by an intimate partner and women were 1.8 times as likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men.	This error remains uncorrected.
	“According to national data, women who experience domestic and family violence do not report it to police. Approximately 14% of women who experienced violence from an intimate partner reported the most recent incident to police”	While it is indisputable that many women who experience domestic and family violence do not report it to police, the Discussion Paper fails to acknowledge that men who experience such violence are even less likely than women to report it to the authorities. The comprehensive South Australian Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Survey22 found that 22% of female victims but only 7.5% of male victims reported their domestic violence incidents to the police.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
	“One in four 12-20 year old Australians surveyed was aware of domestic violence against their mothers or stepmothers by their fathers or step-fathers”	This statistic is taken from the source study Young people and domestic violence - national research on young peoples attitudes to and experiences of domestic violence7. This study found that while 23% of young people were aware of domestic violence against their mothers or step-mothers by their fathers or step-fathers, an almost identical proportion (22%) of young people were aware of domestic violence against their fathers or step-fathers by their mothers or step-mothers. Even more importantly, while similar proportions of young people were aware of exclusive violence by their mother/stepmother or father/step-father, a much greater proportion of young people experienced couple violence between their parents/step-parents. The study was quite unequivocal when reporting on the effects of young people witnessing domestic violence, finding that the most severe disruption on all available indicators occurred in households where couple violence was reported.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
	“Family and domestic violence is a common cause of marital breakdown - 60% of couples cite family violence as a contributing factor in the breakdown of marriages and 30% describe it as a major reason why their relationship ended”	The Discussion Paper cites as the source for this statistic, Impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth)23. This document in turn cites a submission to the Inquiry by the National Abuse Free Contact Campaign24. This submission refers to source research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). When one looks at the source AIFS research15, it actually found that 6% of respondents reported that physical violence was the main reason for marriage breakdown; and verbal and emotional abuse was cited as a main reason by only 2% of respondents.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
Government of South Australia, Office for Women	“Domestic violence costs the Australian economy approximately 13.6 billion every year. This figure is expected to rise to 15.6 billion by 2021-22. At a total cost of 3.5 billion, it has been established that pain, suffering and premature mortality accounts for nearly half the total cost of domestic violence. The next largest contributor is consumption costs, including property replacement, bad debts and lost household economics”	These costs25 do not apply just to domestic violence. They apply to all violence against women and their children and include both domestic (intimate and ex-intimate partner) and non-domestic violence. They do not include the cost of domestic violence against men (who make up over one third26 of victims).	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
	“Three women are killed in domestic violence situations every fortnight across Australia”	Two women and one man are killed in domestic violence situations every two-and-a-half weeks across Australia. 42 females and 23 males were victims of intimate partner homicide in 2006-07 (the most recent data available)14.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“It is estimated that in every year, approximately 350,000 and 125,000 will experience physical and sexual violence respectively”	It is estimated that in every year in Australia, approximately 350,000 and 125,000 women will experience physical and sexual violence respectively. So will approximately 775,000 and 45,000 men. These figures refer to all violence, not just domestic violence, and they include attempts and threats as well as actual violence. As far as domestic violence goes, it is estimated that in every year in Australia, approximately 114,600 women will experience domestic violence (43,800 from their current partner, and 70,800 from their former partner). So will 27,900 men (8,400 from their current partner, 19,500 from their former partner). In total 142,500 people will experience domestic violence every year5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Domestic violence is the main cause of death, disability and illness in Victorian women 15-44 years. It is more harmful than smoking, alcohol and obesity combined”	The top five causes of death, disability and illness [combined] for Australian women 15-44 years are anxiety and depression, migraine, type 2 diabetes, asthma and schizophrenia. Violence doesnt make the top ten leading causes6.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“At least 1 in 17 women is a victim of domestic violence each year”	At least 1 in 67 women is a victim of domestic violence each year. These figures include attempts and threats as well as actual violence5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“1 in 8 high school students will be in a domestic violence relationship before they leave school”	1 in 8 high school students will be in a domestic violence relationship before they leave school. Approximately equal numbers of victims will be male and female7.	This misleadingly vague statement remains unclarified.
	“95% of domestic violence involves a male perpetrator and a female victim. The other 5% includes same sex relationships or a female perpetrator to the victim”	Up to two-thirds of domestic violence victims are female, and at least one third are male26.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“About 7% of non-Aboriginal women reported experiencing physical violence during 2005, compared to 20% of aboriginal women”	About 7% of non-Aboriginal women reported experiencing physical violence during 2002, compared to 20% of Aboriginal women20. This figure includes both domestic (intimate and ex-intimate partner) and non domestic violence against women by men, includes attempts and threats as well as actual violence, and does not include violence against women by other women (which makes up approximately one-quarter of all violence against women5).	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“Young women experience higher rates of sexual assault and run higher risks, at least 3 to 4 times higher, than the overall population of women”	Young people experience higher rates of sexual assault and run higher risks, at least twice as high as the overall population5.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
	“25% of young people have witnessed physical domestic violence against their mother”	23% of young people have witnessed physical domestic violence against their mother or stepmother, and 22% of young people have witnessed physical domestic violence against their father or stepfather7.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Ms Elizabeth Broderick	“One in three women will live in an intimate relationship characterised by violence over her lifetime”	The Personal Safety Survey 20055 found that 160,100 women have experienced violence from a current partner since the age of 15. This is 2.08% of Australian women. This equates to one in forty eight women - nowhere near one in three.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
	“almost 90% of the victims of domestic violence are female”	Up to two-thirds of domestic violence victims are female, and at least one third are male26.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd	“In any year, nearly half a million Australian women experience physical or sexual assault by a current or former partner”	The most recent nationally representative survey5 found that 114,600 Australian women report having experienced violence from a current or previous partner during the last 12 months.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected.
The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children	“many men belong to sexist peer cultures”	The vast majority of men believe in gender equality7.	This unfortunate statement remains uncorrected.
	“domestic and family violence is a common cause of relationship breakdown”	Only 7% of breakdowns are caused by violence or abuse: communication problems are the main cause15.	This error remains uncorrected
	“63% of child killers are fathers”	Less than a quarter are fathers, and over half are mothers27.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“Australian women and their children have a right to protection from violence”	International human rights conventions apply equally to all people28.	This one-sided statement remains uncorrected.
	“denigrating representations of women in the media should be addressed”	Negative portrayals of men are far more prevalent and just as damaging29.	This one-sided statement remains uncorrected.
Professor Thea Brown, Director, Well Being of Children Following Parental Separation and Divorce Research Consortium, Monash University	“Earlier studies suggest that domestic violence is the major cause of parental separation in 66% of parental relationship breakdowns. For 33% of these couples, the violence can be categorised as serious. Research also shows that in some demographics and some regional areas, family violence can be a contributing factor to separation in 80% of cases”	Only 7% of breakdowns are caused by violence or abuse: communication problems are the main cause15.	These ‘statistics’ remain uncorrected.
United Nations Population Fund	“Violence is a traumatic experience for any man or woman, but gender-based violence is preponderantly inflicted by men on women and girls”. No evidence is cited for this claim. However, the following circular argument is offered instead. “Definition of gender-based violence: Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”	It would only be fair if male victims weren't defined out of existence by United Nations reports such as these.	This attempt to deny the existence of male victims of violence remains uncorrected.
United Nations Millennium Project	“Worldwide, it is estimated that violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among reproductive-age women as is cancer, and it is a more common cause of ill-health among women than traffic accidents and malaria combined”	Cancer is responsible for 3.4 times the burden of disease, and road traffic accidents 2.3 times the burden, compared to violence4.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
World Health Organisation	“Where violence by women occurs it is more likely to be in the form of self-defence”	The references cited to back this claim all asserted that womens violence was primarily in self defense, but either reported no data, or reported that only 6.9% of the women acted in self-defense. At least five other un-cited studies report data on self-defense. Four out of the five found that only a small percentages of female violence was in self-defense. For the one study which found high rates of self-defense, the percentage in self-defense was slightly greater for men (56%) than for women (42%)30.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
Kelvin Thomson MP, Federal Member for Wills	“Violence is the biggest health risk to Australian women”	The biggest health risks to Australian women are high blood pressure, high body mass, physical inactivity and tobacco6.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
Mrs Sophie Mirabella MP, Shadow Minister for Women	“1 in 3 teenage boys think its no big deal to hit a girl... almost a third of girls in year 10 have experienced unwanted sex”	31% of young males and 19% of young females agreed with the statement “when a girl hits a guy its really not a big deal.” The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7. 22.6% of Year 10 boys have also experienced unwanted sex8.	These ‘statistics’ remain uncorrected.
Ms Pru Goward MP, Shadow Minister for Women	“I am... very disappointed that so many young men believe it's acceptable to hit your girlfriend... We don't know whether boys have always held these attitudes or whether they've got worse because we actually haven't been doing this sort of research, but it is a very high level of tolerance of violence and a belief that violence is okay”	31% of young males and 19% of young females agreed with the statement “when girl hits a guy its really not a big deal.” The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7.	Commendably, the ABC have amended the ‘statistic’ on their website.
Graeme Innes, Human Rights and Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Tom Calma, Torres Strait Islander Social Justice and Race Discrimination Commissioner	“one in three boys think that it is OK to hit a girl”	31% of young males and 19% of young females agreed with the statement “when girl hits a guy its really not a big deal.” The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7.	Commendably, the Australian Human Rights Commission has amended this ‘statistic’ on their website.
	“research finds that one in four 12 to 20 year olds are aware of domestic violence being committed against their mothers or step-mothers by their fathers or step fathers”	The same research finds that 22% of young Australians reported having witnessed an act of physical violence by their mother or step-mother against their father or step-father7.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
Andrew O'Keefe, Chairman White Ribbon Foundation, White Ribbon Ambassador and member of the National Council for Reducing Violence Against Women and their Children	“Violence against women is the most prevalent human rights abuse in the world”	Violence against men, on every available indicator, is much more extensive, widespread, and has much greater health impacts, than does violence against women3.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“many more Australian girls suffer physical... violence than Australian boys”	The Personal Safety Survey 20055 found that 702,400 males and 779,500 females had experienced physical abuse before the age of 15. The National Crime Prevention Survey7 found that young females were more likely than young males to have experienced bitching and rape/sexual assault, while young males were more likely than young females to have experienced bullying, punch-ups between people at school/college, drunken fights in pubs/clubs and racial violence. Young males and females were equally likely to have experienced physical fights between brothers and sisters and domestic violence.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“One in three boys believes most violence against women occurs because the woman provoked it”	The study actually found that 33% of young males and 25% of young females agreed with the statement “Most physical violence occurs in dating because a partner provoked it.” These young males and females were equally likely to have experienced domestic violence7.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“One in three year 10 girls who've had sex, have had unwanted (i.e. coerced) sex”	22.6% of Year 10 boys have also experienced unwanted sex. Only 13.4% of young people who had experienced unwanted sex, had been 'coerced' ('my partner thought I should' or 'my friends thought I should'). Other reasons given for unwanted sex were 'too drunk' or 'too high')8.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
	“[Violence against women] outstrips breast cancer, obesity, drink-driving and smoking as the leading contributor to death, disability and illness for women in the prime of their life.”	According to a VicHealth study with flawed methodology, intimate partner violence outstrips illicit drugs, alcohol, body weight, cholesterol, tobacco, blood pressure and physical inactivity as the leading contributor to death, disability and illness for Victorian women aged 15-4432. Both breast cancer and road traffic accidents contribute more to the burden of disease in women aged 15-44 than does violence6.	This misleading selective use of data remains uncorrected.
Jon Chin, member of the Hunter White Ribbon Day breakfast organising committee	“Violence against women has to be the greatest human rights scandal of our time”	Violence against men, on every available indicator, is much more extensive, widespread, and has much greater health impacts, than does violence against women3.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“more than 1 million women had been a victim of violence in the previous 12 months”	443,800 women had been a victim of violence in the previous 12 months, as had 808,300 men5.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“one in seven boys aged 12 to 20 believes it is all right to force a girl to have sex if she was flirting”	one in eight boys aged 12 to 20 said yes to the statement ‘It’s okay for a boy to make a girl have sex, if she’s flirted with him, or led him on’7.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
	“One in three boys believes most violence against women occurs because the woman provoked it”	The study actually found that 33% of young males and 25% of young females agreed with the statement ‘Most physical violence occurs in dating because a partner provoked it.’ These young males and females were equally likely to have experienced domestic violence. The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
Fran Bailey, Federal Member for McEwen	“many young boys still thought it was acceptable to hit girls”	31% of young males and 19% of young females agreed with the statement “when girl hits a guy its really not a big deal.” The same survey found that while males hitting females was seen, by virtually all young people surveyed, to be unacceptable, it appeared to be quite acceptable for a girl to hit a boy7.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
Access Economics	“98% of perpetrators [of domestic violence] were male”	65% of domestic violence perpetrators were male, according to available Australian data at the time31.	Commendably, Access Economics released a corrigendum revising this figure to 87%. Unfortunately this figure is still incorrect, as it is based on out-of-date United States survey data and incorrect calculation methodology.
The Body Shop	“98% of the perpetrators of domestic violence were male”	65% of domestic violence perpetrators were male, according to available Australian data at the time31.	Commendably, the Body Shop corrected this error, revising this figure to 87%. Unfortunately this figure is still incorrect, as it is based on out-of-date United States survey data and incorrect calculation methodology.
Marie Claire Magazine	“that's half a million children and teenagers who know their mother or step-mother is being abused by her partner”	An almost identical number of children and teenagers know their father or step-father is being abused by his partner7.	This ‘statistic’ remains uncorrected
US Congressman William Delahunt, co-sponsor of the International Violence Against Women Act	“The World Health Organization estimates that violence against women causes more disability and death among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war”	The World Health Organisation reports that cancer is responsible for 3.4 times the burden of disease, and road traffic accidents 2.3 times the burden, compared to violence4.	This error was widely reported by Australian and International media, and remains uncorrected.

 

1 Morrison, Andrew R. and Maria Beatriz Orlando (1999). “Social and economic costs of domestic violence: Chile and Nicaragua.” In Too Close to Home: Domestic Violence in the Americas. Eds. Andrew R. Morrison and M.L Biehl. Washington, DC: Inter- American Development Bank. Pp. 51-80.

2 Rosales, Jimmy, Edilberto Loaiza, Domingo Primante, Angeles Barberena, Luîs Blandon, and Mary Ellsberg (1999). Encuesta Nicaragüense de Demografia y Salud 1998. Managua, Nicaragua: Instituto Nacional de Estadîsticas y Censos, INEC.

3 N.B. These figures include all violence against men, not just family violence. They are included here because ‘violence against women’ is often erroneously conflated with ‘domestic violence’. Prevalence of violence: the Australian Bureau of Statistic (ABS) 2005 Personal Safety Survey found that 10.8% (n = 808,300) of men and 5.8% (n = 443,800) of women had experienced violence during the last 12 months (and this survey excluded forms of violence experienced predominantly by men, such as violence during the course of play on a sporting field and rape and physical assault amongst the prison population). That means Australian men are almost twice as likely as women to be victims of violence. Impacts of violence: The World Health Organisation (WHO) collects data from around the world on the burden of disease. This disease burden includes four different categories of violence: self-inflicted injuries, violence, war and civil conflict, and other intentional injuries. The impacts of these forms of violence on the lives of victims are measured in a number of ways. One way is to measure the number of deaths from violence. When one does this, one finds that male deaths outnumber female deaths in a ratio of over 2.5 to 1. Another measure of the impact of violence upon victims is called the DALY, or Disability Adjusted Life Year. The DALY is a measure of overall disease burden. It is designed to quantify the impact of premature death and disability on a population by combining them into a single, comparable measure. In so doing, mortality and morbidity are combined into a single, common metric. When one looks at the DALY measures for the categories of violence listed above, one finds that the burden of disease from violence for males is over 2.8 times greater than the burden for females. This data on deaths and DALYs shows that the impact of violence upon males is greater than upon females across all geographic regions, races, religions, classes, cultures and ages (though young men experience the greatest impacts of violence of any age group). The one exception is the overall disease burden (DALYs) from self-inflicted injuries in the Western Pacific Region, where females suffer an almost 10% greater burden than males.

4 The most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Burden of Disease figures can be found on the WHO website at http://www.who.int/entity/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/DALY6%202004.xls

5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006). Personal safety survey australia: 2005 reissue 4906.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. (Original work published August 10, 2006) Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4906.02005 (Reissue)?OpenDocument

6 Begg, S., Vos, T., Barker, B., Stevenson, C., Stanley, L., & Lopez, A. D. (2007). The burden of disease and injury in australia 2003. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10317

7 National Crime Prevention (2001). Young people and domestic violence : National research on young people's attitudes to and experiences of domestic violence. Barton: Attorney-General's Dept. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.crimeprevention.gov.au/agd/WWW/ncphome.nsf/Page/Publications

8 Smith, A., Agius, P., Dyson, S., Mitchell, A., & Pitts, M. (2003). Secondary students & sexual health. Results of the 3rd national survey of australian secondary students, HIV/AIDS and sexual health 2002 (Monograph series number 47 ed.). Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from http://webstat.latrobe.edu.au/c.latrobe?nm=http://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/assets/downloads/reports/nat_sch_srvy_02.pdf

9 World Health Organisation (2006). Table 1: Numbers and rates of registered deaths. Australia - 2003. World health organisation mortality data-base [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organisation. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.who.int/healthinfo/morttables/en/

10 Mouzos, J. (2005). Homicide in australia: 2003-2004 national homicide monitoring program (NHMP) annual report. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aic.gov.au/en/publications/current series/rpp/61-80/rpp66.aspx

11 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009). Homeless people in SAAP, SAAP national data collection annual report 2007-08. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10662

12 Chamberlain, C., & MacKenzie, D. (2003). Australian census analytic program : Counting the homeless 2001. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/Lookup/5AD852F13620FFDCCA256DE2007D81FE/$File/20500_2001.pdf

13 Commonwealth of Australia (2008). Which way home? A new approach to homelessness. Canberra: Dept. of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/housing/pubs/homelessness/green_paper_homlessess1/Pages/default.aspx

14 Dearden, J., & Jones, W. (2008). Homicide in australia: 2006-07 national homicide monitoring program annual report. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aic.gov.au/en/publications/current%20series/mr/1-20/01.aspx

15 Wolcott, I., & Hughes, J. (1999). Towards understanding the reasons for divorce. Australian Institute of Family Studies, Working Paper, 20. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/wolcott6.html

16 Statistics Canada (2008). Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2008, Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Ministry of Industry, Ottowa. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-224-x/85-224-x2008000- eng.pdf

17 Romito, P and Grassi, M. (2007). ‘Does violence affect one gender more than the other? The mental health impact of violence among male and female university students’, Social Science & Medicine, Vol 65, pp.1222 –1234.

18 Prospero, M. (2007). ‘Mental health symptoms among female and male victims of partner violence’, American Journal of Men's Health, Vol 1, pp. 269-277.

19 People, J. (2005). Trends and patterns in domestic violence assaults. Crime and Justice Bulletin, 89. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_mr_cjb89

20 Mouzos, J., & Makkai, T. (2004). Women's experiences of male violence: Findings from the australian component of the international violence against women survey (IVAWS). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/rpp/41-60/rpp56.aspx

21 Indermaur, D. (2001). Young australians and domestic violence. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 195. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/181-200/tandi195.aspx

22 Dal Grande, E., Woollacott, T., Taylor, A., Starr, G., Anastassiadis, K., Ben-Tovim, D., et al. (2001). Interpersonal violence and abuse survey, september 1999 . Adelaide: Epidemiology Branch, Dept. of Human Services. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pros/portals/0/interpersonal-violence-survey.pdf

23 NSW Parliament (2006). Impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth), Standing Committee on Law and Justice, NSW Parliament, Sydney. http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/b22b4bc31d2d2042ca257234000956c6/$F ILE/Impact%20of%20Family%20Law%20Amendment%20(Shared%20Parental%20Responsibility)%20Act%20Cth %202006%20Report%2033.pdf

24 Hume, M. (2006). National Abuse Free Contact Campaign’s response to the Committee’s Inquiry into the impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth), Submission 11. http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/1efcba2c54066174ca257212000d2629/$FI LE/ATTYB5GX/sub%2011.pdf

25 The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2009). The cost of violence against women and their children. Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/women/pubs/violence/np_time_for_action/economic_costs/Pages/default.aspx

26 See the overview of recent family violence research findings

27 Dearden, J (2009) Homicide in Australia: 2006-07 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report, email to Greg Andresen (approved for public circulation) 22 January 2009. See http://www.menshealthaustralia.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=556&Itemid=79

28 United Nations (1966) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

29 Nathanson, P and Young, K R (2001). Spreading Misandry: The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Also Macnamara, J R (2006). Media And Male Identity: The Making And Remaking Of Men. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

30 Straus, M. A. (2008). Dominance and symmetry in partner violence by male and female university students in 32 nations. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 252-275. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/ID41-PR41-Dominance-symmetry-In-Press-07.pdf

31 See http://www.menshealthaustralia.net/files/access_economics.pdf

32 Heenan, M., Astbury, J., Vos, T., Magnus, A., Piers, L. S., Walker, L., et al. (2004). The health costs of violence. Measuring the burden of disease caused by intimate partner violence. A summary of findings. Carlton South: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/en/Resource-Centre/Publications-and-Resources/Mental-health-and-wellbeing/Preventing-violence/The-Health-Costs-of-Violence.aspx