A new study by the Australian Institute of Criminology reveals that nearly 10% of men in New South Wales have had police take legal action against them for domestic and family violence by the age of 37.
The study found nearly 10% of men had been involved in family and domestic violence offences. Notably, 1.2% of the population was responsible for over half of these offences. The majority of incidents involved intimate partner violence, but other relatives and household members were also perpetrators.
This study highlights the pervasiveness of domestic violence, and these numbers are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Domestic and family violence is notoriously underreported for a range of reasons including fear of retaliation, stigma, distrust of authorities, cultural or social barriers, and economic dependence on the perpetrator.
Children exposed to domestic violence often endure a heavy emotional toll. They may feel isolated and struggle with feelings of shame and guilt, mistakenly believing they are at fault for the violence occurring in their homes. These feelings can lead to a deep sense of hopelessness and confusion. This burden that children bear was the catalyst for Hope by Jayneen Sanders, a book to help children build resilience and assist them in recovering from and/or living in family violence situations.
