100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Jane Stephens: words matter when it comes to how people react to domestic abuse

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Man flown to hospital after bobcat incident

A man has been airlifted to hospital after a bobcat rolled over his leg. The Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight helicopter was tasked to a private property More

Academic inspires team to maiden victory

It was the deciding match point – the one that would determine the winner of the Queensland Wheelchair Football League for 2024. With sweat beading More

‘Finish the job’: call to complete works on key road

A frustrated resident has urged the local council to complete a major road upgrade in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. Geoff Glanville said the More

Developer ordered to pay $3m to contractor

The developer of a high-profile Sunshine Coast apartment complex has been ordered to pay a contractor more than $3 million over an unpaid invoice. The More

Councils unite for action on long-term parked vehicles

A Sunshine Coast Council motion calling on the state government to address the long-term storage of recreational vehicles on local roads has been supported More

‘Missing link’: 300m of pathway added near school

A new pathway extension connecting with a public state high school is proving to be the ‘missing link’ to improving pedestrian safety and connectivity. Noosa District State More

The spotlight this month has been on domestic and family violence: how to better help victims, how to prevent it and how to intervene earlier.

It is a complex, multi-faceted problem as old as society itself that – the statistics and reports tell us – is getting worse.

What if a simple way of helping raise awareness was to change our way of talking about it?

When I hear ‘domestic and family violence’, I think physical altercation between those who share an abode or who are kin.

But substitute the word ‘abuse’ for ‘violence’ and it means another thing altogether: behaviour that intimidates, humiliates, controls and monitors, as well as physically hurts.

The adoption of the word ‘violence’ restricts the way people view abusive relationships.

If they are not being hit and hurt, they may consider that the support and advice proffered this month doesn’t apply to them.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.

Words matter.

They impact understanding and select an audience.

And ‘violence’ is no longer correct for discussions around these undesirable interactions and behaviours in households and relationships.

We know more now.

Our understanding of impacts on humans is better.

And we know that domestic abuse is so much more than physical violence.

Domestic abuse can include intimidation, humiliation, control and/or physical violence. Picture: Shutterstock.

Abuse can inflict internal bruises and ripple out to affect people in ways deep and wide.

The term ‘domestic violence’ also has real impacts on how professionals recognise and respond to abuse.

People perceive that without physical violence, their situation is not ‘that bad’, that it is somehow ‘low-level’.

The cultural message is that physical pain trumps fear and worry, and that is simply not always the case.

The focus on physical violence also puts the spotlight squarely on one person: the victim of the beating.

But evidence shows the effects on children and a wider family can also be severe.

Queensland’s courts made 58,314 DV orders last financial year.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show one-in-10 adults nationwide has experienced violence from a partner, and one-in-20 adults from a boyfriend, girlfriend or date.

They are sure to be the tip of the iceberg if we start using the correct word for this scourge: ‘abuse’.

DV Connect 1800 811811; Lifeline 131114.

Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share