Domestic violence against men is on the rise in Queensland

FRESH statistics have revealed men with abusive partners are applying for a quarter of domestic Violence Orders in Queensland – and shockingly, the number of people charged with breaching a DVO has doubled in just four years.

• Ending domestic violence a priority

MEN with abusive partners are applying for one in every four Domestic Violence Orders in Queensland, fresh statistics reveal.

And the number of Queenslanders charged with breaching a DVO has doubled in just four years.

The State Government will today publish the first data on domestic and family violence cases before Queensland’s courts.

The shocking statistics, obtained by The Sunday Mail, reveal that applications for DVOs have soared by 35 per cent in just four years, to a record 32,072 in 2016/17.

Another 25,747 DVO applications were lodged with the courts between July last year and the end of April.

DVConnect chairwoman Shaan Ross-Smith. Picture: Peter Wallis

Men were the victims in a quarter of the cases, accounting for 6592 applications for a DVO against a partner.

They included 3317 men seeking protection from a female partner, and 1533 gay men seeking a DVO against a male partner.

DVConnect chairwoman Shaan Ross-Smith said the “overwhelming majority’’ of DV victims are female.

“However that doesn’t negate the experience of male victims,’’ she said.

“Men can be victims and women can be perpetrators.

“All violence is wrong, regardless of the sex of the victim and perpetrator.’’

Women’s Legal Service chief executive Angela Lynch said some perpetrators of domestic violence pretended to be victims.

“There’s no doubt there are some men who are victims of violence, but perpetrators do present as victims,’’ she said.

“They try to get in first and say, ‘I’m the victim’.’’

The official data reveals the number of Queenslanders charged with breaching a DVO doubled in four years to 20,650 in 2016/17.

Of those, a record 13,518 were convicted – with 4534 jailed, 3486 fined and 2259 placed on probation.

And 327 offenders were jailed for strangling their partners.

Ms Lynch, who is a member of the State Government’s Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board, said police were sometimes “quite dismissive’’ when women reported breaches of DVOs, which require the perpetrator to stay away from the victim.

“Women still go to report breaches and it’s trivialised,’’ she said.

“The perpetrators think, ‘I’m not going to be held to account so I an do whatever I want’.’’

Angela Lynch from the State Government’s Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the number of DVOs had risen dramatically in the wake of tougher laws against domestic violence.

“Victims were finally able to come forward and know they would be taken seriously,’’ she said.

“As a government and a community, we have a responsibility to ensure victims are never afraid or ashamed to seek help.’’

Southport is the domestic violence headquarters of Queensland, with 3346 DVO applications lodged in 2016/17.

Brisbane courts dealt with 1935 applications – fewer than Beenleigh (2509) and Ipswich (1975) – while north Queensland courts handled 1780 cases in Townsville and 1319 in Cairns.

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Mensline 1800 600 636

Rosie Batty said great strides have been made, but we still have a long way to go before we beat the scourge of domestic violence. Picture: Nigel Hallett

BATTY’S BATTLEIS ‘UNRELENTING’

FORMER Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has paid tribute to the enormous strides taken against domestic and family violence, but says it remains “an unrelenting battle” in society.

Ms Batty, whose son Luke was killed by his father in 2014, was guest speaker at the annual Friends with Dignity High Tea on the Gold Coast yesterday.

Likening the fight against domestic violence to anti-smoking campaigns, she said it remained a work in progress.

“This is not going to get fixed overnight,” she said. “Anti-smoking messages have been around for 30 years and that has been a long journey, and in domestic violence there have been a lot of changes, but there is still a long way to go.

“You can get disheartened reading statistics about one woman a week being murdered, but you also have to acknowledge the great work being done. For generations, there was nowhere to turn and now there is. ­Victims feel less shame in coming forward.”

The 2015 Australian of the Year winner announced this year her ­decision to wind up the Luke Batty Foundation, started in her son’s honour, but she said there now existed better services to help other victims of domestic violence.