Anglicare Tasmania report lays bare scale of violence and abuse in young relationships

Tasmanian teenagers are experiencing “harrowing” abuse at the hands of intimate partners, with one expert describing the situation as a “serious public health issue”.

Tasmanian teenagers are experiencing “harrowing” abuse at the hands of intimate partners, according to a new report showing how prevalent violence is among young people.

Anglicare Tasmania’s Social Action and Research Centre produced the Young, in Love and in Danger report, with author Dr Carmel Hobbs interviewing 17 young adults aged 18-25 about relationships they’d had as children, as well as 20 community sector workers with experience on the front line.

Data gleaned from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children showed that up to 40 per cent of Tasmanians aged 18-19 may have experienced violence in their relationships in the past 12 months, compared to the national figure of 28.5 per cent.

Dr Hobbs said her report made clear that violence and abuse in teenage relationships was a “serious public health issue” in Tasmania.

“For almost half of the participants in this study, the risk of death at the hands of their partner was a real possibility,” she said.

Dr Carmel Hobbs has authored a new report for Anglicare Tasmania on violence in teen relationships. Picture: Supplied

“Alarmingly, this came as no surprise to the professionals who work on the frontline.”

Katie, one of the young women interviewed for the study, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was in an abusive relationship with a man 10 years her senior from the age of 15.

She was drugged, abused, isolated and imprisoned by her partner over the three-year duration of their relationship.

At one point, Katie’s partner held a gun bolt to her head and threatened to kill her.

“He’s like, ‘I’ll f...ing kill you; if you want to die, I’ll f...ing kill you’,” she said.

“All I kind of remember is just sitting on the floor. I had my hands over my ears because I didn’t want to listen to him.

“And I was just praying.”

After her partner locked her in a caravan in the early hours of the morning, Katie packed a bag with some of her belongings and broke the door handle to escape.

Dr Hobbs said Katie was an easy target for an abuser, being young, vulnerable, and isolated – and she wasn’t an unusual case.

The report recommended that mandatory respectful relationships education directly addressing the issue of teenage violence and abuse be implemented in Tasmania, as well as trauma-informed specialist teenage domestic violence services, and greater access to housing for young people.

Education, Children and Young People Minister Roger Jaensch said eliminating family and sexual violence was a “key priority” for the Rockliff government and that it was working to improve respectful relationship and consent education in schools.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Leanne McLean said she supported all of the report’s recommendations and commended the interviewees for “so generously and bravely” sharing their stories.

If you or someone you know needs help, call: 1800 Respect; Lifeline on 13 11 14; Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) on 1800 697 877; Relationships Australia 1300 364 277.