Submission to Human Rights Commission examination of how children are affected by family violence

This document is a submission made in 2015 by the APS to an examination by the Human Rights Commission National Children‘s Commissioner into children affected by family violence.

The APS submission emphasises the need for fundamental social change to remove the cultural supports of violence, and outlines a number of principles that should be central to any response to domestic and family violence.

Family violence can be viewed as an extension of rigid gender roles which permit or even encourage some men to assume control over women and children, and to use violence as a means of exercising that control. The APs argued that the links between gender inequality and inequity, gender stereotypes and domestic violence need be acknowledged in all discussions about the causes and consequences of domestic violence.

Understanding and responding to women and children together represents a promising way forward as it recognises the interconnected nature of family violence and promotes child safety while supporting recovery from past harm.

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