Latest news with #Men'sReferralService
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Sins of the father: the link between unloving dads and domestic violence
A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A lack of fatherly affection in boyhood is a shared experience of the 120,000 Australian men each year who, for the first time, are violent towards their partner. Men who were sure they'd had an affectionate father or father figure as a child were 48 per cent less likely to be violent than those who were certain they had not. Ten to Men, an Australian longitudinal study of male health, has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013. In landmark new findings, the study has revealed a surge in intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual and emotional brutality, over the decade to 2022. In 2013 one quarter of Australian men admitted to having ever been violent to a partner. By 2022 that had leapt to one in three - or 35 per cent of men aged 18 to 65. "That's 120,000 men per year - each and every year - that are engaging in this behavior for the first time," Ten to Men program lead Dr Sean Martin said. "So that is concerning and underscores why, from the prime minister down, everyone is now referring to this as a national crisis in need of action," he said. One third of those men acknowledged they'd used emotional violence, while nine per cent admitted to ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. While previous studies had highlighted violent men's relationship with the mothers, this research delved into paternal bonds. There was also a link between men who were suicidal or had depression and partner violence. "[Men were] 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence if they'd earlier reported significant depressive symptoms," Dr Martin said. "Men who had suicidal thoughts or had made suicidal plans - or even attempts - those men were again later found to [have] an increased use of intimate partner violence." Nick Joseph, who has counselled violent men to change their behaviour for more than a decade, said despite the shared experiences of many abusive men, they were ultimately responsible for their actions. "The thing that's really, really important here is that everybody has a story, but men are still choosing to use family violence," he said. "Regardless of what their level of trauma is - whether there's drugs and alcohol involved, whether they've had a poor relationship with their father - they're still making a choice to use family violence." Mr Joseph said dysfunctional families and entitled or privileged fathers who didn't show affection - or were themselves violent - were features of abusers' backgrounds. Overall, violent men often had low self-esteem, the case manager for No To Violence, which runs the national Men's Referral Service hotline, said. "One of the things that probably sort of stands out for me with all [abusive] men is that they've got a low self-esteem within themselves, and they're not feeling comfortable with who they are, for whatever reason," he said. His advice for fathers was to show their sons it was OK to be vulnerable - and to model equal relationships with women, especially partners or spouses. "Make sure that they're just allowing the space for their partner to speak up, to speak their mind, to not talk over them," Mr Joseph said. Ten to Men program lead Sean Martin said society needed to have open conversations about men's behaviour. "I would argue even more importantly at a society level to start those conversations with friends, with colleagues, around the appropriate attitudes that come to bear in these sort of situations," Dr Martin said. The research was concerning but "sadly not surprising", Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. "It's critical that we look at the factors that might lead to violence so we can make sure we're funding programs that stop it at the start," she said. "To end domestic and family violence we need to invest in the frontline services that help people and keep them safe, but we also need to stop the behaviours that lead to it." Ten to Men is coordinated through the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Diddy took ecstasy shaped like Obama's face, jury told
Sean "Diddy" Combs once took an ecstasy pill shaped like former US president Barack Obama's face, the hip-hop mogul's former personal assistant has testified at Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial. David James, who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009, told jurors during the second week of the trial in Manhattan federal court that he frequently saw Combs take drugs, including opiates during the day and ecstasy at night. James said he sometimes picked up drugs for Combs and his friends, and often brought narcotics and other personal items like lubricant and condoms to Combs' hotel rooms. He said he once saw Combs take an ecstasy pill shaped like a "former president's face". When prosecutor Christy Slavik asked him which president, James responded "President Obama". Prosecutors say Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, forced women to take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances known as "Freak Offs" from 2004 to 2024. They say his employees helped by buying drugs, booking and stocking hotel rooms, and giving Combs cash to pay male sex workers to take part in the parties. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have acknowledged that Combs had substance abuse issues and was an abusive romantic partner but say the sex acts described by prosecutors were consensual. Last week, jurors heard testimony from prosecutors' star witness: Combs' former longtime girlfriend Casandra Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie. Ventura said she took part in Combs' Freak Offs for about a decade, first to please him and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters. James on Tuesday described an incident in 2008 when Combs asked him to bring an iPod to his Miami hotel room. James said he saw a completely naked man wearing a condom, whom he did not recognise, scurry away when he entered the hotel room. He said he saw Ventura lying on the bed on her back - which he said was unusual because she always slept on her side - and that she did not react to him entering the room. "She didn't move at all," James said. James was not asked if he knew why Ventura was motionless. Ventura testified that she was heavily dependent on opiates during her relationship with Combs, and that she stopped using drugs in 2022. James said he heard the hotel room shower running, and assumed Combs was in the shower. He said he never discussed the incident with his boss. "I just didn't really think it was my business," James testified. "I thought they were doing some personal things." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
Perth Now
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Diddy took ecstasy shaped like Obama's face, jury told
Sean "Diddy" Combs once took an ecstasy pill shaped like former US president Barack Obama's face, the hip-hop mogul's former personal assistant has testified at Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial. David James, who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009, told jurors during the second week of the trial in Manhattan federal court that he frequently saw Combs take drugs, including opiates during the day and ecstasy at night. James said he sometimes picked up drugs for Combs and his friends, and often brought narcotics and other personal items like lubricant and condoms to Combs' hotel rooms. He said he once saw Combs take an ecstasy pill shaped like a "former president's face". When prosecutor Christy Slavik asked him which president, James responded "President Obama". Prosecutors say Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, forced women to take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances known as "Freak Offs" from 2004 to 2024. They say his employees helped by buying drugs, booking and stocking hotel rooms, and giving Combs cash to pay male sex workers to take part in the parties. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have acknowledged that Combs had substance abuse issues and was an abusive romantic partner but say the sex acts described by prosecutors were consensual. Last week, jurors heard testimony from prosecutors' star witness: Combs' former longtime girlfriend Casandra Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie. Ventura said she took part in Combs' Freak Offs for about a decade, first to please him and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters. James on Tuesday described an incident in 2008 when Combs asked him to bring an iPod to his Miami hotel room. James said he saw a completely naked man wearing a condom, whom he did not recognise, scurry away when he entered the hotel room. He said he saw Ventura lying on the bed on her back - which he said was unusual because she always slept on her side - and that she did not react to him entering the room. "She didn't move at all," James said. James was not asked if he knew why Ventura was motionless. Ventura testified that she was heavily dependent on opiates during her relationship with Combs, and that she stopped using drugs in 2022. James said he heard the hotel room shower running, and assumed Combs was in the shower. He said he never discussed the incident with his boss. "I just didn't really think it was my business," James testified. "I thought they were doing some personal things." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
Perth Now
13-05-2025
- Perth Now
Fresh twist after serial WA rapist found guilty of 97 crimes
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault A convicted serial rapist found to have drugged and violated a dozen women and girls has launched an appeal against his conviction and sentence. Father-of-two Adam Lusk was jailed for 28 years in January after he was convicted of the shocking crimes. It is one of the longest jail terms for a rapist in Western Australia. During the five-week trial, the district court heard the civil engineer used the internet to trap his victims. Adam Lusk was jailed for 28 years. Credit: Instagram / Supplied Between April 2020 and January 2022, he invited 12 women on dates or to his house in Ascot, Perth, where he assaulted them. Two of the victims were 17-year-old school friends and one was a 16-year-old girl. Lusk was acquitted of indecently assaulting a fourth teenager. Nine women were recorded, including one who could be heard pleading, 'no', 'stop' and 'please, show mercy'. Ten of the victims were drugged with ketamine, Xanax or clonazepam, which the offender bought through the encrypted messaging service Telegram. The 45-year-old claimed what took place was consensual and he denied spiking the drinks of women he had met on dating apps. Lusk pleaded not guilty to a total of 100 counts, claiming the women were consenting and were either 'lazy' or 'role-playing' being unconscious. He was convicted of 97 counts, including 85 of counts of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of stupefying in order to commit an indictable offence. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit In an emergency, call 000. Advice and counselling for men concerned about their use of family violence: Men's Referral Service, 1300 766 491.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hotline boost to help men prevent family violence
A crucial funding injection will help address a surge in men seeking help to stop using violence against women and children. Almost $2 million in additional funding for the Men's Referral Service and the Brief Intervention Service was welcomed by its operator, which says ramping up early intervention targeting men is a critical step in ending family violence within a generation. "This will help us to respond to significantly increased demand in the past two years," No to Violence chief executive Phillip Ripper told AAP on Saturday. "It's up 40 per cent in the past 12 months, so we're pleased the Commonwealth government has provided this to enable us to have more counsellors available right across the day and night." Service providers working with violent men have previously spoken out about overwhelming demand, and lengthy waitlists. The referral service provides a 24/7 counselling, information and referral service for men who use violence, their friends, family and colleagues, and professionals working with these men. The intervention service meanwhile provides multi-session telephone-based counselling and referral options to assist men who have used violence to change their behaviour. Mr Ripper urged any men concerned about their behaviour to call to speak with a fully trained counsellor about the support they can access and starting their journey away from violence. The $1.89 million funding injection covers the current and upcoming financial year. Another $800,000 will boost the capacity of the MensLine Australia, run by Lifeline. "We know with increased awareness and media reporting on family, domestic and sexual violence, more people are reaching out to these helplines," Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said. "This is a good thing. "Particularly with our campaigns like Stop it at the Start and Consent Can't Wait fostering understanding of what family, domestic and sexual violence is and how it starts, early intervention services are assisting more men across the country." Ms Rishworth said Labor had $4 billion across 113 initiatives and actions supporting the goals of the national plan to end domestic violence. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14
