Latest news with #MicaelaCronin
West Australian
3 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Australia's Domestic Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin to address National Press Club
Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin will address the National Press Club alongside Australian Law Reform Commission president Justice Mordy Bromberg on Wednesday. The pair are expected to discuss a 12 month inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence which was tabled earlier this year and found justice systems have failed victim-survivors. It made 64 recommendations to improve their experiences and outcomes, including providing independent legal advisers or justice system 'navigators', creating safe places to disclose, and addressing barriers to engage with justice. During the Inquiry, the commission received 220 submissions from individuals and organisations, and undertook 126 consultations, involving more than 384 consultees. 'The justice system has a critical role to play in ending this harm by providing people who have experienced sexual violence with a safe, informed, and supported way of accessing justice; and by holding perpetrators of sexual violence to account,' Justice Bromberg said. Ms Cronin added: 'We must also recognise that rates of sexual violence are getting worse, and our response is not improving fast enough – it is one of the most harmful, under reported, and under prosecuted crimes'. 'Our shared goal under the National Plan is, and should be, to end domestic, family and sexual violence in one generation. 'This report helps us on that path, now we must act.' Their address comes after a report into men's violence against women released on Tuesday found mental ill health and poor father-son relationships are key factors that could contribute to the issue. The damning new research, which has surveyed more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013, found more than one third of Australian men admitted they've either scared or intimidated their own loved ones. Ms Cronin described that study as a 'world first' which provided important insight into the prevalence of intimate partner violence from the perspective of men's use. 'It's very important that we've got this longitudinal study. It also gives us some really good insights into where we should be looking to support,' she told ABC on Tuesday. 'I'm really hoping that this research will help to inform evidence-based, interventions that will reduce violence, that will help work and focus on what it is that we can do to stop domestic family and sexual violence. 'We need to understand, intervene and prevent men's use of violence because we know that 93 percent of the perpetrators of violence are men and boys. 'We need to be talking about men and boys and how we can support them. Are we at critical times in their lives when they're struggling? Where are all of the intervention points?' Ms Cronin added the study also showed the cost of delayed action: 'What we've seen in this study is an increase in prevalence in the period in the 10 years since it was first conducted'. 'Every next incidence (of violence) in which we haven't acted to protect has lifelong, often harmful impacts on the community and individuals,' she said.
Herald Sun
3 days ago
- Herald Sun
Violent porn fuelling new wave in domestic violence, research finds
More than one third of Australian men admit they've either scared or intimidated their own loved ones, up from one in four men 10 years ago. The biggest spike in the worrying scourge in that time was among 18-24-year-olds, with concerns growing over their consumption of violent and misogynistic pornography. The startling findings, released today in the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Ten to Men report, mean more men than the entire population of Ballarat will carry out that behaviour for the first time each year. Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said the increasing amount of time boys spent online meant they were much more often exposed to 'intrusive, misogynist, violent pornography'. 'They're getting absolutely targeted,' she said. 'Younger people receiving information are being impacted by the changes in technology very differently than older generations are. 'How do we use it as a tool to get to those young people? Because they're spending time on their devices.' The study, which has surveyed more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013, asked about 4500 men around the country about their backgrounds and behaviour, finding that men who were suicidal, depressed or anxious, isolated or unhappy with their lives were more than 60 per cent more likely to inflict violence on their partners. While there was an increase in the use of violent behaviour in men of all ages, about 12 per cent of 18-24-year-olds exhibited it in 2013. By the end of 2022, the study's most recent data collection period, that figure had more than doubled to 30 per cent. Ms Cronin said it was crucial to invest in staying ahead of major technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, and work with young men from an earlier age to understand their emotions and relationship dynamics. 'We need to really be thinking about how we support men, how we support boys as they're growing up,' she said. 'Let's listen to men and boys about what's going to work for them.' Alleged violent behaviour among younger men has had deadly consequences in Victoria. Across Victoria, there were 19 alleged family violence murders last year. Lachlan Young was 21 years old in April last year when he allegedly murdered his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Hannah McGuire and left her body in a burnt out car. Mr Young has pleaded not guilty and has been remanded to face the Supreme Court at a later date. Nationally, emotional abuse was the most common type of reported violence as 32 per cent of men said they made their partners feel 'frightened or anxious'. Nine per cent said they had hit, slapped, kicked or physically hurt their partners in a fit of rage. But men who felt like they had a strong relationship with their father and felt affection growing up were 48 per cent less likely to carry out violence against their loved ones. Ten to Men's program lead and Dr Sean Martin said the research underscored Australia's growing domestic violence crisis, with Victorian crime data recording more than 100,000 reports of family violence in the past year. Report co-author and University of Melbourne joint family violence prevention chair Kelsey Hegarty (Prof) said that figure was 'just the tip of the iceberg', and called for training that would help GPs and health professionals ask questions that would identify people at higher risk of perpetrating domestic violence. 'This is a major significant health issue for families. We know that it's causing great harm 'We haven't trialled interventions in those settings. We haven't trained health practitioners for it. 'We need to do more across the whole system to prevent this wicked problem. 'We need to continue to, at all parts of the system, be significantly trying to engage men.' Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said: 'This new research is concerning, but sadly not surprising'. '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.'
West Australian
4 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Study reveals factors for men's violence against women
Mental ill health and poor father-son relationships have been revealed as key factors that could contribute to men's violence against women. A longitudinal study conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) surveyed men and boys in 2013/14 and again in 2022 for critical insights into factors influencing the use of violence. The research has produced the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence perpetration, with the 2022 study finding more than one-in-three Australian men aged 18 to 65 have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This is up from one-in-four men who reported ever having used intimate partner violence among the same cohort surveyed in 2014. The latest study also found an estimated 120,000 men nationally were starting to use violence for the first time each year. Emotional-type abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence, with 32 per cent of men in 2022 reporting they had ever made an intimate partner feel "frightened or anxious". Meanwhile, nine per cent reported ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. Mental health and quality relationships with their fathers were found to have an impact on men's use of violence. Men with moderate or severe depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence. The correlation between depression and violence did not mean one caused the other but it was important to be aware of the impact of mental health, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said. "This sort of data gives us really good evidence on how to target interventions and investment," she told AAP. "It tells us that we need to be aware of the prevalence and the number of men using violence, and recognise that if someone is talking to a GP about their mental health for example, it's worth asking those extra questions about their use of violence." Men who felt strongly that they had a quality relationship with a father or father figure during childhood, marked with affection, were 48 per cent less likely to report ever having used intimate partner violence. Ms Cronin said paternal relationships where boys could talk about their feelings with their fathers appeared to be a protective factor against using violence later in life. The longitudinal data provided a set of risk factors to help develop effective policies and programs for young men, report co-author Sean Martin said. "Understanding the risk factors to these behaviours is critical," he said. Newly appointed Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the research was concerning but not surprising. "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," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Study reveals factors for men's violence against women
Mental ill health and poor father-son relationships have been revealed as key factors that could contribute to men's violence against women. A longitudinal study conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) surveyed men and boys in 2013/14 and again in 2022 for critical insights into factors influencing the use of violence. The research has produced the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence perpetration, with the 2022 study finding more than one-in-three Australian men aged 18 to 65 have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This is up from one-in-four men who reported ever having used intimate partner violence among the same cohort surveyed in 2014. The latest study also found an estimated 120,000 men nationally were starting to use violence for the first time each year. Emotional-type abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence, with 32 per cent of men in 2022 reporting they had ever made an intimate partner feel "frightened or anxious". Meanwhile, nine per cent reported ever "hitting, slapping, kicking or otherwise physically hurting" an intimate partner when they were angry. Mental health and quality relationships with their fathers were found to have an impact on men's use of violence. Men with moderate or severe depressive symptoms were 62 per cent more likely to use intimate partner violence. The correlation between depression and violence did not mean one caused the other but it was important to be aware of the impact of mental health, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said. "This sort of data gives us really good evidence on how to target interventions and investment," she told AAP. "It tells us that we need to be aware of the prevalence and the number of men using violence, and recognise that if someone is talking to a GP about their mental health for example, it's worth asking those extra questions about their use of violence." Men who felt strongly that they had a quality relationship with a father or father figure during childhood, marked with affection, were 48 per cent less likely to report ever having used intimate partner violence. Ms Cronin said paternal relationships where boys could talk about their feelings with their fathers appeared to be a protective factor against using violence later in life. The longitudinal data provided a set of risk factors to help develop effective policies and programs for young men, report co-author Sean Martin said. "Understanding the risk factors to these behaviours is critical," he said. Newly appointed Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the research was concerning but not surprising. "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," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
