SUBMISSION Department of Health, Victoria: Independent Review of Compulsory Treatment and Decision-Making Laws
This submission provides evidence on the potential impacts of compulsory treatment and decision-making laws on victims and survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV).
The evidence presented in this submission, provided to the Victorian Department of Health’s Independent Review of Compulsory Treatment and Decision-Making Laws, may assist policymakers and health practitioners in keeping victims and survivors of FDSV in view when making decisions about compulsory treatment.
ANROWS’s submission drew on our evidence base to highlight:
- the potential significant mental health impacts of FDSV on victims and survivors
- the need for mental health services to provide trauma-informed and appropriate care to victims and survivors that avoid exacerbating existing trauma
- the potential for restrictive practices to compound existing trauma
- the potential for the removal of autonomy through compulsory treatment to mimic coercive control
- that restoring autonomy and choice is central to recovery.
Suggested citation
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2023). Re: Independent Review of Compulsory Treatment and Decision-Making Laws [Submission]. ANROWS.