FACT SHEET

Adolescent family violence in Australia

This fact sheet summarises findings from a research project exploring the prevalence of adolescent family violence (AFV) in Australia, previous experiences of violence, and support needs for young people using violence in the home.  

AFV is an under-researched form of domestic and family violence (DFV) in Australia. Our understanding of the issue is currently limited, particularly in terms of hearing the voices of young people with lived experience of AFV. What we do know about AFV is that there are limited avenues for accessing effective support or responses for young people using and experiencing this form of violence, and their families.

Led by Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon of Monash University, the research project “Adolescent family violence in Australia: A national study of prevalence, use of and exposure to violence, and support needs for young people” drew directly on the voices of 5,021 young people (aged 16 to 20). The research sought to understand the extent to which young people who use violence in the home have been exposed to different forms of family violence throughout their childhood, and how services and supports could best respond to these experiences.

This resource shares key findings from the two reports produced as part of the project, focusing particularly on under-researched populations of young people:

• young people with disability
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people
• young people from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB)
• gender-diverse young people
• young people with diverse sexual identities.

 

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2022). Adolescent family violence in Australia [Fact sheet]. ANROWS.