”The Salvation Army Family Violence Stream acknowledges the disproportionate harm of gender-based family violence predominantly perpetrated by men against women and children and simultaneously recognises the significant impacts of family violence across a broader range of relationship contexts.
Family violence is behaviour that threatens, controls, or dominates a current or former partner, family member, or person in a family-like or kinship relationship causing them to fear for their own or another person’s safety or wellbeing. Family violence also includes exposing a child, indirectly or directly to these behaviours or their effects.
It is driven by a range of complex social factors and is primarily underpinned by an abuse of power related to gender inequality and intersectional oppressions. The impact of family violence on infants, children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right, whether they are directly targeted with abuse, witness abuse or violence towards their parent/carer, or are exposed to the effects of family violence in their environment is significant.
Therefore, we commend Rotary on the ‘Rotary SAFE Families’ program which was established to prevent and address family violence by delivering education, resources and tools to support every Rotarian in every part of Australia to contribute to ending family violence.”
Lorrinda Hamilton,
The Salvation Army National General Manager Family Violence Stream
