Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence

Women's Legal Service Victoria supports a whole of government approach to family violence that is safe, just, supportive, non-discriminatory and responsive to the needs of women and their children in accessing justice. A holistic and integrated service and justice system response can provide pragmatic and meaningful support for individual victims to protect their safety and financial and emotional security. It can also contribute to broader social and cultural shifts to transform community attitudes about family violence and the issues of gender inequality, male privilege, and socio-economic power imbalances that underpin it.

We advocate an intersectional understanding of and approach to family violence be applied across the service system, government and non-government entities. Applying an intersectional lens recognises that experiences of family violence are impacted and compounded by disadvantage on the basis of gender identity, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, age, disability, socio-economic status.