While DFV has terrible effects on a person’s physical health and welfare, being exposed to violence can also have detrimental effects on those person’s mental health, sense of self-worth, relationships, and housing outcomes—many of which are hard to notice on the surface.
Four of the many hidden effects of DFV in Australia are listed below:
Unseen effects of DFV in Australia:
1. Increasing the rate of unreported homelessness
DFV continues to be a major cause of homelessness in Australia, particularly for women and children who are compelled to flee dangerous homes and frequently have nowhere else to go.
82,300 persons turned to Mission Australia and other specialised homelessness programmes in 2019–20 mostly because of DFV.
However, just 7% of homeless persons in Australia will be ‘visible’. The great majority live in “hidden homelessness,” bouncing around between the residences of relatives or resorting to transient shelters like inexpensive motels or RVs. Many DFV victims in Australia face hidden homelessness because they have nowhere else to turn.
2. A decline in confidence
Instances of violence between partners or family members entail an effort to dominate or assert dominance over a person, usually by instilling fear in them. The various DFV can have a profound impact on a person’s capacity for daily activities including exercise, finding work, and maintaining relationships over an extended length of time.
3. A lack of financial autonomy
A type of DFV is when a partner completely controls all finances in order to dominate, isolate, and trap the victim in their predicament. It can be challenging for victims of financial abuse or other types of DFV to reclaim control over their resources and make wise decisions for the future.
4. Kid exposure that is harmful
Domestic and family violence affects one in four Australian children.
Any amount of abuse exposure can be harmful to a child’s health and wellness. Sadly, a youngster need not witness violence in order to be impacted by it.
Children who have DFV may find it more difficult to:
- control their feelings
- at school or maintain your motivation
- communicate or form relationships (become target of bullying or resort to bullying behaviour)
