Legislative Council, Tuesday 29 October 2024

Ms FORREST (Murchison) - I move -

That the Legislative Council:

(1) Notes the Research brief by Dr Carmel Hobbs, published in November 2022 titled Young, in love and in danger - Teen domestic violence and abuse in Tasmania;

(2) Notes the seven recommendations in the research brief; and

(3) Calls on the government to provide a formal response to each of the recommendations that includes actions the government will take in response to each recommendation. 

In moving the motion in my name, this notes a very important report by researcher Dr Carmel Hobbs titled Young, in Love and in Danger. This report responds to conflict and violence in teen partner relationships in Tasmania. I will get to the statistics shortly, noting they are truly horrific, but I also wish to inform any watching or reading this later that I will be speaking about deeply troubling matters, including sexual abuse and sexual violence and a range of other forms of abuse of children and young people that are all traumatic for victims of such abuse. This may be triggering for some and I also note the report contains descriptions and direct quotes of participants referring to experiences that may also be triggering to some readers or listeners.

If people watching or reading this later need support, support can be accessed at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732); Full Stop Australia at 1800 943 539 (TBC); Rainbow Domestic Sexual and Family Violence Helpline 1800 497 212; Family Violence Counselling Support Service Tasmania 1800 608 122; Blue Knot, a childhood and complex trauma support 1300 657 380; Well Mob 13 YARN for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on 13 92 76; A Tasmanian Lifeline 1800 984 434; Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 and Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491. I include those references because it is important that people know where they can get assistance if they find this content traumatic or triggering.

This report covers a deeply troubling issue, intimate partner violence among children in Tasmania. This research project investigated the experiences of young Tasmanians who have been abused by a partner when under the age of 18. This was the first Tasmanian research of its kind and one of few studies nationally. The aim of the project was to understand the prevalence and nature of child intimate partner abuse (IPA) in Tasmania, to understand the support and service available to child victims of IPA in Tasmania, and to describe current responses to child victims of IPA.

Almost two years ago this disturbing research was released by the Social Action Research Centre at Anglicare about children experiencing intimate partner violence in this state. It is of great concern that since then there has been almost no action taken by the Tasmanian government to address this issue. Through the recent commission into child sexual abuse, we have seen the critical importance of listening to children and young people and the horrendous damage that is done when we do not do all we can to keep them safe.

As representatives of our communities, the importance of understanding and acting on what is happening in the lives of children in our divisions is a responsibility we all hold. Youth intimate partner violence is a pattern of behaviours, actual or threatened, that may be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological in nature and are used to gain power and maintain control over the current or former teen partner.

This research by Dr Carmel Hobbs, who is now working at UTAS, revealed that 28.5 per cent of young people aged 18 to 19 have experienced intimate partner violence in the last 12 months. The research also shows that in Tasmania, the rate is almost 40 per cent.

I want to ask you and all of us here to think about that for a moment. That means that two in five 18- to 19 year olds you see on the street, in our communities, in our schools, may have experienced intimate partner violence in the last year.

It is hard to tackle an issue when we know nothing about it, but now we do know and we have to act and we need to understand what this violence and abuse looks like. What impact does it have? What keeps young people trapped in these relationships? Why don't they just break up? And what should we do about it?

Dr Hobbs interviewed 17 young Tasmanians who experienced intimate partner violence when they were under 18 and the professionals who work with them who have come to shine a light on this issue and these questions. The report explains how the young people who participated in this research chose to do so because they wanted to be heard. They want people like us to know what is happening, how bad it is and for us to do something about it. These are children.

Many said they were volunteering to share their stories because they wanted to make sure that what happened to them would not happen to anyone else. What the violence and abuse looks like is important to understand. The relationships described by young people, whilst sometimes loving, were also clouded by abusive partners who inflicted short- and long term harm through behaviours that sought to exert power and control over the participants.

Their partners controlled what happened to their bodies, their freedom and choices, and their thoughts and feelings. Young people shared harrowing stories of rape, being drugged and life threatening physical violence, including the use of firearms, knives and other weapons, and choking, a known risk factor for intimate partner homicide.

Fourteen of the 17 young people could have died because of the violent acts of their partners and/or the suicide attempts that were a direct result of their relationships.

I will repeat that, 14 of the 17 young people who were interviewed could have died because of the violent acts of their partners and/or the suicide attempts that were the direct result of these relationships. But do not just listen to me, listen to these young people.

Liz was 13 when she met David, who was 16. A 13 year old and a 16 year old. During their nine year relationship, there were multiple incidences of life threatening physical violence inflicted on her by David. She recalled an incident involving a firearm. She said:

He rammed me into the wall, grabbed me by the throat, choked me. I went to the bedroom, just holding the puppy, really upset, scared and when he choked me, he booted the dog. I remember he picked up the couch and smashed it through the wall. Smashed up the whole place, carried on. Told me, 'you wanna leave because I'm gonna come back and I'm going to shoot you'.

David left the home to retrieve a firearm. When he returned, he said he was going to shoot himself. When (tbc) intervened, he turned the gun on her and said:

He goes, 'you wanna run because I'm gonna shoot you'.

She did not believe him, then he pulled the trigger, let off a shot. She took off running as he shot after her. I don't know if anybody can actually imagine, if they would be in that situation, what that would be like.

Sexual violence occurred in most relationships, young people described. Jamie was 14 when she met Brayden, who was 16. She said:

I remember the first time that he did sexually assault me. I wish at the time I had left. I was 14. And after he said 'you've already said yes before'. At the time, obviously I said 'no' and I've tried to physically fight. I ended up just getting thrown across the room into a cupboard and I just lay on the floor there crying until he fell asleep and then climbed into the bed. At this stage I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I just accepted that happened and hoped it wouldn't happen again. But obviously it just got worse throughout the years. More often, less severe, but because I stopped fighting. It would just be easier to just let it happen. Like whatever it is, you just got through it.

Young people described how their partners stripped them of their freedoms and choices, how they controlled their phone and their passwords, told them what to wear, how to do their makeup, what they could post online, who they could be friends with and, for some young people, what they could eat and what time they should go to bed. They were isolated from friends and family, school and work. They were tracked and monitored, their everyday movements under the watchful eye of their abusive partners and sometimes others who were recruited to also monitor them.

Jamie talked about her partner using Snapchat maps to track her every movement when she was apart from him, having to explain herself if she was seen at a location unfamiliar or unexpected. Elise remembered how she would take selfies in front of signs and landmarks everywhere she went and kept a record of all her receipts so she could prove exactly where she was and at what time.

Many abusive partners erode the self esteem of young people in this study. Participants described the most awful acts of humiliation and degradation - name calling, being spat on, told they were worthless and that nobody else would ever love them. Gaslighting forced young people to question their reality, their perceptions twisted, making them unsure if what was happening to them was normal, something they should tolerate and that they deserved. A deep set of sense of fear was present for most participants, this was the result of not only of the physical and sexual violence they endured, but threats of violence. They were sometimes explicit and sometimes very subtle.

We need to understand that these actions were not one-off incidents. They represent a pattern of behaviours used to gain and maintain control over another person. They were effective. These young people who are part of this project were afraid, alone and in danger. The violence and abuse they endured felt inescapable and unavoidable.

The impacts of these abusive relationships are devastating. Young people live with immediate and long term detrimental mental, physical and sexual health and wellbeing impacts. They suffer with daily reminders of their abuse in the form of scars, pain, physical disfigurement and mental health conditions including eating disorders and complex PTSD. Alcohol and other drugs have been used as a coping strategy. These are children and they continue to have consequences for the health long term into the future. For girls who fell pregnant during their relationships, the magnification of the trauma resulting from abortions, miscarriages and for some having to maintain contact with abusive partners where they had a child together, plague their healing and recovery process.

These young people are also transitioning from children to adults while enduring violence and abuse from their partners. These young people described how this affected their identity, their self-worth, their relational skills, and relationships, including their ability to develop and maintain relationships with new partners, families or friends. The risk of future victimisation of these young people is high. Their victimisation also has significant implications for their future. It impacts future housing, education and employment opportunities. Some have criminal records. Some struggle with daily living skills like managing money and managing a routine.

Sadly, we still tend to hear comments such as, 'Why doesn't she just leave?' Young people are not just trapped by the actions of their abusive partners; they are also trapped by conditions external to the relationship, including the social and cultural norms that condone, minimise, ignore and dismiss violence and abuse. They are also trapped by the limited knowledge and experience of safe and healthy relationships. They are also trapped by having nowhere else safe to live.

Young people and professionals talked about cultural norms and values that glorify and condone violence and abuse. They talked about people knowing and witnessing what was happening, and doing nothing.

Hazel told her mum what was happening to her. Her mum responded and said, 'Maybe if you were a better girlfriend he would be nicer to you.'

Ali recalled getting punched in the gut by her boyfriend while his best friend stood beside him and watched.

Gina was 14 when she met Heath, who was 15. She described an incident that happened at school where a teacher observed him forcing her to the ground by the back of her neck, and doing nothing about it. She said that led her to believe that nobody cared, and she gave up hope, surrendering to the idea that she was stuck in the relationship.

It is much bigger than individual responses. As children who are aged under 18, they have little or no income, inadequate access to Centrelink, and limited access to affordable housing. This leaves many young people who are being forced to choose between violence and homelessness. We must do better.

This report also includes the voice of 20 professionals who together shared 243 years of experience working with young people. They confirmed what young people had said, and described these experiences resonating with their own observations of young people in Tasmania. Their perception was that prevalence was high, with professionals working with young people in shelters and youth support services suggesting that most, if not all, of their clients were currently, or had been, in abusive relationships.

Adding to what the young people shared, workers expressed grave concerns about the severity of the violence, their observations of young men and boys having skewed views of love and relationships, and the stark absence of policy, services and appropriate training for people working with young people in Tasmania. They also expressed fear about the trajectory and escalation of young people's relationships and behaviour, and the likelihood of future victimisation.

The normalisation of an exposure to violence and abuse pose significant challenges for workers. The need for comprehensive initiatives in addressing norms and values was deemed crucial.

Young people need to hear these messages and be exposed to reliable, safe and loving adults on a regular basis. Workers who felt strongly about the need for direct and honest communication with teens about violence and abuse, suggest that current strategies may be shame inducing for young people experiencing this in their lives.

The sad and truly unacceptable reality is that youth intimate partner violence is experienced by young people of all genders, of all ages, and of all socioeconomic groups right across the state. As representatives of the Tasmanian community, as members of parliament, we need to know that right now, at this very moment, there are children and young people across our state who are in relationships where violence and abuse is happening.

It is possible that nobody knows about that abuse that is occurring. It is also quite possible that they do know, but they are not sure how to help. It is not as simple as providing consent and respectful relationships education. It is not as simple as locking up abusive partners.

It is a complex issue that needs a collaborative, community wide response. However, these realities do not mean we turn a blind eye and it is all too complex and hard to respond. We can, and we must, respond.

There are four clear things we can start with:

(17) Making respectful relationships education mandatory; implementing a state-wide awareness raising campaign; establishing long term mentoring programs for young people - mandatory in all schools, that is

(18) Providing services for healing, recovery and prevention through the provision of a specialist child and youth domestic and family violence support service

(19) Investing in research to fully understand effective strategies for preventing and responding to this issue

(20) Establishing a clear policy position.

As this crosses over the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence portfolio and the Minister for Children and Youth, I would expect there to be collaboration to develop such a program and policy position. This needs to be a policy position that focuses on the foundation authorising environment to tackle this very real issue head on.

The recently released Change for Children strategy that was released in direct response to the commission of inquiry recognised that child sexual abuse carried out by adolescent boys in peer and intimate relationships is the fastest growing form of sexual abuse in children.

I will just repeat that. This strategy recognises that child sexual abuse carried out by adolescent boys in peer and intimate relationships is the fastest growing form of child sexual abuse in Australia, and was a response to harmful sexual behaviour.

However, the response and strategy overall is lacking in direct action for addressing this violence and abuse in the intimate partner relationships of young people.

In addition, our Third Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan 2022 2027: Survivors at the Centre was also released this year. This action plan refers to two programs targeted at young people using violence and abuse, and revised and supported the respectful relationships education.

Again, whilst this is a great start, the plan still fails to explicitly recognise that youth intimate partner violence happens in Tasmania, and certainly does not recognise the extent to which it does. At that time, when our genuine focused attention on protecting Tasmanian children and young people from harm is at its peak, the gaps in these two strategies, along with the research we have available to us, shows that we have missed an entire cohort of victim/survivors and perpetrators - and we need to fix that.

As the third part of the motion calls for a full response from government to all seven recommendations, I wish to hear evidence of concrete and meaningful responses to respond to this shocking and frightening reality for so many children and young people in Tasmania.

To summarise the key findings of the report, as I stated earlier, the research has revealed that 28.5 per cent of young Australians aged 18 19 had experienced intimate partner violence in the past 12 months. The research also showed that in Tasmania, that rate was almost 40 per cent.

The key characteristics of the 27 relationships described by young people were:

• over half of the relationships started before the participants were 16 years old.
• almost all - 25 out of 27 - involved a male identifying abusive partner and female identifying victim/survivor
• almost all were six months or more in duration
• about one third involved significant age gaps ranging from 18 to 22 years
• about two thirds of abusive partners were also under 18 when the relationship started
• almost half of the participants were in two or more abusive relationships
• many teens have been, and are, trapped in violent and abusive relationships, and some conditions outside of the relationship strengthen the trap. They include a culture where violence and abuse is normalised, a lack of safe, secure housing and other material resources to enable them to leave; a need for love and connection but limited experience of understanding healthy relationships. The government clearly has a role in addressing and contributing to the solutions to these factors. When violence and abuse is common, glorified or even condoned among peers, family and the community, there is very little for victim/survivors to question whether or not their experience is abnormal.

Many of the participants were dependent on their abusive partners for housing. As I mentioned, many victims of such abuse earn little or no income and have inadequate access to Centrelink benefits and almost no access to affordable housing. These teens are in an invidious position. For many of them, leaving the relationship would have pushed them into homelessness. With limited or no relationship experience, inadequate exposure to respectful relationships education, and motivated by a natural desire for love and connection, especially in the context of family breakdown and/or absent parents, these teens feel ill equipped to navigate violence and abuse in their own relationships.

How can we put an end to child sexual abuse and domestic violence without recognising the cohort of our population who are entering into their first relationships, who are at a critical developmental phase of their lives, of whom many are on track for a future filled with violence and abuse for themselves and their future families, and who are currently experiencing and/or using violence and abuse in their intimate partner relationships?

We also need to listen to and really hear the voices of the many young children who are living in abusive, violent, and sometimes life threatening circumstances. These are our children and our grandchildren, our children's and grandchildren's school friends. They are the children and young people we see in supermarkets in our neighbourhood. They are the children in our churches and in our sporting clubs.

Of the two out of five young people who are currently experiencing intimate partner violence and walking among us, we need to see them. We need to hear them and we need to respond to them. They deserve to be safe, supported, and assisted to be removed from harm and to live a life free from intimate partner violence. Let us do better. The foundation work is there in the report. I urge all members not to look away because it is hard, and it is hard, because it is complex, or because we feel helpless or at a loss to know what to do. We need to read the report, understand the issue, and make changes to strengthen what we have started so we can keep all children and young people in Tasmania safe and give them the foundation they need to flourish. This group of young people has fallen below the radar and requires a targeted evidence based approach. Let us not fail them.

I will conclude with the words of these children and young people, Hazel said:

I don't think I had any idea that anything that was happening was avoidable. I thought at that point, 'that's just how it is, that's what life is like'. I thought other people just cope with it better and I wasn't trying hard enough.

Katy said:

There's not much to hang on to after you're broken as a person. I'm always on the verge of tears. I just have this hole in my chest. It's like someone's physically punched me through the chest and I just - it feels heavy and empty at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. It's just that my heart is broken physically.

And Jamie:

You can have as many helplines as you want, but until there's physically someone there holding your hand, walking you out of there, a lot of people won't get out. A lot of people will just get stuck because they know it's hard to even ask for that help in the first place.

I note the report and await the government's response, particularly to the relevant recommendations. And I personally commit to see, hear, and respond to the children and young people however I can. If I can be one of those who holds their hand, to lead them out, I will.

 

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