Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence

If you are in immediate danger, please call emergency services on 000.

All people in the Woollahra community deserve to be safe. If you are experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence, there is help available for you and your family. 

Understanding Abuse: Community Education Series

Woollahra Council, in partnership with the Inner City Legal Centre, are hosting the Understanding Abuse community education series. Join us at the Woollahra Library at Double Bay to enjoy free food, drinks, and learning about how to identify and respond to abuse in the Woollahra community.

Session 1 -  13 March 2025, 6pm: Understanding Coercive Control

Session 2 -  10 April 2025, 6pm: Understanding Financial Abuse

Session 3 -  15 May 2025, 6pm: Understanding Systems Abuse (i.e. systems like courts, police, etc. which can be leveraged to perpetrate abuse)

You can attend one session or all, depending on which topics you are interested in.

Book Now

‘It’s not love, it’s coercive control’

In July 2024 Council resolved to allocate much-needed funding support of $20,000 for education and support purposes to help address male violence in the community. We are also supporting the NSW Government’s endorsed campaign ‘It’s not love, it’s coercive control’.

We have also written to the relevant State and Federal Government Minister’s to lobby for more funding for specialist Domestic Family and Sexual Violence (DFSV) services (including legal services and services which address adolescents who use violence in the home); more stringent consequences for perpetrators of DFSV and more funding for affordable housing which meets the needs of families impacted by domestic violence.

Coercive Control

Coercive control is when someone repeatedly hurts, scares or isolates another person to control them.

It’s domestic abuse and it can cause serious harm, so it’s important to know the signs. Here are some useful videos on how to spot and seek support.

 

Domestic & Family Violence

Domestic and family violence (also often referred to as domestic abuse) is the misuse of power and control by one person over another in a relationship such as marriage, dating, family (including children towards a parent/carer) or cohabitation. It can affect anyone in the community, regardless of gender, sexual identity, race, age, culture, ethnicity, religion, disability or economic status.

Domestic and family violence is a pattern of physical, sexual, emotional, economic, social and/or psychological actions (or threat of actions) that harm another person. This includes any behaviours that control, frighten, intimidate, terrorise, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone. The neglect of children and other dependents is also domestic abuse.

Domestic and family violence has profound negative consequences for the lives of children, individuals, families and communities. Abusive behaviour towards another person is criminal, and punishable by law. Police are able to help you. Further information can be found here.

Coercive control is when someone uses abusive behaviours towards a current or previous partner with the intention to coerce or control them. Coercive control is often present in domestic and family violence. From July 2024, coercive control will be a criminal offence in NSW.

See below FAQs for further information about support available. 

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is a devastating and extreme violation of a person, and is also a serious crime. Sexual violence is most often perpetrated by men against women, but anyone can experience it.

Sexual violence includes a variety of acts, including any kind sexual act that is non-consensual, distributing explicit media without consent, tricking or coercing someone into engaging in a sexual act that they don’t want to, and using sexually degrading insults and criticisms.

You can report a sexual assault if you want to, and further information about your options can be found here. You are able to report without filing a formal police complaint.

Part of minimising sexual violence is properly understanding consent: what it is, how to talk about it, and why it's important. For more information, visit the Australian Government’s new consent web site at www.consent.gov.au

 

See below FAQs for further information about support available. 

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FAQs 

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Council's role

Woollahra Council organises, supports and promotes local initiatives that challenge disrespectful behaviours so as to foster the elimination of abuse and the promotion of respectful relationships. These include:

• Being an active member of the Eastern Suburbs Domestic Violence Network. The Network works together to create relevant anti-domestic abuse initiatives and helps to promote and share resources.
• Empowering women in the community by participating in International Women's Day and hosting a yearly activity that celebrates and encourages women to inspire and support each other to achieve their goals.
• Sponsoring the not-for-profit Women’s Housing Company for up to three years to provide ten secure units of accommodation for ten mothers and their children escaping domestic abuse to allow them to remain living close to where they have support networks.

Find out more about the Domestic & Family Violence Accommodation & Support Program(PDF, 3MB), Proudly supported by Woollahra Council.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Community Development Team
Email: community@woollahra.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 9391 7124