A Victoria report on LGBTQ+ survivors of family violence details barriers to justice as the group engages with mainstream intervention order systems.

The report attributes heteronormativity as a barrier to justice where notions surrounding family violence are typically characterised through a male-offender and female-survivor lens.

Half of the LGBTQ+ victim-survivor report participants were identified as a perpetrator on intervention orders; an occurrence that enabled abusers to use the law against survivors.

Report participants also found that criminal justice actors including police and court systems lack cultural competency and training around the ethics of assisting LGBTQ+ survivors.

Implementation of community-controlled services is highlighted as a culturally safe response, that provides trauma-informed care for the LGBTQ+ community in comparison to mainstream services.

Produced By: Vavineh Jordan

Featured In Story: Ellen Reeves – Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre

First aired on The Wire, Friday 17 March 2023