11 May 2021

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) conducted a large online survey of women about their experiences of domestic violence during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the request of the Disability Royal Commission, another analysis of women who reported having a long-term health condition was also carried out.

‘Restrictive long-term health condition’ was defined in a way that indicates the person has a disability.

The analysis  found that women in this group who responded to the online survey recorded high levels of physical and non-physical violence during the early stages of the pandemic:

Please note, the information below contains sensitive material that may be triggering for people with disability.

• 1 in 8 women had experienced physical violence by a current partner
• 1 in 10 women had experienced sexual violence by a current partner
• 1 in 5 women had experienced emotionally abusive, harassing or controlling behaviour by a current partner
• 1 in 7 women had experienced coercive control by a current partner

The analysis found that the likelihood of experiencing physical or sexual abuse is almost 4 times higher, and that of experiencing coercive control almost 3.5 times higher, for women with a restrictive long-term health condition.

First Nations women or women from non-English speaking backgrounds with long term health conditions were found to be at an even greater risk of being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing physical or sexual violence or coercive control.

For further information, please visit the Disability Royal Commission website.

If you have found this information distressing and need support, please visit the Beyond Blue website or call the hotline via 1300 224 636.