MYTH: Family violence is rare. It doesn't affect many people. 

FACT: Family violence is common. 1 in 4 Australian women experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. It causes serious problems.

MYTH: Only low-income families are affected. 

FACT: Domestic violence occurs in all kinds of families. It happens regardless of money, suburb, race, job, religion, or age.

‍MYTH: Only people partnered with men face domestic violence.

FACT: People in all kinds of relationships experience violence at home. Men are often, but not always, responsible.

Violence can happen:

• In LGBTQIA+ relationships
• Between family members, like siblings, parents and adult children.
• Between a person with a disability and their carer or support worker.

MYTH: Family violence happens because men get angry and lose control. 

FACT: Family violence is a choice. It is about gaining control. Many men who are violent at home can control their temper elsewhere.

MYTH: Domestic violence is a problem with anger control. 

FACT: Domestic violence is a tool some people use to get control. It is not a sign of lost control.

MYTH: Everyone who acts violently has low self-esteem. Everyone who experiences violence and abuse has low self-esteem. 

FACT: All different types of people behave violently. All different types of people experience domestic violence. People who live with emotional and physical abuse can lose self-esteem over time.

MYTH: Domestic violence happens only once or twice in a relationship. 

FACT: Violence often gets worse over time.

MYTH: Family violence happens because women provoke men. 

FACT: There is no excuse for family violence. It happens because someone chooses to behave violently.

MYTH: Some people want to be beaten. They ask for it. They deserve it. 

FACT: No one deserves abuse. If someone experiences violence, it is not their fault. Women with disability do not deserve abuse. Transgender people do not deserve abuse. No one does.

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MYTH: If a woman were in real danger, she would leave. If she hasn't left, it can't be that bad. 

FACT: Leaving an abusive relationship can be dangerous. Women might stay for many reasons, like fear. They may have financial worries. They may hold out hope that things will improve.

MYTH: Only physical violence counts as family violence. 

FACT: Family violence can be:

• Emotional or psychological
• Sexual
• Financial
• Physical
• Anything else that is about one person controlling another.

All forms of violence are harmful.

MYTH: Lots of women make false claims about family violence. Many say the abuse is worse than it is. 

FACT: False claims about family violence are rare. Women are more likely to say that the abuse is not so bad, when it really is.

MYTH: Children aren't aware of the violence at home. 

FACT: Most children are aware of violence that happens to a parent.

MYTH: Children are not at risk of being hurt or injured. 

FACT: People who abuse their partners are more likely to hurt their children, too.