Family violence terms and definitions

A person who has experienced family violence. They may need protection from family violence by an intervention order or safety notice.

An AFM, protected person, victim or victim-survivor can be an adult, young person or child.

Children who are under 18 years of age can be included on a protected parent’s order.

Victoria Police uses the term victim-survivor to recognise the strength and resilience shown by people who experience family violence, sexual offences and child abuse.

When a respondent has disobeyed a condition on a family violence safety notice or intervention order.

For example, they contact you, your friends or family, or come within a certain distance of you or where you go, when the court or police order said they were not allowed to.

A contravention should be reported to police as soon as possible and can result in criminal charges.

A legal action to protect your rights.

Intervention orders and family violence safety notices are civil forms of protection. However, any breach of their conditions is a criminal offence.

Coercive control is a pattern of harmful or abusive behaviour against another person. It can involve physical and non-physical abuse. Coercive control behaviour is usually the reason for family violence.

Coercive control can happen in family relationships. It can also happen in intimate partner relationships, even after they’ve ended.

When a police investigation has enough evidence or information that a person has broken the law, police lay a charge against them saying which law(s) they broke.

That person then has to go to court, where the charge(s) will be heard.

Digitally recorded evidence-in-chief (DREC) is a victim statement that is recorded using a body worn camera.

The DREC may replace all, or part of, a traditional written statement.

It will be played in court as the victim’s evidence-in-chief in a proceeding for a family violence offence.

A condition on a family violence safety notice or intervention order.

It stops the respondent from going near the protected person, or any other place the order lists.

This can include the protected person’s home, work, school, childcare and daily activities.

The Victorian Family Violence Protection Act 2008 defines family violence as any behaviour that controls or dominates a family member in any way, and causes them to feel fear for their own or another family member’s safety or wellbeing.

It is any violent, threatening, coercive or controlling behaviour that occurs in current or past family, domestic or intimate relationships.

Sometimes family violence is called domestic violence or abuse.

A police officer who assists with family violence matters listed at a Magistrates’ Court.

An FVCLO can:

• speak with all parties of a family violence intervention order application made by police, and
• provide information about police processes.

A police officer who oversees family violence matters in a police area.

FVLOs work at all 24-hour police stations, and some non-24-hour police stations.

A legal notice issued by police.

The notice has conditions (rules) about how a respondent (person accused of using family violence) must behave.

A police officer who is responsible for investigating the report of family violence.

This can also refer to a police officer with additional specialist training in family violence or other specialist investigation techniques.

When a family violence safety notice or intervention order is given or delivered to the respondent by court staff or police.

Once the order has been ‘served’, it must be followed.

Sexual offences (sometimes known as sexual assaults or sex crimes), occur when someone does not or cannot consent to a sexual behaviour, act or acts.

Sexual offences are considered serious crimes by Victoria Police.

For more information, visit sexual offences, sexual assaults and sex crimes.