Domestic and family violence includes all forms of violence that can occur within relationships.

This includes:

• intimate partner violence (commonly referred to as domestic violence)
• violence perpetrated between family members and in family-like settings (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship relationships and carer relationships)
• coercive and controlling behaviour
• sexual violence.

Sexual violence includes any sexual activity where a person is forced, coerced or manipulated into undertaking that activity. This can include sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment and intimidation or making a person watch or engage in pornography.

Sexual violence does not have to be physical and can include unwanted sexualised comments and intrusive sexualised questions.

See our Issues Paper (PDF, 895.2 KB) for more about different definitions and language.