A fear of being criminalised means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women often do not report domestic and family violence, a Senate inquiry has been told.
Antoinette Gentile, the acting chief executive of Indigenous-run service Djirra which supports women affected by family violence, said 90 per cent of family violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women went unreported in Victoria.
Women are often reluctant to report violence for fear of being criminalised themselves, Ms Gentile told the Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women.
She said almost a quarter of women Djirra worked with in 2023 were mistaken by police as perpetrators of family violence.
Ms Gentile called for a royal commission into the issue of missing and murdered First Nations women and said a complete system overhaul was needed.
Source: Indigenous women ‘invisible’ in family violence data | The Canberra Times | Canberra, ACT