100 signatures reached
To: HON Simone McGURK MLA Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services
Support laws against non-fatal strangulation in Western Australia
Please support specific laws covering non-fatal strangulation, as well as training for legal, medical, advocacy and other professionals to enhance their knowledge of strangulation and to improve policy and practice.
At present Western Australia does not have strangulation specific laws, instead relying on general offence provisions which deal with injurious behaviour.
We urge you to:
1. support a criminal charge of strangulation, similar to those in Queensland and the ACT, to address non-fatal strangulation;
2. ensure that laws recognise that:
a) strangulation can cause long-term disability and death, even if the victim remains conscious;
b) the intent of a domestic violence perpetrator may be to instil fear and control the victim, rather than to inflict injury on or kill them.
3. support training to enhance professionals’ knowledge of strangulation and to improve policy and practice.
Why is this important?
CONTENT WARNING
A woman surviving non-fatal strangulation is eight times more likely to be later murdered by her domestic violence perpetrator.
Research by the Western Australian Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services "showed 230 new refuge clients between January and May, including six children, reported having their neck compressed. Of those, 117 said they had no visible injuries."
https://goo.gl/rZxR6Y
A survey in San Diego of 300 misdemeanor strangulation cases found that there were no visible injuries in 50% of cases. "Another 35% had visible injuries so minor, that they would not show up in photographs. That means that the victims in only 15% of all strangulation cases studied had [external] injuries significant enough to (1) be seen, and (2) be photographed."
https://goo.gl/AL2i9B
Strangulation can cause disability or later death, even with no external signs of injury. They may be incorrectly attributed to other causes. See: https://goo.gl/XEQFe9
It’s a weapon to instil fear and increase control over a victim.
Professionals may miss subtle signs. Training can improve practice and policy.
Victims' participation in life is affected, as are families' and communities. Child witnesses suffer disrupted education and their health may be affected.
Laws not recognising the impact of non-fatal strangulation have been shown to let perpetrators get away with their crimes and leave victims living with violence under threat of death.