The issues
Domestic & family violence
THE ISSUE
We estimate that approximately 100,000 retail workers are currently experiencing domestic and family violence.
- Two-thirds of the men and women experiencing domestic and family violence are employed.
- On average, one woman a week in Australia dies at the hand of her current or former partner.
- 1 in 6 Australian women has experienced physical abuse from a current or former partner.
- 1 in 19 Australian men have experienced physical violence from a current or former partner.
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced emotional abuse in an intimate relationship.
Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a domestic relationship (partner, ex-partner, family member, kinship) uses violence or abuse to exercise power and control over another person. It is not exclusive to men or women. It includes behavior that is:
- physically, sexually, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically or economically abusive
- threatening and coercive or aimed at controlling or dominating the other person through fear.
Did you know?
Over 100,000 retail workers are experiencing domestic or family violence.
IMPACTS ON RETAIL WORKERS
Like most issues, our home lives and personal relationships impact our work.
Apart from the serious obvious impacts of violence, domestic and family violence is also a workplace issue.
- Two-thirds of Australians experiencing domestic and family violence are employed.
- 1 in 5 people suffering DFV say that the abuse continues at work in various ways such as stalking, harassing emails or phone calls, and unannounced visits into the store or back dock.
- Domestic and family violence is a workplace health and safety risk.
- The NRA estimates that DFV costs retailers up to $100 million every year in costs such as absenteeism of employees, productivity impacts due to stalking and harassment of offenders interrupting the workplace and losing women from the workforce when partners revoke their access to transport or leaving the home.
What if retailers could help to identify & support victims of domestic violence?
WHAT'S NEEDED
The National Retail Association is calling on Government to better support the retail industry through a range of policy reforms and initiatives.
The NRA supports strengthening government policy to establish better frameworks and monitoring, as well as harsher penalties for perpetrators and stricter enforcement of domestic violence orders. Victims of DFV need to have confidence that coming forward will be met with support and protection.
Retailers can also play a critical part in identifying and supporting victims of DFV. On average it will take a women seven attempts before she leaves an abuser, and employers need to be prepared and equipped for this long-term journey. The NRA recently partnered with the Queensland Government to develop a DFV Retailer Support Hub which includes a dedicated website of information and a suite of downloadable resources, factsheets and signage. We believe this program should be expanded into other jurisdictions or at a national level.
The National Retail Association is championing awareness and change to address issues impacting the health & wellbeing of retail workers.
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