Background
From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, individuals, organisations and communities across Western Australia come together to support 16 Days in WA.
16 Days in WA is a statewide awareness campaign that encourages all Western Australians to play their part in preventing violence against women, including family, domestic and sexual violence.
Inspired by the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the campaign promotes respect, equality and healthy relationships, while highlighting the actions being taken across our State to create safer communities.
Since its launch in 2017, 16 Days in WA has provided an opportunity for government, community organisations, businesses, schools, sporting clubs and individuals to work together towards a future free from violence.
Key messages
- Violence is never acceptable.
- Everyone deserves to be safe, respected and treated with dignity.
- Preventing violence starts with promoting respect, equality and healthy relationships.
- Everyone can play a part in creating safer families, workplaces and communities.
- Small actions can make a difference, including modelling respectful behaviour and speaking up against disrespect.
- Men and boys have an important role to play in promoting respect and helping prevent violence against women.
- By working together, we can build safer and more respectful communities for everyone.
Everyone can make a difference by:
- treating others with respect
- challenging disrespectful behaviour when it is safe to do so
- supporting people who may be experiencing violence
- teaching children about respect and healthy relationships
- promoting equality and inclusion in everyday life
- learning more about family, domestic and sexual violence and how to seek support
Men and boys have a particular role in championing respect for women and building a community that rejects the social norms that allow gender-based violence to occur.
Facts and statistics
Violence in Western Australia
- A national survey on victims shows in WA:
- In 2025, the number of victims of assault increased by 6% to 49,633 victims, the highest recorded across the thirty-one-year time series. 66% of assaults were family and domestic violence related (30,451).
- In 2025, 31% of all sexual assault incidents were family and domestic violence related. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
- In 2025-26, the number of family violence incident reports attended by police and reported to the Department of Communities rose to 68,503. This is an increase of 8.8% from the previous year (62,950).
- An estimated 305,400 women in WA (30%) have experienced physical, emotional or economic abuse by a cohabiting partner since the age of 15 with:
- 19% having experienced physical and/or sexual violence
- 24% having experienced emotional abuse
- 16% experiencing economic abuse (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
- Between 2016 and 2021-22, the two-year prevalence rate of both physical/sexual violence, and emotional abuse remained stable.
Violence against women
- In 2024-25 Aboriginal women were 26 times more likely to be hospitalised because of violence than non-Aboriginal women (age standardised rate). (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).
- In 2021-22 the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that 1 in 4 women (since the age of 15) were victims of intimate partner violence compared to 1 in 14 men (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
- By 2022, more than 1 in 3 Australian men (35%) aged 18-65 years reported they had used intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This equates to 120,000 men on average starting to use it each year (Australian Institute of Family Studies).
- In Australia during 2024-25, an average of 1 woman was killed every 11 days by an intimate partner (Australian Institute of Criminology).
- The National Homicide Monitoring Program recorded two women as victims of intimate partner homicide in WA in 2024-25, down from nine the previous year. While this reduction is encouraging, annual homicide numbers can fluctuate significantly, and longer-term trends provide the clearest indication of whether progress is being sustained.(Australian Institute of Criminology).
- A national study on child maltreatment shows 39.6% were exposed to domestic violence as a child (Australian Child Maltreatment Study).
Men and boys in prevention of violence against women
- Men’s families and social networks are essential to encouraging healthy forms of masculinity and reduce harmful ideas about what it means to be a man (The Man Box, 2024).
- Fathers who take an active role in parenting, including periods of sole responsibility, not only model gender-equal parenting to their children but also support more equitable gender dynamics in the distribution of unpaid work in the family (Our Watch, 2025).
- Over two-thirds (68%) of young men aged 16-25 in Australia regularly engage with online masculinity ‘influencers’ promoting potentially harmful views towards women (Movember Institute of Men’s Health, 2025).
- Young men watching masculinity influencers were more likely to report negative views towards women and their roles in relationships (Movember Institute of Men’s Health, 2025).
- Masculinity influences are most effectively counteracted by positive male role models (Movember Institute of Men’s Health, 2025).
Did you know?
- Family and domestic violence can affect people from all backgrounds and communities.
- Family and domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and children.
- Coercive control is family and domestic violence and involves a pattern of behaviours used to control another person.
- Technology can be misused to monitor, harass or control a current or former partner.
- Some groups experience family and domestic violence at disproportionately high rates, including Aboriginal people, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTIQA+ people.
- Children and young people can be significantly affected by exposure to family and domestic violence.
- Respectful relationships contribute to safer families, stronger communities and better outcomes for everyone.
Creating change
- Violence against women is preventable.
- Across Western Australia, community organisations, schools, workplaces, sporting clubs, local governments and individuals are taking action to promote respect, equality and healthy relationships.
- By working together, we can create communities where everyone is safe, valued and respected.
