Domestic violence sector calls on more financial support for LGBTQIA+ community

ABC NEWS (Australia)

There's growing calls from the domestic and family violence sector for more financial support to assist the queer, trans and gender diverse communities. Services say state and federal funding isn't keeping pace with demand, and a lack of refuge options is resulting in young people staying in violent homes and relationships.

Transcript

00:00When this man, who we'll call Alex, started dating his ex-boyfriend three years ago,

00:08he had no idea the promising relationship would take a dark turn.

00:13In the beginning it was, you know, it was fun, it was new and exciting.

00:17The then 19-year-old endured alleged physical, financial and emotional abuse.

00:23His ex-partner even used a location-sharing app to track his movements.

00:29Which turned into, I'm tracking your kilometres, I'm riding down the kilometres,

00:34it's going to take you to get here and there and I'm going to check your car when you get home.

00:38The relationship ended after a violent incident where his nose was broken.

00:44He says seeking help was daunting.

00:47It was sort of a difficult step to take. It's hard to know where to start and who to go to.

00:52Support services say domestic and family violence in the LGBTQ plus community is prevalent.

00:59A 2019 survey of over 6,800 queer and gender diverse respondents found 61% had experienced intimate partner violence

01:11and 65% had suffered family violence.

01:15There are calls for more funding, particularly for specialised refuges.

01:20I've had 16, 17-year-olds in horrific circumstances who say,

01:27well, if I go, where do I go?

01:30And we have to say to them, we don't have anywhere to send you.

01:34More than $730,000 from the state has been split between three organisations to provide DV support for queer, trans and gender diverse people.

01:46The federal government says it has an arrangement in place with states and territories to match some DV funding.

01:54Some services are thinking outside the box, like Beyond DV, which has created an app to provide support and advice.

02:03By, you know, potentially using tools like the app and keeping these conversations going that we can take the shame away.

02:09It's really important, especially now in this climate, to have voices that you can trust from people that you respect.

02:15That's correct.

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