Re Winter

(Gender) and vulnerability: the case of intimate partner violence

In Australia, one in six women and one in 19 men have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner since the age of 15 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013). The increase in community focus on violence amongst current or former partners reveals a chronic problem characterised by a complex set of individual indicators and social determinants. This chapter examines known risk factors for perpetrator escalation of intimate partner violence as well as victim vulnerabilities which exacerbate the risk of lethal assault. As no individual factor can explain more than ten per cent of risk or vulnerability, there is a need to look at models which embrace heterogeneity and yet identify the combination of factors which present the likely catalysts for intimate partner violence/homicide perpetration and victimisation to inform the frameworks used in training, screening and risk assessment.