'He's said 'no-one will believe you' and she's seen that in action': Victoria's family violence intervention order system and the misidentification of women as predominant aggressors

Given the gendered nature of family violence, research has historically focused on women’s experiences of and interactions with the legal system as victim-survivors. Less attention has been paid to the experiences of women victim-survivors who have been misidentified as family violence perpetrators. This thesis presents the first in-depth examination of the misidentification of women as family violence perpetrators in Victoria’s family violence intervention order system. It highlights the systematic barriers within the legal system that are conducive to misidentification, and the significant impact that misidentification has on the lives of women experiencing family violence.