COTA SA welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024.

COTA SA acknowledges the unique experiences of older women who have experienced or are experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV). COTA SA’s consumer engagement and research team, The Plug-in, is currently undertaking a research project supported by Office for Women that explores these experiences by older women in South Australia (due for completion in October 2024). It has been found that the intersectionality of age, gender and violence is often missing from academic literature and research. Consequently, the unique experiences of older
people, and especially older women, who are experiencing, or have experienced, violence are often invisible and rather get conflated with discourse regarding elder abuse.

In the context of this Royal Commission, we urge that the unique experiences of older women are considered regardless of whether it is labelled ‘domestic, family and sexual violence’ or ‘elder abuse’.

The unique experiences of older women who are victim-survivors of DFSV are extremely complex, nuanced and affect many older women within South Australia. We know that DFSV significantly affects short and long-term physical and mental health and impacts everyday lives in a myriad of ways. It is crucial for the government to treat DFSV not merely as a social issue but also as a health, wellbeing and productivity issue.