There is considerable overlap between the violence perpetrated against women and violence against children. Exposure to and experience of family violence is a form of child abuse. Family violence can have a devastating impact on children but they are often overlooked as direct victims of family violence. In the 12 months to June 1998 Victoria Police reported attendance at almost 21,000 "family incidents" and noted that children were present at more than half of them. Family violence services ‘see two thirds to one third adults in our family violence specialist services and over half of those accessing family services are children.’  Children exposed to family violence make up a high proportion of child protection reports.  Exposure to family violence may include physical injury as a result of assault or as an indirect consequence of an assault against their mother. Children may also witness family violence which can involve directly viewing incidents or being aware in a range of ways of the violence occurring. For instance, it is impossible for children to feel safe when they know that their mother is in danger.  Children who are exposed to family violence experience significant trauma and are at high risk of suffering psychological and emotional trauma.

Children exposed to family violence experience a range of emotional responses to their experience including feelings of anger, sadness, shame, guilt, confusion, helplessness and/or despair. They may ‘find it difficult to establish and maintain successful peer relationships are like other children of their age.’  It is suggested that the effects of family violence on children are closely tied to their developmental stage. For instance:

1. Children aged two years old are reactive to their environment. By the age of two children have learned to either intervene in the violence if this stops further abuse, or withdraw and hide in fear.
2. Children between the ages of two and eight years do not have the cognitive abilities to fully understand family violence and may believe they are the cause or they are to blame.
3. Children from the ages of eight to 12 years may continue to blame themselves for the violence occurring in the home. They may feel they can change the situation by intervening. If intervention fails to stop the abuse children become frustrated and typically withdraw or become aggressive joining forces with the aggressor to protect themselves.
4. Adolescents who have witnessed violence can feel isolated sad, fearful and hurt. These feelings are generally expressed as anger which is directed outwards as abuse or inwards, leading to withdrawal.

Some research studies demonstrate a causal link between childhood exposure to family violence and adult perpetration or victimisation. This is sometimes referred to as the intergenerational transmission of family violence. However, it has also been shown that ‘children who are exposed to violence are only moderately to slightly more likely as adults to become perpetrators or victims.

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