Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Family Violence Protection Act 2008 - SECT 7

Meaning of emotional or psychological abuse

7. Meaning of emotional or psychological abuse

For the purposes of this Act, emotional or psychological abuse means behaviour
by a person towards another person that torments, intimidates, harasses or is
offensive to the other person. Examples-
· repeated derogatory taunts, including racial taunts;
· threatening to disclose a person's sexual orientation to the person's
friends or family against the person's wishes;
· threatening to withhold a person's medication;
· preventing a person from making or keeping connections with the person's
family, friends or culture, including cultural or spiritual ceremonies or
practices, or preventing the person from expressing the person's cultural
identity;
· threatening to commit suicide or self-harm with the intention of tormenting
or intimidating a family member, or threatening the death or injury of another
person.