Fiona Girkin, an associate lecturer in Policing and Emergency Management at the University of Tasmania, recently made headlines. This follows on from her re-appearance on the Stoush with Bettina Arndt. In the video titled “Tasmanian police resist feminist weaponisation of DV laws,” Girkin expressed her belief that women are “just as likely” to be perpetrators of domestic violence as men. This claim has raised the ire of civil rights, public safety, and law enforcement communities, leading the university to reconsider her role in police training programs.
In the interview, which has gained significant media attention, Girkin stated, “What I’m hearing from police that have been around for a long time … is that they’re seeing just as many women as they are men in domestic violence situations as the perpetrator.” She spoke about her experience teaching Tasmanian police recruit trainees about the nuances of domestic violence. To be sure, she highlighted the lack of balance in the discourse around these cases. Girkin suggested that women might even exhibit more manipulative behavior than men, saying, “women are extremely manipulative and do use coercive control on a regular basis.”
University Response and Training Implications
Following the backlash from Girkin’s comments, the University of Tasmania announced it would temporarily suspend her involvement in police training courses while her statements undergo review. The university’s goal should be to assess whether her opinions are consistent with established norms of scholarly inquiry in pursuit of ending family violence.
Tasmania Police responded to the controversy, stating, “The opinions stated by Dr. Girkin are not in line with the principles Tasmania Police supports in dealing with family violence.” The police have constantly defended their strategy by saying that it’s based on data which reveals a huge gender bias of family violence perpetrators. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) states that male offenders exceed female offenders by a factor of roughly four. This alarming gap confirms extreme gender imbalance in crime.
Yvette Cehtel, a representative from Engender Equality, described her dismay at Girkin’s perspective. She argues that these views would create a hierarchy of family violence offenses, undermining the gravity of the matter at hand. Cehtel remarked, “So it’s inconsistent with police reporting… it just doesn’t accord with what we see in our work either.”
Criticism and Concerns from Advocates
Alina Thomas, another advocate for gender equality, criticized Girkin’s messaging in the interview, stating it misrepresents established evidence regarding family and sexual violence. She noted that when individuals introduce alternative perspectives disconnected from research data, it detracts from understanding the gravity of domestic violence. Thomas asserted, “[It] is a misrepresentation of what we know from evidence, from data and research about the causes and the impacts of family and sexual violence in the community.”
Critics claim that Girkin’s comments are a rehash of the already much criticized comments of Bettina Arndt. This is particularly acute given the appalling murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children in 2020. Arndt’s opinions were rightly criticized for appearing to excuse men from responsibility in domestic violence cases.
In the face of this criticism, Girkin has repeatedly insisted that there is evidence to back up her generalizations. She noted, “stats do show that there’s a gender imbalance when it comes to domestic violence,” though she insists that this should not overshadow the instances where women are perpetrators.
Broader Implications for Domestic Violence Discourse
The online discussion triggered by Girkin’s remarks marks a continuation of new fault lines in the feminist fight against domestic violence. She makes the case for why coercive control laws are necessary. She says they need to be used for the right reasons, not because you can twist or manipulate data. Girkin stated, “It’s good to have a coercive control law but … I think you need to look at that in conjunction with other stuff.”
Advocates fear that framing domestic violence as an equal issue for both genders could dilute efforts to support victims, predominantly women. Against a backdrop of domestic violence, Bree Klerck reminded us that society is still not willing to recognize women as perpetrators.
