Strangulation a 'red flag' for escalating abuse but signs often hidden

Fourteen seconds is the amount of time it can take for strangulation to cause a seizure.

Chantal Roddy knows first hand how long it can feel.

"Those numbers land differently for me because I've lived those seconds,"

she said.

Dr Roddy said in the hours following her abuse a police officer helped her understand the seriousness of what she had experienced at the hands of a former partner.

"I was fortunate to have support in that situation, to work with that person, to get the history and the family violence order in place," she said.

"That really helped me take the first step to healing and getting out of that situation."

A forum in Hobart, hosted by advocacy organisation Engender Equality, has helped first responders learn those same skills.

Police officers, GPs, social workers and family violence workers heard from experts from around the country and women with lived experience.

Tasmania changed its laws in 2022 to recognise strangulation as a standalone crime, carrying a sentence of up to 21 years in prison.

But family violence experts say more work is needed to better integrate services for victim-survivors of strangulation.

Better recognition needed, experts say

Professor Heather Douglas from the Melbourne Law School highlighted the importance of properly recognising when strangulation was occurring to prevent even more serious outcomes.

"If someone's experienced strangulation they've got a 7.5 times more likely chance of being killed or experiencing attempted homicide than other women who haven't experienced strangulation," she said.

"So it's definitely a red flag for future homicide."

Strangulation does not always leave easily visible injuries but it can cause stroke, seizures, PTSD and brain injury.

Professor Douglas said it sometimes meant memories of the event were fragmented and the victim-survivor could present as incoherent.

"The problem with that is that the law looks for nice, credible, straight-line stories that have a really clear narrative," she said.

"Often women who have been strangled just can't deliver that."

Value in different interview approaches

Professor Douglas said it was important for first responders not to make credibility judgements based on how a person presents.

"There are ways of interviewing and speaking to people that can help them put their thoughts in order — dimming the lights for example, giving them more time, giving them breaks," she said.

Strangulation statistics from Professor Douglas's research in Queensland also showed significant harm being caused to children.

It found 50 per cent of cases had children present when strangulation occurred.

"What's really concerning about that is often those kids are doing things like trying to intervene, jumping on the backs of their fathers to try to pull them off, jumping on their legs, dragging their legs away," she said.

"[They are] incredibly traumatic experiences for kids."

First responders play vital role

Engender Equality chief executive officer Alina Thomas said there needed to be a more comprehensive response through police, ambulance and health services, with improvements across administration and frameworks.

"So that when people are accessing support that the right questions are being asked, the right response is being delivered and victim-survivors are getting the help they need," she said.

Ms Thomas said first responders had a vital role to play.

"One of the greatest failings that we carry at the moment is we're not asking the questions," she said.

"We need to start with understanding how and why this happens, the type of people who would be using this form of abuse, and then we need to be able to ask the questions so that victim-survivors aren't on their own."