New funding valued at $14.3 million from the Federal Government will be used to aid in preventing domestic violence and helping sexual abuse victims in the Territory, the NT Government said.

The money, which will be provided to service providers through a range of grants programs, is part of the Australian Government’s National Partnership on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses 2021-2023 and will be used to support frontline service providers in consultation with the domestic, family and sexual violence sector, the NT Government said.

All grants will be accessible through Grants NT and are available to support existing frontline service providers.

“The Northern Territory experiences the highest rates of domestic and family violence in the country and this additional funding is finally some recognition of our higher level of need,” Minister for Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Kate Worden said.

Among the areas to be funded under the grant, include flexible support packages for individual victim survivor safety plans, early intervention to support young people who are beginning to engage with violence, implementation of the NT Domestic and Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management Framework, and a Housing Pathways pilot program to support violence survivors at risk of homelessness.

“We have to stop the unacceptable levels of domestic, family and sexual violence being experienced in the Territory,” Ms Worden said.

The Territory continues to post the highest rates of domestic violence in the country.

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that almost two-thirds—or 63 per cent—of assaults in the Territory were family and domestic violence related in 2021.

For the year, there were 5,733 victims, a growth of more than 2,000 incidents over the last three years.

The ABS report also indicated that nine out of 10 victims of sexual assault were women, with 38 per cent of the victims under 18 years old.

“There has been a huge increase in domestic and family violence in the community, which is felt by all the domestic violence services and is very concerning,” the Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Shelter told ABC last year.

The shelter also said most Indigenous people are struggling to navigate government assistance programs, particularly in remote areas, which could help them get out of dangerous situations.

As of 2022, the Territory also tops the homicide rate in the country with a ratio of 8.9 per 100,000 population.