Thea Brown

ABUSED children are being put in danger of further abuse when their parents have separated, a Monash University research team has found.

A professor at the university's social work department, Thea Brown, said the major complaint from children interviewed was that no one asked them about where they wanted to live when parents separated. Often they were returned to an abusing parent.

"Many rights are extended to parents, but children are rarely asked about their situation. That is one major complaint from the children - 'no one is asking us'.

"The child should be moved if abused but sometimes there is a welfare issue."

The researchers interviewed mainly people aged 12-18 around Australia.

The survey found 40per cent of them felt unsafe with their fathers, while 10per cent felt unsafe with their mothers.

"Deaths or injuries caused by a parent are more common than we think for children while parents are separating and going through a divorce," Professor Brown said.

She said Dandenong and the Mornington Peninsula had a high incidence of family violence.

As a result of the study Professor Brown's team has recommended to the federal Attorney-General that children's safety should be prioritised over parents' rights.

Professor Brown's report is one of four studies being undertaken in a review of the Family Violence Act, as a response to the Family Law Council's requesting new legislation.