This 14-year-old survivor is lobbying the government for domestic violence awareness programs in schools. Will you help?
Trigger warning: This post deals with domestic violence and suicide, and may be triggering for some readers.
Rachel* didn’t know what was happening in her home was different to any other home.
She, her three brothers and her mother endured countless instances of domestic violence until finally police became involved after one particularly devastating incident — an intervention that led 14-year-old Rachel to realise how serious the trauma she and her family had endured was.
Related content: She was a working mum of three, married to a physicist. Here’s how she became homeless.
The NSW family was homeless for nine months, and even after moving into a new home, the violence made its way back into their lives.
Eventually, suffering from depression on top of the verbal, physical and emotional abuse inflicted upon her, Rachel’s mother took her own life.
That was only one month ago — but already, Rachel has taken action to try to help other families escape a similar fate.
Related content: Enough talk: it’s time to act on domestic violence.
In one small act which now has the potential to touch the lives of millions, Rachel created an online petition to lobby for domestic violence education and awareness programs in public schools.
And while the brave girl is focusing on lobbying the NSW government to introduce the programs right now, she says she’d like to see similar programs introduced across the country.
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The Quicky
Top Comments
Hi Rachel,
WE NEED SCHOOLS EDUCATED AND EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
I have been following your Change.org & signed!!
A glimpse into my children's life now:
I am a mother of 3 children who 5yrs ago took out the AVO, Child Protection report, Court Appointed Counselling, Contact Centre (4months after the AVO order was placed, for 18mths, for the children to be able to see their father "safely' with a worker in the room during the time of 'Access').
My children were abused (physically mentally & emotionally) by their own father at times when I was out of the house at work. My job was sleep-overs & afternoon shifts in a disability resident home. I had no idea what was happening to my own children until 5yrs ago when I saw it for the first time. I was stupid believing it was only happening to me and I was wrong on so many levels. My children were to scared to tell me or anyone (from the threats made by their father).
Education needs to happen in our schools for both the children and the staff !!
My children displayed behaviours consistent with those who are in care of the department & other services (Trauma) but no one picked up on it, Not even me. I was a foster carer for 18yrs and would say out loud "If ' ### ' was not my child I would have thought he was a foster care child because he displays the same behaviours". Never in my wildest thoughts would I ever have believed that their own father would have been so cruel and sneaky.
Now my children are 16, 12 & 7. They need on-going counselling. My oldest child is struggling in yr 11 due to his father telling him "You will never amount to anything, You are weak and you are probably Gay". My middle child is on medication for depression and aggressive unpredictable behaviours (he attacks me verbally & physically & I have had to go to the Dr's many times with suspect breaks and massive bruises), my middle child is reduced to 2hrs at school per day & home schooled by me for the remainder of the day. I am unable to work because of the amount of times I have to go to the school to bring him home early (for physically unpredictable aggressive towards other students & staff. My youngest child has been abused in a whole different way by one of her fathers mates over a time frame of about 12mths (she was unable to express what happened due to her age at the time) and we are unable to prove due to her not being able to give exact place and time & the abuser denying!!!
Their father is still a very heavy drinker, still unable to care for the children safely, still aggressive towards me when I am by myself and to each child (only when the other two are not there). I have reported numerous times things that should not be happening to both police & DHS - Child Protection and nothing changes
WE NEED SCHOOLS EDUCATED AND EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
Such a good initiative. It's hard when your young and don't know whats normal discipline for a child and what's unacceptable. A lesson (similar to how they run sex ed) to bring up what is and is not okay would be so worth while in schools - it might even instill it in kid's minds so they don't become the abuser later in their lives. I would 100% support this.