This post deals with domestic violence and might be triggering for some readers. If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. In an emergency, call 000.
I wasn’t lucky enough to know Hannah Clarke or her children and I don’t know her family, but I’ve been crying on and off since I heard what happened and I need to do something.
So I buy some flowers and I write a letter and we decide to make our way to Camp Hill to place them at the growing memorial site.
It’s strange, because I didn’t know them and I feel a little like I’m intruding. But as I lay the flowers down, my eyes begin to well up and the memories start to flood in. They are what have brought me here.
Watch: Women and Violence – The hidden numbers. Post continues below.
I blink and suddenly I’m four again. It’s just after bath time in the new house Mum’s worked two jobs to buy for the two of us.
It’s an old semi, nothing fancy, but it’s ours and to me it’s a castle. All of a sudden there’s a lot of noise and banging downstairs at the door and Mum tells me in her most serious tone to stay upstairs.
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This beautifully written piece reminds me of every second client I’ve counselled as a Social Worker. We focus on the damage done by men who murder but overlook the immense numbers of family affected by the violence of men who abuse, particularly while drinking alcohol. We have to look at the whole problem, beginning beneath the surface. Then we see that the impact is simply staggering.