Family violence is an issue fuelled by our collective silence – we don’t talk about it, we’re cautious to intervene, and we often don’t know what signs to look for.
But across Australia, police are called to a domestic or family violence incident every two minutes. One in four women have been the victim of gender-based violence, and it’s the leading cause of death, disability and ill-health in women aged 15-44.
That means in our daily lives, in contexts such as the workplace, we frequently come across women affected by sexual assault and/or domestic and family violence. And many of us have no idea.
Australia’s most well-known family and domestic violence campaigner, Rosie Batty, wants to change this disturbing reality.
For Batty, whose 11-year-old son Luke was murdered by his father in 2014, a beacon of hope is that “Australians everywhere can make a difference.”
In the video above, she shares a four step research-based approach to identifying and responding to a person experiencing violence.
Batty's message, which forms part of 1800RESPECT's 16 Days of Action campaign, is specifically aimed at interactions with women in the workplace. Those working alongside women affected by violence, she says, are in a unique position to help. If they know how to start difficult conversations, and are given appropriate tools when it comes to how to respond, they truly have the power to make a difference.
The Federal Minister for Social Services, Hon. Christian Porter, has described the statistics around intimate partner violence as "alarming and saddening."
"Just during the 16 days of this campaign alone, police will be faced with more than 11,500 matters across Australia," he said.
Listen to Mia Freedman interview Rosie Batty on No Filter.
As a result, he is entirely supportive of Batty's message, as well as the 1800RESPECT toolkit, which equips people with vital information on responding to domestic and family violence.
When Rosie Batty was presented with the 2015 Australian of the Year award, she said, "[family violence] is an entrenched epidemic that we've lived with since time began, so we've got a long way to go."
"But I do believe the tide is turned. It's no longer a subject that only occurs behind closed doors."
Now it's our responsibility to be sensitive to the signs and needs of the people behind those doors, to bring family and domestic violence out of the shadows.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visitwww.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
Top Comments
WHY WHY WHY do we only talk about male violence against women?? What about violence against kids?? Given her son was killed by his mentally ill father , I would have thought this should be a significant pillar of Rosie's agenda, however it seems her message always defaults back to the overly simplistic women = victim, man = aggressor' view of DV.
Even forgetting that males are the victims between 25 & 33% of the time in partner violence, kids should be the major focus surely. And kids experience violence at the hands of their mothers just as often as they do from dads / other males. All of the most significant child killing cases in Australia in recent years have been mums.
This feminist left agenda driving the entire discussion of DV has to stop. Rosie, with a son who died due to a partner with mental illness, should be aware of this more than anyone.