Recently Victoria’s Royal Commission of Australia has investigated family violence and raised 227 recommendations following from their research. This has sparked a moment of change within Australia to the exposure of domestic violence, and our Government could learn something from them!
Here’s a run down of the main points:
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A secure, long-term funding commitment:
There will be no more ‘boom & bust’ funding but instead a steady flow of funding that is in direct response to the Domestic Violence crime statistics. This means that Australian charities and organisations can plan their workforce and resources rather than fighting for funding at every budget.
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Specialised response to children living with violence:
There is evidence of lasting effects for children who have experienced family violence; whether as witnesses or the subjects of violence themselves. This has been the catalyst for more specialised care surrounding children exposed to domestic violence, which in turn will profoundly change the outcomes to care for these children.
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Shifting focus onto the perpetrators of family violence:
Historically the focus has been on protecting the victims of this violence without considering the source of the violence. Women and children have been hidden away in refuges, legal measures have been taken to implement restraining orders to stop the violence, whilst abusers have most of the time been under the radar. They usually remain in the family home, and have used courts to put financial and emotional pressure onto their subjects. But, the recommendations made in the report are about to change all this.
They have also recommended things such as: a new information sharing system with legal provisions that protect the women’s and children’s safety over privacy, and there will be a lot more focus on children’s services.
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Hearing, believing and not judging:
The evidence shows that people experiencing family violence need to be heard, believed and not judged when first disclosing the abuse (who’d have thought it, right!?). They have looked further into this though, and understand that this is a delicate subject and people that find the strength and courage to talk need to receive empathy in response to their situation. Previously it was reported that survivors first felt guilt and shame when discussing what had happened to them – this will change.
Service providers from health, school and early childhood will be trained to recognise the signs and response supportively to people living with domestic violence.
It’s extremely important to continue to raise awareness of the issues survivors face to ensure more, and more have the hope and strength to leave and realise they don’t have to live like this. This report is only the beginning for Australia, but this change can and will be a catalyst for many more positive changes to come for Australia and the rest of the world.
Footnote: If you are in an abusive relationship and requires an urgent response or needs in-depth support please contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247, the Men’s Advice Helpline on 0808 801 0327 or The National LGBT Helpline(Broken Rainbow) on 0300 999 5428.
You could also find support organisations using our ONLINE DIRECTORY
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