Australian
police deal with 5,000 domestic violence matters on average every week. That's one every 2 minutes.
Below is a ‘non –comprehensive’ pictorial list of the women
who died in Australia in 2015 due to domestic violence. Their deaths are
tragic.
The impact of their deaths runs deep and spans beyond the
devastation to their families, friends and wider communities. These deaths
impact the collective psyche of our nation. As a nation, we can no longer
ignore this crisis.
Interestingly, there is no overriding characteristic, shared
history or environmental factors that unite these women. These women’s faces
are no different to those that we could expect to see passing us in the street,
working in our offices, teaching our children. In fact any one of them could be
our sister, colleague, mother, grandmother, daughter, wife or neighbour.
Despite this, we commonly make assumptions about such
victims. Such assumptions shape our individual and collective responses to
domestic violence. If only we could eradicate these assumptions, we could
surely begin to eradicate this national epidemic. What are
among the most common assumptions about domestic violence victims?
Low self-esteem
causes victims to get involved in abusive relationships
-
REALITY: Traditionally theories widely presumed
that people with sufficient self-esteem would not allow themselves to get into
relationships with abusive people. Yet in reality extensive research has shown
that domestic violence victims fail to share any common characteristics aside
from commonly being female.
Victims of domestic
violence suffer from mental illness
-
REALITY: This assumption stems from the idea
that victims would need to be suffering from a psychological disorder to ‘take’
the abuse on an ongoing basis. In fact, evidence has shown that victims
typically employ a range of tactics to resist the abuse. In addition most
victims do not suffer from mental illness. However, it not uncommon for psychological
disorders to develop as a result of abuse such as anxiety, depression and
post-traumatic stress.
If it was serious
enough the victim would leave the abusive relationship/ home
-
REALITY: The fact is most victims HAVE tried to
leave multiple times. However, victims are in fact at much greater risk of
violence once they decide to leave the perpetrator.
I would recognise a
domestic violence victim or perpetrator if I knew one
-
Domestic violence is often a family’s best kept
secret. Some victims don’t tell anyone about the abuse they experience until
they leave the relationship. Many go to great lengths to conceal the abuse.
Furthering pre-existing federal and state wide funding
initiatives, Victoria
Premier Daniel Andrews has recently announced more than half a billion
dollars funding for domestic violence.
If we could only combine such promising initiatives with an
overhaul of our individual and national attitudes towards domestic violence,
imagine the positive change that could occur… not to mention the myriad of
lives that could be saved.
"These women are not just statistics. They are mums, sisters, granddaughters, aunts and friends. Their deaths are tragic and impact everyone. These were women who contributed to their communities, and their families. They had every right to be safe, loved and have a future."
— Rosie Batty, 2015 Australian of the year
"Everything about Jackie was aboutcaring. It was a huge part of her life through her work."
— Friend Lindsey Webb pays tribute to Jackie Ohide
"She came to my aid in my low times - she was a listening ear, a chauffeur, she even shared wise words with me."
— Veronica speaks about her sister Jacinta Pompei
Illustration by: Lucy Fahey
As detailed by ABC news reporters Heidi Davoren,
Rachel Riga, Kellie Scott and Margaret Burin ; “The women featured in this
article died in 2015 in cases where police laid charges against their partners
or ex-partners, or where their partners or ex-partners have been named as the
suspect in a murder-suicide. “
From a young age Luana wanted to become a
teacher. She would line up her teddies in a row and teach them for hours on
end. However, she eventually grew tired of their nonchalance and has ended up leading
a team of producers instead- which she finds far more fulfilling and
stimulating!
Luana comes from an experienced production
and management background. She has produced and topic generated events across
Asia and Australia.
Luana enjoys learning about emerging trends
and drivers for change and loves the notion of the 'butterfly effect'- that
change can start small but grow immeasurably through a ripple effect.
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