Everyone should be able to live safely in their own home. No one should be faced with violence, coercion, or control in their relationships. And yet, 66 women have been killed this year due to violence.
One woman is killed every 11 days by an intimate partner according to the latest AIHW figures. At the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, we see this firsthand everyday through the increasing demand for our services – three women seek assistance from our domestic and family violence services every eight hours. In 2023-24, our domestic violence services supported over 2,000 people dealing with domestic and family violence.
We should be completely outraged by these numbers and have zero tolerance towards domestic and family violence. This is a national crisis and we as a community need to act now to stop it.
There is no silver bullet. No one simple solution. But there are urgent steps that we must take to make women less at risk. It’s not the actions of women that need to change but the drivers and pressures that heighten the risk of domestic violence that need to be addressed. I want to be a part of the solution.
The connection between domestic violence and homelessness is undeniable. Domestic and family violence is a leading cause of homelessness and the primary reason people seek assistance from the Society’s housing and homelessness services.
The demand consistently exceeds resourcing. One in three women and children escaping family violence are missing out on essential services. The demand for our domestic and family violence services has nearly doubled (42 per cent) over the last four to five years. Last year, we had close to 700 requests that we were unable to accommodate, leaving women and children without safety in their time of need. An increase in funding for specialist domestic and family violence services is imperative to meet the gap in services relative to demand.
The lack of options compels many women to stay in unsafe places. Thousands return to live with a violent partner and thousands more become homeless after they leave a violent relationship. Women are sleeping in their cars, couch surfing or living in tents in the bush. Staying with a violent partner or becoming homeless should not be their only choice. Secure and stable housing is critical to promoting the safety and wellbeing of women. Victim-survivors of domestic and family violence often have very few housing options, especially if they have children or pets. Our services have reported women and children staying in refuges for up to two years due to a lack of exit options.
Women who experience violence are two to three times more likely to be in financial hardship. Experiencing domestic violence doubles the likelihood of victim-survivors ending up in the bottom quarter of the income distribution. We must prevent them from falling into poverty by ensuring access to adequate income support. Over a quarter of victim-survivors don’t leave their violent relationships due to a lack of money or financial support. We can’t have a situation where the safety of victims is impeded by their finances.
No one woman’s situation is the same and every individual’s needs differ. Women need a person-centered response, with access to services such as counselling, legal assistance, education and employment support. Flexible funding is key to providing the most appropriate response to allow a woman to move to a safe home, ensure they don’t return to a violent partner and can rebuild their life.
Domestic and family violence primary prevention and early intervention initiatives are also crucial to addressing the underlying drivers of violence. Programs that teach respectful relationships and address the underlying socio-cultural norms and attitudes that perpetuate violence and abuse. Men’s behaviour change programs and curriculum in schools to promote concepts of consent, respect and gender equity. We must invest in programs in remote and regional areas, that are tailored to meet the diverse needs of communities that experience domestic and family violence at higher rates.
And most importantly, we must continue to speak out on the unacceptable levels of violence faced by women. We cannot become desensitised to the statistics confronting us on a daily basis. One media report on violence should not roll into the next. Everyone’s right to dignity, safety and equality needs to be respected. It’s critical that we all continue demanding action every day until this crisis is over.