We've seen the TV ads and we probably suspected the problem would get worse with the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the spectre of domestic violence can still remain hidden away.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
By its very nature, abuse in a relationship, or within a family, happens behind closed doors.
Despite enormous strides having been made in recent years, the taboo that always seemed to impinge on the public airing of the issue persists.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Certainly victims are now more willing to come forward for help, even if the fears created by the physical and psychological abuse they have experienced threaten to hold them back.
Helplines are plentiful and programs and acute services more widely available, so the degree of support is so much improved on what was once the case.
The flow-on, too, from Victoria's Royal Commission into this violence has also been significant, with the state government making a very early commitment to act on its recommendations.
By no means do these positive developments suggest that we are in any way on top of the issue, but the community-wide discussion of domestic and family violence and the need for us all to contribute to that process in some way is still significant.
In the Border region, a wide range of agencies and organisations have worked together to ensure victims, their families and even the perpetrators are not left by the wayside.
A significant issue has been trying to change the behaviour of the mostly men who commit such violence.
As Gateway Health counselling and support program manager Joseph Lumanog says, the uncertainty surrounding the border closure has put "a lot of strain on relationships" but "that's not an excuse for family violence; the responsibility for keeping our behaviours in line with our values, and keeping our families safe, lies with the men who use family violence".
We cannot afford to lose sight of that fact, even with the pandemic shutting down so much of our everyday lives.
