Domestic violence rally

by Caroline Smith

April 23, 2008

THE number of people affected by domestic violence is increasing, and support services are under stress, says an organiser of a rally on Thursday April 24 to commemorate WA victims.

“Between 50 and 75 per cent of women are being turned away from refuges because of bed shortages,’ says Angela Hardwick, from the Women’s Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services.

Ms Hardwick confirmed there are only 16 refuges in the Perth metro area, but “the resources are much less in regional areas, and the Perth housing crisis is not helping”.

When there is no room at a refuge, people are referred to Crisis Care or the Salvation Army, ‘but that situation is a bit tenuous,’ Ms Hardwick said.

WA recorded 20 fatalities from domestic violence last year, prompting the need for greater publicity abound the issue, Ms Hardwick said.

However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. A recent program run in WA schools has achieved success in changing teenage attitudes towards violence in relationships.

“Before the presentation, attitudes of the students showed that they thought it was acceptable,” said Ms Hardwick, adding this was a recurring theme in society as a whole. “There isn’t a clear message going out to the community about what constitutes domestic violence.”

But the Dating and Domestic Violence Peer Education Program was proof that attitudes could be changed early, a key factor in combating the problem.

The so-named  Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March was begun in 1991, as a call for greater support for families affected by violence. It will head off this year from Perth’s Supreme Court Gardens at 11am.