Calls for a national day to remember domestic violence victims

SBS World News Radio: Calls for a national day to remember victims of domestic violence at a national summit on family violence

Calls for a national day to remember domestic violence victims

Calls for a national day to remember domestic violence victims

It's a long way from Ireland to Canberra, but it's not the first time domestic violence survivor Emma Murphy has gone to great lengths to share her story.

In 2015, the Irish mother of two, posted a video of herself to Youtube, sharing her expereince of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband.

"I finally realised this is not acceptable, no man has a right to put his hand on a women. No man at all, no matter how big how small."

The impact was immediate.

"It was hectic, from posting that video, my phone wouldn't stop ringing. It was constant. It wasn't just from Ireland it was from all around the world. It was from kids, parents, other women going through it."

Emma's video has been viewed over 50 million times around the world.

And she says, two years on, the impact is still being felt.

"They get courage from my story, from listening to that video. Only recently, I had a girl mail me ad she said 'I've watched your video six times today because I'm looking for strength to leave my relationship,' which she did."

At the National Family Violence Summit taking place in Canberra, she's hoping to pass on that courage.

The annual event, which began last year, has been facilitated by the Tara Costigan Foundation,

It was set up by Michael Costigan in memory of his niece, who two years ago [28th of Feb] was murdered by her ex-partner.

Mr Costigan says the main goal of the summit is to bring services and resources from across the country together, to create a national framework to tackle domestic violence.

"We will put that together to serve the sector and to help the sector be better at marketing and engaging and setting up funding streams, just giving the sector support, bringing it together."

That goal is being backed by domestic violence survivor, Rebecca Poulson.

"We really need to work together to get a unified voice. Something like a national framework that we can all work towards, like what is the best practice, what can we do here. And we really do need victims voices in that plan. "

The former Australian of the Year, David Morrison also wants a national focus.

The the former chief of army has proposed Australia establish a national day to remember victims.

"We need to pause, I think, at last on one day of every year, to think about the millions of Australians who've had almost no say in their lives, but whose potential, whose aspirations, whose dreams have been squandered as a result of domestic violence."

The two-day summit is addressing best practice to defeat the issue.

Ms. Poulson says it starts with education, particularly among the youth.

"It would be so wonderful to have family violence and awareness of family violence, what it looks, what it feels like in every single school in Australia. Just like we have stranger danger awareness in schools and we don't have family violence awareness in school."

 

 






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Published 28 February 2017 8:00pm

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