That is 1.6 million Australian mothers like Teyarna, their daughters, sisters, neighbours and friends who have been harmed by someone they love. One in six women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15. There was a physical-abuse aspect to it, psychological, social, financial and sexual abuse," she says. "I lived through various types of domestic violence. She felt like a captive in her relationship for seven years, physically battered and bruised. Severely underweight, malnourished, suffering from back issues, immunosuppression, depression and anxiety. When you meet the dedicated mother of four children, she is bright-eyed, laughs easily and speaks with passion.īut for years, she was reduced to a just a shell of that. "It was constantly waking up and not knowing how that day was going to play out but knowing that it wasn't going to be in your favour," 26-year-old Teyarna says. There's no lack of good will to address what's so often been dubbed a national scourge.īut until the numbers start to fall, statistics will grow and lives continue to be destroyed. The Federal Government concedes it's difficult to know the extent of the problem, with inconsistencies in reporting across states and territories.Īdded to that are decades of women having suffered in silence, leading to an underreporting of their abuse. Campaigns have been waged for a decade, almost a billion dollars spent and yet women and children continue to face deadly threats in their homes.Ī 12-year national plan to reduce domestic violence is nearing its end but it's unclear if the strategy is working.
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