WENDOUREE MP Sharon Knight has made 11 recommendations to the Royal Commission into Family Violence aimed specifically at helping regional areas.
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Ms Knight, who worked in sexual assault and crisis services for 20 years, said regional Victoria faced family violence challenges not present in metropolitan Melbourne.
“Family violence is our biggest law and order challenge,” she said. “It affects many people, overwhelmingly women and children, and it does not discriminate (and) victims who reside in regional Victoria face additional barriers.”
The recommendations include that laws reflect the range of family violence behaviours, and educational products developed to inform the community of what they are.
“It is difficult to know the actual rate of family violence due to both under-reporting and the lack of identification of the full scale and characteristics of family violence,” Ms Knight said. “There is still a lack of acknowledgement in our community that family violence encompasses a range of behaviour including, but not exclusively, financial abuse, emotional abuse, intimidatory behaviour, threats of abuse and abuse of pets.
“This lack of acknowledgement by both the community, and victims of family violence, often causes those victims to remain in abusive relationships.”
Ms Knight also said geographical isolation and a rural public transport shortage were issues, along with social isolation.
“Women can often be isolated by their abuser through withholding car keys, for example, or disabling cars. Without public transport there is not the means to escape a violent situation or attend counselling appointments.”
She recommended a review of regional and rural public transport options, that policies and resources be developed for the unique challenges facing regional Victorian victims and service providers, and that regional agencies provide mobile or on-line visits to people in remote areas.
She also suggested working with farm field days and women’s health visits to enable women to disclose abuse, that staff working in businesses frequented by women, such as hairdressers, be trained to identify signs of family violence, and social media use explored as a discreet support service.
Other recommendations were assessing support agencies in terms of their catchment area and resources, that programs such as Act@Work be recognised as important tools to promote equality, and that research into all aspects of family violence be encouraged and resourced.
“The incidence of family violence is firmly embedded within the position that women hold within our society,” she said. “I welcome the Andrews government commitment to 50 per cent representation of women on government boards and in our judiciary.”
fiona.henderson@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Recommendations to Royal Commission into Family Violence
1. That a range of education products be developed to inform the community on what constitutes family violence in its broadest sense.
2. That legislation and law clearly reflect the range of behaviours particular to family violence.
3. That the government recognise the unique challenges facing victims and service providers in regional Victoria and develop policies and resources accordingly.
4. That a review of public transport options for rural and regional Victoria be implemented.
5. That regional agencies be supported and resourced to provide mobile or on-line visits to those areas that have limited access to public transport or those who may have to travel long distances for support.
6. That the possibility of working with farm field days, women’s health visits – places where women congregate – be explored in terms of providing women with the opportunity to disclose their abuse and be referred to appropriate agencies, where they may not be identified as a victim by their community.
7. That local services that are frequented, such as hairdressers, be trained to identify the signs of family violence and are then able to refer to appropriate agencies.
8. That the use of social media be explored as a way of women discreetly finding out information about what constitutes abuse, and what services are available.
9. That regional and rural agencies be assessed in terms of their catchment area, and the resources that they have to cover those areas.
10. That programs such as Act@Work be recognised as important tools to promote equality of women and girls.
11. That research into all aspects of family violence, including therapeutic support, causes and solutions, be encouraged and resourced, and recognised as important and valuable.