When a vulnerable woman first steps through the doors of the WomenCentre in Halifax, she will probably have come here with one problem in mind, says Clare Jones, the organisation’s national lead. Once she has sat down with a worker and talked it through, it may well turn out that her priority is something different.
Angela Everson (left) and Clare Jones of WomenCentre in Halifax, UK. Photo courtesy of Christopher Thomond, the Guardian.
This kind of “women-centred”, one-stop shop service that recognises the links between problems is exactly what WomenCentre believes is best for women facing a range of problems from abuse to homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, to poverty and more.
Angela Everson and Clare Jones of West Yorkshire’s WomenCentre talk here about how and why their one-stop approach works. More about the WomenCentre can be found here.
Although police, A&E departments, social workers, midwives, housing officers and refuges see victims individually, far too often they are not communicating with each other and so what they offer in the way of help is often very limited and contra-productive.
If you haven’t been in an abusive or violent relationship – ask yourself “how would it be if I had to pile my possessions into a bag and escape extreme physical danger at home, perhaps never being able to return even to collect my most personal belongings such as photographs, clothes and bank documents”.
“How would it be to be stalked and followed for years after this incident”. “To feel I’m not given an opportunity to heal and move forward after this”.
“If I were one of those women, what would I want and need to keep me safe?”
In other words – what is it we need to do, and how, to create a safer and better way to offer healing and support for these women?
Not only in their moment of acute need, but also when looking ahead how she can get help to re-build her life again. We need to look at the way we give support and services so that she can move forward.
This is what we need to focus on in order to find answers and solutions.
The next three posts here on MySister’sVoice are extracts from Australian news all really just showing us that the same pattern and the same problem exists on a global level – this is why it is so important that we share ideas, suggestions and solutions across the borders to reach an end to domestic violence. This problem is not isolated – with its global spread, we need a global solution.
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Campaigners say domestic violence is at epidemic proportions and has reached the point where it is time to declare a national emergency.
The chief executive of Domestic Violence NSW, Tracy Howe (pictured above), has launched an online petition calling for zero tolerance and is urging the Prime Minister to host a national summit with state premiers and key stakeholders.
“We need mobilisation on this and it has to come from the top. We are pleading with Tony Abbott to lead on this,” Ms Howe said.
“I think it’s about saying for once we are going to pull together all our resources and treat this in the way we would if it was a national disaster of any kind, like a flood or a bushfire, and deal with it head on.”
Domestic violence is the leading cause of death and injury in women under 45, with more than one woman murdered by her current or former partner every week.
There are young victims too, with more than one million children affected by domestic violence.
Accounting for 40% of police time, the cost to the economy is $13.6 billion per year.
The Easter period of 2014 marked the deaths of six women and children in a single week.
Ms Howe says it is time to stop seeing these deaths as individual cases and time to start recognising they are part of the same problem.
“We’re not going to stand by and excuse, explain away, each of these homicides as they come at us like a tsunami,” she said.
“Domestic and family violence is common. It’s [an] epidemic and it’s a national disgrace.”
By Ursula Malone and Juanita Phillips, ABC News, Australia.
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