IN a perfect world, there would be no need for us to mark White Ribbon Day each year. In a perfect world, there would be no violence behind closed doors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In a perfect world, women and children – in particular – would not be forced live in fear, even in their own homes.
But we do not live in a perfect world and that is why White Ribbon Day has become such an important annual event across Australia.
Nobody believes domestic violence is a new phenomena, but what is new is society’s willingness to acknowledge and confront the issue. And not before time.
Twice this year Bathurst has witnessed incidents of appalling violence perpetrated by men in our community.
Those high-profile cases saddened and shocked many of us, but also forced us to accept that the worst domestic violence cases were not necessarily confined to the major cities.
Figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research published earlier this year make plain the magnitude of this problem in our region.
Bathurst police responded to an average of five domestic violence calls a week last year – a number as sad as it is shocking.
Worse, local support workers say that figure is just scratching the surface of the problem because many victims continue to suffer in silence.
As a community we must take a stand.
As neighbours, we must take an interest in what is going on around us. As friends, we must be alert to what we are not being told.
As a society, we must create an environment where violence is never tolerated and where victims can feel safe speaking out.
We must end this shame.
