A damning set of statistics

Written by Tania Burstin

As a mother of 3 children two of whom are girls I was shocked to see the front page of The Age today and the news that now 39 women have lost their lives to the domestic violence epidemic.

From Samatha Fraser mother of 3 in Philip island to Karen Ristevski mother of an adult daughter, these deaths are a national tragedy.

As a wife, mother and breathing human I join with my staff and colleagues to mourn the death of these women for them, their families and our society.

Destroy the Joint quotes 39 women dead since Jan 1 2018. Since that same date, 29 women have come to mycause to fundraise to get out of their current situation. This is a cry for help.

Unfortunately, and sadly we have assisted friends and family to crowdfund and raise money for Olga Edwards who lost her family to domestic violence. Funds will be used for funeral costs.

Many charities work hard throughout the year to fund their advocacy and programs:

Harcourts Foundation Walk a Mile in Their Shoes raises funds for White Ribbon’s “Breaking the Silence” program in primary and secondary schools across Australia, aimed at creating generational change in attitudes toward violence. Harcourt's staff across Australia in August will be walking down a different path to take a stand against violence.

RizeUp raised over $25K in their Matched Giving Day to raise money for their own premises. They are active in helping to create new homes for victims fleeing a violent household and supporting children in their healing process, as well as raising much-needed funds for families left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. 

YWCA Australia’s event Breaking the Cycle will be taking place in October to raise much-needed money for women and children who are trying to leave a violent household and make a new life for themselves.

Australia's CEO Challenge event Darkness to Daylight raised over $100,000 in May this year. Participants walked, jogged, and ran 110 kilometres overnight to raise money for ACEOC's corporate and business programs around domestic violence prevention. Each kilometre represented one of the 110 women and children that die from domestic violence incidents on average each year.

We are pleased to give a platform to our charity partners who work to stop DV and fully support their work in advocacy and service provision.

If you need immediate support, please reach out to:

• Safe Steps on 1800 015 188
• 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732