White Ribbon Day

"The death toll for women this year from domestic violence has reached nearly 70."
Hitting Home: ABC's Sarah Ferguson follows New South Wales police as they attend a domestic violence incident. (Source: ABC)

Today is White Ribbon Day.

ABC’s Sarah Ferguson has spent six months on the frontline of our national crisis, reporting on domestic violence in her documentary Hitting Home with Sarah Ferguson, which aired last night.

“It’s hard to imagine in Australia today there is a need for refuges, places where women and children live protected by sensor alarms and security cameras. Forty years after the first refuge…(was) opened in Sydney’s inner-west, the need for emergency shelter is as strong as ever.

“The death toll for women this year from domestic violence has reached nearly 70,” Sarah Ferguson said.

Catholiccare Social Services – Diocese of Parramatta would like to remind all those in the Western Sydney community that CatholicCare are able to offer support or make referrals in relation to domestic violence:

1. Their Family Relationship Counsellors are trained to work with and refer clients impacted by domestic violence.
2. They provide Keeping Kids in Mind (KKIM), working with parents after separation where high levels of entrenched conflict occur.
3. 9 out of 10 families entering their Houses 2 Homes Specialist homelessness service are homeless due to family breakdown.

For more information call CatholicCare 02 8822 2222 during business hours.

They are working with other local organisations to address this issue, towards making positive lasting change, but we all have a role to play to “Stand up and Speak out”.

Episode 2 of Hitting Home with Sarah Ferguson airs tonight at 8.30pm on ABC. You can watch episode 1 of Hitting Home on ABC iview.

Read more about the documentary here.

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