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TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2 2021
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Wellington’s shocking family violence figures:
Highest in the state WELLINGTON Shire now has the highest family violence-related police call-out figures in Victoria, ahead of Latrobe Valley and East Gippsland per capita, according to Crime Statistics Victoria data to December 2020. And the figures are rising, with the latest data showing that family violence incidents in the shire
Students who missed out on their debutante ball because of COVID-19 are being given a second chance to enjoy the experience, thanks to a determined group of local residents. Information sessions will be held today and tomorrow for those interested in making their deb in September.
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Photo: Leanne Chester, Andrew Camp and Rhianan Bitar are planning to give senior students the chance to experience the debutante ball they missed on.
Photo Liz Bell
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31, 2021. Local service providers are feeling the strain, with the demand for services at its highest level ever. Gippsland-based Quantum Support Services, which offers support for people experiencing family violence, said the rise in family violence showed that more targeted education and support was needed. The service has experienced a rapid demand for services and increasing complexity and severity of violence during Victoria’s lockdowns, with many
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jumped by 1.6 per cent to 1407 to year ending March 2021. Research shows that reports of domestic abuse and family violence have increased around the world since the implementation of COVID restrictions, as isolation — paired with psychological and financial stress and substance abuse — triggers aggression and family discord. In Victoria, one in five criminal offences were family violence-related in the year ending March
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women seeking help for the first time. Quantum executive director Cindy Pullar said the demand for services was continuing to rise now that restrictions were being lifted, as more family violence victim-survivors were reaching out for help. “This trend will likely continue to rise past the pandemic,” she predicted. Data from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows a 42 per cent increase in the number of first time cases being reported in Victoria since the outbreak of the pandemic, and a 40 per cent increase in women seeking services for emergency assistance. Other data shows that Google searches on family violence have increased by 75 per cent, with reporting of a 200 per cent increase in urgent applications to the Family Court. Ms Pullar said more advocacy was needed to bring about improved visibility of services for remote and outlying areas, as most were only available in larger towns and cities. “If you can’t see the services, you can’t reach out,” she said. “We need to work toward more access points.” The welfare service is also calling for more funding for in-agency staffing in larger areas like Gippsland, and more safe housing options in Gippsland to stop the need for women and children at ongoing risk to choose between to remain in a violent home or being caught in asystem where they are waiting for secure housing. According to federal government figures, 23 per cent of women in regional Australia experience intimate partner violence, compared to 15 per cent in the city, with crisis accommodation shelters in most of regional Australia unable to meet demand. Ms Pullar said the drivers of family violence were “power, control and coercion”, with a majority of cases relating to gendered violence and psychologiContinued page 2
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