Over the past few years it feels like we have seen a huge increase in the amount of awareness and coverage of family violence in our society. It seems everywhere you look there is another article about the subject. And when you look at the numbers around the prevalence of violence in our homes, it’s really not surprising. For example:
- Every day in Australia police deal with around 5000 family violence matters. That’s one every 2 minutes.
- On average in Australia one woman is killed every week by a partner or former partner.
- One in four Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.
- One in four Australian women has experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner.
- Of those women who experience violence, over half have children in their care.
There’s no denying that a problem of this magnitude is incredibly complex and almost overwhelmingly difficult to tackle. But at the same time it is a problem that we can’t ignore and just hope it goes away. We can’t just leave it up to “someone” to fix, or expect that legislation and tougher penalties for offenders will be the answer. That is one of the reasons we started the 30 for 30 project, because we decided that we wanted to do something to support women who have experienced violence at the hand of a partner. Do we think we can solve the issue? Not at all. What we believe is that each of the bags we give can be a seed for change.
When we spoke to Launceston Women’s Shelter, they said their biggest need was for basic sanitary and toiletry items. They described how often women will turn up with nothing, the transition to homelessness can be sudden, abrupt or violent, and there is no time or mental space to pack a bag and prepare for the transition. They described how their funding doesn’t stretch to be able to provide basic items, and they rely on donations of hotel complimentary shampoos, conditioners and soaps.
Our hope is that these packs will help meet this very real need and a real and practical way. Our hope is that as these women enter the shelter they will receive one of our packs. They will be able to go to their room, have a shower, wash their hair, brush their teeth and slip into new, comfy pyjamas, and be able to sleep that night knowing that they are safe, and that no matter how uncertain the future is, it is surely better than what has been left behind.
We hope that they will read the card contained and that the words on it will encourage and uplift them.
“Dear Friend, Our wish and our prayer is that you will know that you are precious and worthy of love, dignity and respect. We admire your courage, resilience and hope. We know that right now things are tough, but so are you. We believe that the things ahead are so much brighter than the things that you have left behind. We believe in you, and are behind you every step of the way as you build a new life for yourself. We hope that these items will be a help and an encouragement. Yours truly, 30 for 30”
We see each of the 30 for 30 bags as being a seed for change because of the potential for them to have a huge impact on the woman who receives it. The toiletries and clean pyjamas to help them feel refreshed, the words of encouragement and belief to uplift them and reassure them, and the fact that these packs are funded through donations sends the message that it’s not just one person who cares for them, but a community who are behind them and believe in them. Our aim is that these factors will sow a seed of hope into the life of the woman who receives the pack; that this hope will then sprout into belief in the possibility of change; that this belief will result in the woman engaging with counseling and other supports to help the seed to grow and mature into empowerment to pursue a life free from violence and filled with safe and positive relationships. And we believe that every woman who is able to flourish in this way has the potential to sow the seeds of hope into the lives of those around her through her own example.
We know that not every seed grows at the same rate, that some of the seeds may not grow at all, and that we probably won’t know what happens to most of the seeds we plant, but if even one person can be positively impacted through 30 for 30 then it will be worth it.
If you would like to support 30 for 30, check out our fundraising page here and our Facebook page here.
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