Major companies launch national campaign as domestic violence waitlists hit 12 months

A pregnant mother once left begging for help on a beach is now leading a national push to fix Australia’s broken domestic-violence system and stop women being abandoned on year-long waitlists.

Vulnerable victims are being forced onto 12-month waiting lists for help, prompting some of Australia’s biggest companies to join forces to support a new national fundraising campaign tackling the country’s growing domestic violence crisis.

The initiative, led by the DV Collective, comes as frontline services warn they can no longer keep pace with demand, leaving vulnerable women on devastating waitlists.

DV Collective founder Kylie Johanson knows first-hand how desperate and difficult it can be for victims to access immediate support.

Her darkest moment came in 2013, when – pregnant and escaping a toxic relationship with her two-year-old son – she sat alone on a Melbourne beach, frantically calling support lines for emotional, legal and financial help.

The DV Collective founder Kylie Johanson, herself a survivor.

Instead of a lifeline, she found overwhelmed services, disconnected phones and waitlists stretching for months. That night, she made a vow that no woman or child should ever face those same roadblocks.

“When I wanted to leave, I sat on a beach contemplating ending my life, as I was all alone and had nowhere to go,” she said.

“The very nature of domestic violence is loneliness and isolation, and thousands of women are going through this same journey every single day.

“The domestic violence crisis support services cannot keep up with the demand. Women are being put on 12-month waiting lists.”

At least one in four Australian women experience domestic or family violence, yet one in two seeking crisis accommodation are turned away due to a lack of beds.

At least one in four Australian women experience domestic or family violence, yet one in two seeking crisis accommodation are turned away due to a lack of beds.

At the centre of the push is the inaugural National Silly Sock Day on November 25, backed by businesses including hotel operator Accor, Flight Centre, NRMA, Commonwealth Bank, BankSA, Aussie Broadband, Nick Scali and REA Group.

The DV Collective currently supports more than 300 overstretched frontline services and fundraises for shelters, caseworkers, counsellors, women’s legal services and trauma-recovery programs.

This year alone, the organisation funded 81 new crisis beds, creating 29,565 safe nights for women and children fleeing violence. Its goal for next year is 500 additional beds.

Kylie Johanson, founder of DV Collective and a domestic violence survivor, and Accor’s chief operating officer in the Pacific region, Adrian Williams.

Accor, one of the major corporate partners behind the campaign, said safe accommodation remains one of the biggest barriers to escape.

“Domestic violence affects far too many families in Australia, and the lack of safe accommodation is one of the most critical barriers for women and children seeking help,” Accor’s chief operating officer in the Pacific region, Adrian Williams, said. “National Silly Sock Day is a simple but powerful way for our teams, guests and communities to come together and drive real impact.”

“Every pair purchased brings us closer to ensuring that no woman or child is turned away when they need safety.”

Australians are being urged to buy a pair of socks from participating Accor hotels, wear them on National Silly Sock Day, and help provide immediate safety to women and children in danger.

You can find more information here.

Originally published as Major companies launch national campaign as domestic violence waitlists hit 12 months