Domestic violence part of the hair salon conversation

HAIRDRESSERS want family violence training so they know what to do when ­clients confide in them.

People tend to relax and open up when they see a hairdresser.

HAIRDRESSERS hear lots of secrets and now they are asking for support and training in how to deal with clients suffering from domestic abuse.

Hair and Beauty Industry Association CEO Sandra Campitelli is seeking government support to provide family violence training to hairdressers and beauticians whose ­clients confide in them.

“Hairdressing is one of the few industries where you can touch somebody so you build quite a strong rapport with customers,” she said.

She said sometimes sitting down to have your hair done can seem like a less threatening environment than seeing a health professional or counsellor and people tend to relax and open up.

“They are going in there to have their hair done and sometimes they can be there for a couple of hours.

“But it is a pseudo counselling role that hairdressers are not equipped to do and some of those situations are quite confronting,” she said.

Ms Campitelli said basic training on what sort of steps to take when hairdressers see worrying forms of violence would be a huge help.

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“What should you do? And at what point does it become a red flag alert when we have to contact the police? That is the sort of thing they need to know,” she said.

Hair and Beauty Australia national president Maureen Harding supported the idea but was concerned hairdressers might feel they had to assess each customer for signs of domestic violence and pry into their privacy.

The unique position of hairdressers when it comes to tackling domestic violence has been recognised in the US state of Illinois, which recently brought in legislation which requires all hair and beauty therapists to undergo an hour of abuse-prevention training before getting their licence.

NSW Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward said the state government was launching a bystander awareness campaign this month and encouraged beauty professionals to get involved.