Family violence: Hume woman urges others to seek help

A HUME woman who survived family violence at the hands of an alcoholic father has urged others to stop suffering in silence and seek help.

A HUME woman who survived family violence at the hands of an alcoholic father has urged others to stop suffering in silence and seek help.

Her call comes after the latest data released by Crime Statistics Victoria revealed Hume recorded a staggering 3040 family violence incidents during the last financial year — the fourth highest number in Victoria.

Casey recorded a whopping 4730 such incidents, the most in the state, followed by Greater Geelong (3320) and Whittlesea (3057).

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The Hume woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her father’s violent behaviour still affected her years later.

“I witnessed it as a child and that was back before the impact of family violence on children had fully been recognised,” the woman said.

“It has definitely affected my relationships later in life and I’m still working on that today.”

Upon entering adulthood, the woman said she now felt empowered to use her experiences to help others suffering violence at home.

“I feel very lucky that I’m able to use my experience for good,” she said. “Kids love their parents and even if these tough things are happening at home, there’s a huge sense of natural loyalty and they might be scared of breaking up their family.

“It’s really tough, but if you are in a family violence situation, then you need to seek support and tell somebody what’s happening.”

A Hume family violence investigation team spokeswoman said the high rate of reported family violence incidents in Hume could partly be attributed to increased confidence in the police.

“As under-reporting of family violence is an ongoing concern, this upward trend is encouraging,” she said.

“Affected family members are feeling more empowered to report all breaches of intervention orders, which may include unwanted text messages, emails and social media contact.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT.

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