Are You Safe at Home? Day, 10 May 2024

We all deserve to be safe, respected, and valued in all our relationships.

Wednesday 8 May 2024

Sadly, family violence is more common than many of us realise. It happens in all communities, in all types of relationships and can take many different forms.

Many Australians do not think violence against women occurs in all communities including their own. Information shared by the Crime Statistics Agency of Victoria shows that in Bayside, 92.1% of family violence incidents occurred at a residential premises (734 occurrences reported) in 2023. To put this in perspective only 63 incidents reported occurred at a non-residential location.

It’s also important to note that the risk of violence is far greater for trans and gender diverse people and LGBTIQA+ people more broadly, women with a disability, migrant and refugee women, older women, and First Nations women. Women with a disability also face significantly more barriers in both reporting violence and fleeing violence.

Because family violence often happens out of sight, it can be hard for people experiencing abuse to reach out for support. It’s often the people closest to them – their friends, family members and colleagues – who may be the first to notice something isn’t right.

If you’re worried about someone you know, it can be hard to know what to do. But just by asking, listening, and believing, you can have an enormous impact on someone’s journey to safety.

Ask ‘are you safe at home?’
Listen to what they say without judgement.
Believe what they tell you, validate their experiences and let them know you’re there to support.

Ending family violence is everyone’s business – and you have a crucial role to play. This 10 May, start the conversation by asking ‘are you safe at home?’

You can also enrol in a free, self-paced eLearn on how to have safe and respectful conversations about family violence.