Culture

Rosie Batty Is Asking You To Stand Against Family Violence With Her New Campaign ‘Never Alone’

"Every single week two women are murdered. Family violence is every Australian's business."

by Meg Watson  20 June 2015

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It’s been close to a year-and-a-half since Rosie Batty’s son Luke was killed by his father, and in that time she’s emerged as one of the nation’s pre-eminent figures against domestic violence. Campaigning our politicians for both the amended policies and additional funding which are so desperately needed, as well as encouraging open and constructive conversation on the topic in national debate, Batty has since instigated the beginnings of serious change and been recognised as Australian of the Year.

Now, on what would have been her son’s 13th birthday, she’s asking something of us. Today as part of her ongoing work with the Luke Batty Foundation, Rosie has launched Never Alone. The site is a space for those facing family violence to seek help, but it also provides a means for Australians to pledge their support for them and importantly show our leaders just how many of us are eager for change.

“We will stand with the women and children affected by family violence so that they are supported in the community and have a powerful voice in the corridors of power,” the site reads. “Never Alone will build a groundswell of support for victims that will make it impossible for family violence to be ignored any longer. We will not tip toe around the issue of family violence. We will say the things that make people feel uncomfortable.”

In an accompanying video, Batty details her own story before expressing just how vast and appalling this epidemic is. “Every three hours a woman is hospitalised,” she says. “Every single week two women are murdered. Family violence is every Australian’s business.”

To coincide with the announcement this afternoon, Batty also wrote a heartfelt piece on the matter for The Daily Telegraph‘s new women’s site Rendezview. After expressing the deep grief she feels for the loss of her son today she says, “Luke and I were not to blame for what happened to us”. “We were failed by the system — a system that I wrongly believed was there to protect us. A system that desperately needs to change.”

“I want us all to have uncomfortable conversations about the way family violence services are funded, and about the way the police and judicial systems deal with both the perpetrators and victims of this most pernicious crime … I want to drag this issue out from the shadows so that no other mother has to experience the pain I will go through today. That I go through every day.”

You can take this pledge against family violence here, and if you’d like to hear more about these issues, head over to our interview with Rosie Batty from earlier this year.

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If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence of any kind, please call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.