Anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty says the process for reporting abuse 'has to change' to help victims break their silence

Updated

Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says the process involved in reporting abuse "has to change" if victims are to escape violent situations.

Ms Batty said on ABC's Q&A program that harsh judgments and criticism from people who were meant to support victims were not uncommon.

"You can't always trust the response from the people that you need to turn to [to] help you in a way that is non-judgmental," she said.

"That is something I would very much like to change in the short term.

"So your journey is as tough going through that process as it is for the abuse that you've been subjected to. And that has to change."

Q&A panellist and Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright said the way in which courts dealt with some matters of domestic violence was "archaic" and could be frustrating for police.

"We don't have all sorts of information which might help us on the ground to protect the woman, or at least understand the situation and understand the risk that we are seeing," he said.

Commissioner Cartwright also said there was a "need for cultural change" to help victims who were reporting abuse.

"[The] first thing we need to do is acknowledge and believe the women ... one of the things we need to do as a community is to support women in these situations as friends, as family, as leaders in the community," he said.

Ms Batty said she believed a more "coordinated approach" between police and the courts was important in improving the reporting of domestic violence.

"We work a lot in silos and if there is some kind of coordinated approach, where a continuum of violence was monitored and looked at, that would be a great help," she said.

"I have great faith in our police force in Victoria. I can see the improvements, I can see the transparency, their keen desire to continue to improve and evolve, and their passion for [stopping] family violence.

"I just hope that passes through into the court process. I do think you will see some dramatic changes."

Topics: domestic-violence, law-crime-and-justice, child-abuse, australia

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