news, local-news

THREE victims of domestic violence flee their family homes, seeking help. Two are women - they find short-term emergency accommodation, counselling and other services have been tailored specifically to them. One is male - his experience is different. The reason: the two main domestic violence assistance programs in the region are funded to cater only to women and children, despite an awareness campaign’s estimate that up to one in three victims of domestic violence is male. The One in Three campaign website said many support services had quite rightly been established to help female domestic violence victims over the past 40 years, but male victims’ needs remained unmet because governments assumed the vast majority of perpetrators were male and the majority of victims were female. Amy Ambagtsheer of Murray Bridge’s Victim Support Service said her experiences had matched that assumption. “I understand there are male victims, but we don’t deal with that a lot here,” she said. “They’re a minority when it comes to dealing with victims of domestic violence.” That said, she said the service’s domestic violence program was provided through the Office for Women. “We support all victims of crime, but our specific domestic violence package, part of the eligibility is that it’s women,” she said. FACTS: - Men are more likely than women to be the victims of violence by parents, children or siblings - Violence by women against men is less likely to cause serious injury or be motivated by a desire to control - Men abused by their partners may be in relationships where both parties act violently Nobody turned away Centacare executive officer Megan Welsh said no man seeking refuge would be turned away even though its Murraylands Domestic Violence Service targeted women. “If we had a man contacting us, requesting a service, we’d make sure he found a service,” she said. “It may be a homelessness service, a counselling service, mental health issues, financial counselling - there’s no wrong door, so if someone contacted us, we’d not turn them down and say no. “If you’re looking for somewhere to go, there’ll be somewhere you can go.” - Details: If you are experiencing domestic violence, call Centacare Murray Bridge on 8531 8888 or the police on 131 444. Centacare can arrange interviews in Murray Bridge, Mannum, Tailem Bend, Karoonda, Raukkan, Peake and Lameroo. Women are also able to call the Murraylands Victim Support Service on 8531 3987.

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