More people reach out to 1800RESPECT after Grand Final weekend

Calls and online chats to 1800RESPECT increased by 10% over grand final weekend, with the domestic violence support service rostering extra counsellors in anticipation.

Counsellors took calls from people reporting serious assaults, psychological and emotional abuse, and controlling or coercive behaviour, while others needed advice on how to help someone who had been abused.

Victorian Police Commissioner Graham Ashton had warned that grand final day was one of the biggest nights for family violence. He stated that “Families that don’t often get together, get together on those occasions and issues can surface with a bit of help from the alcohol. Family violence is what flows.”

Last year, there was a 32% spike in people reaching out to 1800RESPECT post the grand finals, while in 2016 there was a 26% increase.

While the jump in contacts wasn’t as high, 1800RESPECT has seen more people reach out than ever before with a 62% increase in contacts from the 2016-17 to the 2017-18 financial year.

This increase is due to many factors, including an increased focus on domestic violence and sexual assault and empowerment of women to come forward and speak about their experiences due to movements like #metoo and the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse.

Sport and alcohol are not the cause of the increase in violence, it is individuals who choose to use violence.

“The reality is that the overwhelming majority of violence is committed by men – 95% of all victims of violence (both males and females) experienced violence from a male perpetrator. Not all men are violent, but all men need to join with everyone to call out their male friends, colleagues and family members about sexist attitudes and putting down women which is at the very root of all violence against women” says 1800RESPECT Program Specialist, Inez Carey.

1800RESPECT has also found that people may choose to contact the service many weeks, months, or even years after they experienced sexual assault, domestic or family violence. People can feel confident that 1800RESPECT will be available to support them whenever they are ready to make contact with the service.