“Are You Safe At Home? is an awareness-raising initiative that is now in its fourth year, with this 10th of May the third annual Are You Safe At Home? Day. I am incredibly proud of the initiative, and each year I am heartened to see the passion and commitment from communities across Australia to get involved. To me, it really highlights the recognition from so many that addressing family violence is everybody’s responsibility.

We know that many people experiencing family violence will never contact the police. It’s often the people in their community – their family, friends, neighbours, their colleagues – who will be the first to notice something is wrong, and who are in a unique position to help. It’s critical we all know what to do if we’re worried someone is experiencing abuse.

That’s why Are You Safe At Home? Day is so important. By raising awareness and giving people in the community the tools to recognise the signs of family violence and start a conversation, we can remove some of the stigma and fear around talking about family violence, and help victim survivors find safety, support and recovery. This is always important but so crucial now where we are seeing an average of one woman killed every four days.

The main message of this year’s Are You Safe At Home? Day is ‘ask, listen, believe.’ By encouraging people in the community to ask the question and talk about family violence, listen without judgement, and believe someone when they disclose abuse, we can make a big impact.

I’d encourage you all to jump on www.areyousafeathome.org.au to read more about the initiative. There’s also a short eLearn activity you can do, that provides information on what family violence is, how to recognise the signs that someone may be experiencing violence, how to have safe and respectful conversations about family violence, and where to go for support. It is imperative we remind people that family violence is preventable. But ending family violence requires commitment and action from all of us. Everyone has a role to play in this.

I want to thank you all again for all your support of Are You Safe At Home? and for your ongoing commitment to ending family violence. I am proud of the work that organisations like Pronia do to make our families and our communities safer. We can eliminate family violence. We can do this together!”

Maria Dimopoulos

Chair

Safe and Equal