Port Stephens Examiner
Community members rallied together last week at Raymond Terrace to start a conversation on the current family and domestic violence crisis.
On November 29, a small crowd of people gathered in William Street to hear guest speakers address the issue, including Superintendent Wayne Humphrey, Port Stephens councillor Roz Armstrong and Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Service’s Ann Fletcher.
Since last year, Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens-Hunter Police District have joined forces for 16 days of activism.
Commander of Port Stephens-Hunter Police District Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said they are simply trying to get people to speak up.
“There still remains the stigma that domestic violence is a family issue and that it’s not a crime,” he said.
The Port Stephens-Hunter Police District covers areas such as Raymond Terrace, Nelson Bay and Maitland and Supt Humphrey said domestic violence is a massive problem.
“50 per cent of the jobs that my police attend are domestic and family violence related,” he said.
It is estimated that 85,000 women were killed by men in 2023, with police attending 155,000 domestic violence incidents in NSW last year.
“The Port Stephens Hunter Police District sits within the top three or four for the whole state for reported domestic violence,” Supt Humphrey said.
He encouraged the public to ring the police if they think there is domestic violence occurring.
“Don’t be a bystander,” he said.
Port Stephens councillor Roz Armstrong addressed the crowd and said the statistics are sobering and hard to believe.
“It is crucial that we work to remove the stigma around domestic and family violence by talking about it,” she said.
The more we talk, the more barriers we break down.”
Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services (PSFANS) provides services to women who have escaped or wish to escape domestic violence and PSFANS assistant manager Ann Fletcher said taking an early prevention approach is crucial.
“We need to educate and show young people what a healthy relationship looks like and that is really the only way we are going to bring this terrible number of incidents that we experience every year down,” she said.
We need to stop the cycle.”
This year alone, PSFANS has worked with 232 women to either help them recover from domestic violence or to escape.
“We’re looking at almost one woman a day that is coming to us for help,” Ms Fletcher said.
Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens-Hunter Police District hope to continue to grow the event each year.
