Violence conference ‘so successful’ it will return

Breaking the silence, regaining respect and understanding trauma were key messages which came out of the first national domestic violence forum held in Bunbury last week.

The It’s No Secret – Sexual Assault, Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence conference drew 220 professionals who heard from more than 25 speakers.

Event organiser Waratah Support Services chief executive officer Trudi Ruane said the conference was “so successful” that it would return to the city next year.

“It started a conversation about how we can do our job better,” she said.

“People also started to see the benefits of services working together.”

Domestic violence survivor and Waratah Support Service’s first patron Dr Ann O’Neill was the first speaker.

Dr O’Neill’s story is one of triumph, sharing snippets of her road to recovery after her estranged husband used a shotgun to kill their two children and then shot her in the leg before killing himself 22 years ago.

She said even though her experience was a long time ago, everyday she carried the trauma, but it was how she had learnt to deal with it that had changed.

“You learn to carry the trauma and you learn to master it and how to hold it,” she said.

“I don’t think you ever get over it, but it is about being prepared to be uncomfortable and vulnerable.”

Family Court of Western Australia magistrate Colin Kaeser opened the second day of the conference stressing the importance to break the silence on domestic violence.

He said one woman was killed every week by intimate partner violences and while there had been a lot of progress, there was still a long way to go.

“I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent men’s violence against women,” Mr Kaeser said.

“I see a lot of people who have lost respect for themselves and for their children.

“Some men don’t understand there is never a good enough reason to hit or sexually abuse their partner.”

Blue Knot Foundation president Dr Cathy Kezelman shed some light on trauma informed practices for professionals working in the industry.

“Unresolved trauma has negative effects across the life cycle and intergenerational impacts on children and parents,” she said.

“No one understands challenges of the recovery journey from trauma better than the person living it.”