THE affects of domestic violence – like most crimes – are far-reaching.
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There’s the immediate impact on those being abused, but what about those who come to their aid?
Obviously emergency services and healthcare workers come to mind, but there’s more to it than that.
A new report has revealed the characteristics of frontline workers in the fight against domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia.
Workers in services used by people affected by domestic and family violence and sexual assault are predominantly female (83 per cent).
They’re also ageing, with a quarter of staff set to reach retirement age in the next decade.
While almost all of the workers surveyed feel they’re making a difference in people’s lives, less than half of those surveyed feel they’re being paid fairly, and two in five worry about the future of the job.
Bullying, harassment, violence and threats from clients are common.
Half of the workers surveyed said they’d experienced this least once in the last 12 months, and this figure jumps to two in three for those working with perpetrators of violence to end their offending.
These are just a few of the key findings of the report from the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) and the Gendered Violence Research Network at UNSW in Sydney, which set out to compile national evidence about workers in services used by people affected by domestic and family violence and sexual assault.
However, what the statistics may not tell is how helping women (and men) in these situations affects the frontline workers emotionally. No doubt it would be a difficult burden to have on one’s shoulder, despite the required training that would no doubt have taken place.
At the end of the day, these situations are difficult and, despite the professionalism that comes across from those who are there to help, emotionally there’s no doubting the stories and things they see would have an impact.
It’s important people who have roles in these areas are given the correct support for not just helping those who need it, but for seeking assistance when they too might need someone to talk to. It’s essential these frontline workers are given the tools they need to cope personally or we risk having them suffering as well.
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