I have very important information you must read ...
I've been a little quiet on the blog for the last couple of months - there has been a reason why! It's been busy!
The Missing Pieces of Us was released about two weeks ago now, and I headed over to NSW for a small tour. It was lovely to go to Orange and Bathurst, and see all of my old friends at Allen and Unwin.
After NSW, I spoke at the state Rotary conference and had a serious fangirl moment when I met Matthew Pavlich, shook his hand and actually had a conversation with him! There was a lovely signing at Dymocks Hay Street and a few other events. But the highlight?
Being a state finalist for the RIRDC Rural Women's Awards. Tanya Dupagne, from Camp Kulin, was a very worthy winner, and I was exceptionally privileged to meet her. We're going to be working together on a few projects, so watch this space.
So, my very important information. What is it?
Well, my project for the RIRDC Rural Women's Award touched on domestic violence. I spent a long time at the awards night, speaking to Liza Harvey (Deputy leader for the Liberal Party) about my project, and her offer of help is invaluable.
This is a subject I'm very passionate about - dispelling the myth that all domestic violence is physical.
IT IS NOT.
There are ten different types of abuse which are NOT physical:
Emotional
Intimidation
Isolation
Using Children
Using Male Privilege
Economic
Threats and Coercion
Minimising/denying/blaming
Sexual
Power and Control
Domestic Violence is a form of terrorism. The victims live in fear all the time. They, however, sometimes don't realise that what they are living through is domestic violence.
Here are some frightening facts:
54% of domestic violence is reported OUTSIDE of the metro area
1 in 4 rural women will experience some type of DV in their life (just stop and have a quick look at the women in your life, add them up, then split them into four... That's pretty uncomfortable, isn't it?)
Domestic Violence IS NOT A CRIME. It becomes a crime when there is a chargeable offence involved, such as assault or rape. The rest of the types of abuse are NOT crimes
I wrote Indigo Storm hoping just to change one person's life. That's not enough. I am working on a new project which I hope to be able to launch nationwide, in time. In the interim, if you have experienced domestic violence of any sort and have an opinion on what services you would have liked to be able to access and needs you needed met before, during and after, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Please contact me. That is my important information. I hope you're as horrified as I am.
