Domestic violence, and its despicably high prevalence in our community, is an issue which is hard to discuss dispassionately.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The notion of women (and men) being abused by their spouse or partner is one which puts bile in almost all throats, and evokes disgust and anger in equal parts.
It’s one of the great scourges of Australian society and, sadly, the rate of recorded offences in Orange is substantially higher than the national average.
(And that’s just the reported cases: only God knows how many people are suffering in silence behind closed doors in our streets.)
One fool suggested members of the group were motivated in their protest by “probably [being] domestic abusers lol”. Make no mistake: no one is laughing about domestic violence.
So news late last year funding had been secured for the city’s domestic violence crisis centre – a place for bruised and abused women to escape their nightmarish existences – was, justifiably, hailed as a boon for us all.
Since then, Orange City Council has opened its doors to feedback on the Housing Plus-run centre’s proposed site near the corner of The Escort Way and the Northern Distributor Road.
And feedback they got.
Residents who live near the proposed site on Sunday made known their concerns with the facility, airing worries centred on safety, traffic, parking and lighting in their quiet pocket of west Orange.
MAP: Where is the proposed site …
When those concerns were published in a Central Western Daily story, the group’s members were accused of all manner of sin, with comments on the CWD website and Facebook page slinging an avalanche of unfounded slurs their way.
“They would all look the other way if they saw someone in need,” one read. “Who the hell opposes a domestic violence centre?” asked another.
Most disgracefully, one fool suggested members of the group were motivated in their protest by “probably [being] domestic abusers lol”.
Make no mistake: no one is laughing about domestic violence. Not the victims, not their families and friends, not their children, not their carers.
And neither are these protesting residents.
Many of the comments leveled at the group labeled them NIMBYs (which stands for Not In My Back Yard), and given the circumstances, that seems justified.
But just because they would prefer the crisis centre weren’t in their neighbourhood does not make them any less appalled by the sickening acts we’re all fed up hearing about. To suggest otherwise is grossly unfair.
Disagree with them if you will, but try to do so as objectively and, difficult as it may be, dispassionately as you can.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS AND VIEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below …