A significant drop in domestic violence reporting in the past month has prompted concerns victims are not coming forward at a time when they are most vulnerable.
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With a stay-at-home mandate in place to protect the community from the spread of coronavirus, domestic violence experts anticipate an increase in family violence and are concerned victims are too scared to come forward.
Housing Plus head of community services Penny Dordoy said victims being isolated with perpetrators, along with health and financial insecurity have contributed to the under-reporting.
"The concern that we are having is the numbers of people who are reporting have declined, they have dropped significantly by 59 in the past month. We still had 171 incidents in the month," Ms Dordoy said.
"We know domestic violence hasn't declined.
"People feel they are trapped in houses with perpetrators of domestic violence and perhaps think they are better off staying home and going through it because they don't know what will happen if they report it."
She said she's also heard of some perpetrators giving out misinformation about the virus to create more insecurity for victims, and some victims have lost employment due to COVID-19 restrictions so are concerned about where they will live and what their future will look like if they report violence.
"When everyone is together in the house at the same time you don't have time to think," Ms Dordoy said.
"There's no down time to think about what you might do or if what you are experiencing is significant.
"There's no contemplation time like when you are on your own, or travelling, or talking to friends."
Ms Dordoy recommended women who are in such situations go for a walk on their own so they can get out and clear their head.
"If you can take a phone with you and make a call to us at the same time we really recommend it," she said.
Ms Dordoy wanted to reassure victims that all usual domestic violence protocols remain in place.
She said if someone needs to go to a refuge Housing Plus will make it happen or if they need other assistance or advice they are there to help and the main difference was conversations were taking place over the phone.
"Neighbours play a really important role in this now at this time," Ms Dordoy said.
She said neighbours should report any concerns to police who could conduct a welfare check and they could also establish codes for people who are at risk of domestic violence such as a code word or a visual code.
"It could be lifting up the blinds in the morning to say you are OK or close the blinds to say you are not OK," Ms Dordoy said.
The raising of concerns about under reporting coincided with Domestic Violence Remembrance Day on Wednesday.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
