Earlier this year a teenage girl wrote to the NSW government pleading with them to educate children about domestic violence.
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Tragically, the young girl’s mother had committed suicide, but Rachel (not her real name) believed that if domestic violence had been addressed in her class she may have been more aware of what was happening to her mother.
As part of her online campaign through change.org, Rachel wrote: “We were all silent sufferers of never ending sadness. Mum killed herself ... she was the only person I ever needed in my life. If domestic violence was addressed within our schools educational criteria I could have gotten help and saved my mum.”
Rachel’s plea yielded a landslide of response, not least one from Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward resulting in a historical change to the year 7-10 school syllabus.
In 2016, the prevention of domestic violence will feature heavily in the NSW school curriculum.
And thank goodness for that.
Just last year, Rutherford Technology High School staff and students fought to save the revolutionary Love Bites program aimed at preventing domestic violence and sexual assault across Maitland.
But with no funding forthcoming the program was dismantled.
At least now the inclusion of domestic violence prevention education in schools will be safeguarded by the NSW syllabus and will no longer rely on funding.
Earlier this month – under the banner “Victory” – Rachel posted this:
“I started this petition (attracting 103,000 signatures) off the back of a tragedy. I lost my beautiful mum after years of her suffering to domestic violence. Together we have achieved a change that will benefit and empower the silent sufferers of domestic violence – the kids.”